Seventeen impoverished families from the Musahar community living along the embankment of the Western Koshi Canal in ward 8 of Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality, Saptari, say they face imminent displacement as India presses ahead with canal upgrade and parallel road expansion, just as a severe cold wave has crippled their ability to earn daily wages.

The families, who have lived on the canal bank for four generations, say bulldozers alarmingly close to their settlement. With winter tightening its grip, they fear their homes could be demolished within days, leaving them homeless in freezing conditions. They have been urging authorities not to dismantle their huts amid the biting cold.

“We have not slept properly for days,” said 55-year-old Khattar Sada, watching two excavators advancing rapidly from the eastern side. “They say our houses will be demolished in five or seven days. But where do we go with our children in this cold wave? The contractor does not listen, and even the ward office says there is no option to save our homes,” he lamented.

Like others in the settlement, Sada depends on daily wage work, but the cold wave has sharply reduced work opportunities. “We are already forced to sleep on half-empty stomachs. Now the fear of becoming homeless has pushed us to the edge,” he said.

According to the Musahar families, they were notified to evacuate the place but they could not leave the place as they have nowhere else to go. Sanjay Sada, aged 52, said the authorities have issued three separate notices asking them to shift elsewhere. “We have lived here even before the canal was built. Now, in the name of canal upgrading and road expansion, they want to displace us. If they must demolish our homes, there should be proper arrangements for relocation first,” he demanded.

More than 100 people from the Musahar community in the settlement are at risk, residents say, accusing elected representatives of failing to act with urgency. Ward chairperson Satya Narayan Yadav acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating that he had repeatedly urged contractors not to demolish homes during the cold wave.

“I told them that demolishing houses now would cause extreme hardship. But they insist they will complete the work at any cost. Even the notice to remove houses was issued through the district administration. What more can I say to the chief district officer about the issue?” said Yadav, adding that the ward does not currently have the resources to immediately resettle the affected families.

According to the Koshi Agreement in 1954 between Nepal and India, land covering 599 bigha and 18 kattha (around 406 hectares), including canal areas, falls under Indian jurisdiction. Acting under this provision, the Western Koshi Canal Division Office in Kunauli, Bihar, wrote to the District Administration Office in Saptari on November 18, seeking clearance to upgrade the canal and expand the road.

Following this, the district administration issued a public notice on November 24 urging local governments and concerned offices to expedite the removal of encroachments along the canal. Security agencies were also instructed to facilitate the process.

However, authorities admit they do not yet have clear data on how many houses will be demolished or how many families could be displaced during the cold wave. Chief District Officer Tuwaraj Pokharel said officials were aware that some families would be affected.

“After receiving information that some families could be displaced, we have called local representatives and stakeholders for discussions,” Pokharel said. “We will try to find a solution through dialogue.”

The district administration office had called a meeting of all the stakeholders for Wednesday to discuss the looming displacement of hundreds of impoverished families following India’s initiation of the Western Koshi Canal upgrading and road expansion. The meeting, however, could not proceed due to the absence of Indian representatives.

Pokharel had convened the meeting after rising complaints that a large number of vulnerable families in the district could be rendered homeless by the ongoing work. The discussion was intended to bring together the heads of the relevant local governments and representatives of the Indian side involved in implementing the project.

However, officials from the Western Koshi Canal Division Office in Kunauli, Bihar, as well as representatives of the construction company carrying out the work, did not attend the meeting, forcing it to be postponed.

Pokharel only held consultations with local unit leaders who were present. “The Indian side had attended a meeting last Sunday, but they did not turn up today,” said Pokharel. “We are expecting them to participate in the next round of discussions.”