Increasing landslide and flood risks across Rolpa and Bajura districts have put several settlements in danger, threatening scores of families with imminent displacement. The risk of more water-induced disasters remains high in those settlements which suffered heavy loss of lives and property last week.

In Rolpa, hundreds of households in Sunchhahari and Thawang rural municipalities are at risk of displacement as continuous rainfall has begun causing cracks and instability in the hills.

In Bajura, 58 houses in Tamsu of ward 9 in Tribeni Rural Municipality remain at high risk after a landslide swept away two houses. The local authorities have no alternative but to shift the population to a safer location immediately.

The settlements at risk include Seram, Ghusbang and Gam in Sunchhahari Rural Municipality, and Uwa in Thawang Rural Municipality in Rolpa. A team led by the chief district officer has concluded that some of the settlements may have to be relocated.

Heavy rain throughout Thursday night heightened the landslide risk across much of eastern Rolpa. Homes in Seram and Ghusbang in Sunchhahari-1 are considered particularly vulnerable.

Dhani Man Roka, the ward chairman, said cracks had appeared across the hills above the settlements. “After the overnight rain, mud and debris flowed towards the settlement, while the ground below the village has also been torn open by landslides. It is no longer safe to stay there,” he said.

Seram has more than 100 households. Dalit families live mainly in the upper part of the village, while the lower section is inhabited predominantly by Magar families. Mud and debris has been coming down from Baima cliff and Gathan hill above the settlement.

Mudslide debris has hit the yards of some houses. Two women were killed several weeks ago when a landslide came down from Gathan hill while they were out herding cattle. “This time, much more debris came down, making the situation particularly dangerous,” Roka said.

Besides the houses, the settlement has the ward office, a school and a police post.

Ghusbang, also in Sunchhahari-1 with 100 households, has also suffered damage in the disaster. Floodwaters swept away a suspension bridge leading to a micro-hydropower plant, while several houses have been damaged, according to Roka.

A full assessment has yet to be made because communication with the village has been disrupted.

Ghusbang lies east of Kotalbara in Uwa, where a landslide struck three days ago. Roka said police had been sent to Ghusbang after receiving reports that several houses and a community building had been destroyed.

Gam, in wards 2 and 3 of Sunchhahari, is also at high risk of landslides. Four people were killed there after Thursday night’s rain triggered landslides that buried two houses in separate incidents.

In Thawang Rural Municipality-5, Uwa is a large settlement, with 300 households. Buddhi Gharti Magar, the ward chairman, said days of continuous rain had opened cracks across the village, prompting authorities to advise residents in high-risk areas to spend the night at a local secondary school.

“We have told people not to stay in homes at risk and to take shelter at the school or in cattle sheds considered safe. We issued the warning because more rain tonight could further increase the danger,” he said.

Those unable to fit into the school or cattle sheds have been advised to move to higher ground.

Chief District Officer Ganga Bahadur Chhetri, having inspected the Uwa landslide that killed 13 people, said authorities had concluded that residents of the vulnerable settlements in Uwa, Seram and Gam needed to be evacuated to safety.

“The district disaster management committee is preparing to make a formal decision and send a written recommendation to the authority,” said Chhetri.

Tamsu village in Tribeni-9, Bajura, runs a high risk of landslides following incessant rainfall.

One person died and two others were injured when a landslide buried a house there on Thursday night. According to Nanda Bahadur Thapa, ward chairman of Tribeni-9, a landslide above the village has put 60 households at risk.

After the landslide struck around midnight on Thursday, frightened residents moved to Toleni, an area above the village, where they have been taking shelter under tarpaulins. Two houses were destroyed.

The rural municipal office said the village was highly vulnerable after a landslide cut through the middle and cracks appeared in the ground at several places.

All 58 houses in the village are considered highly vulnerable after two of the total 60 were swept away, said Thapa. Some displaced families are staying in a cooperative building and others at Mahalaxmi Basic School, while several families are living under tarpaulins.

The landslide also completely destroyed crops cultivated on around 60 ropanis of land in Tamsu. Electricity has been completely cut off since Thursday, while drinking-water pipes have also been damaged, according to ward chairman Thapa. With water supply disrupted, residents have been forced to use water from a local stream for drinking. Roads and trails have also been damaged by the continuous rain.

Several other settlements in Bajura are also at high risk of landslides and floods. On July 20, floods displaced six families in Kordha of Badimalika Municipality-6. In Selaghat of ward 9 in the same municipality, one person was injured and three families displaced by flooding. The flood also swept away crops, leaving the fields covered with sediment and debris.

According to the ‘Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan, 2083’ recently published by the District Disaster Management Committee, 134 settlements across all nine local units of Bajura are at high risks of floods and landslides.

According to Chief District Officer Dorendra Niraula, the district is particularly vulnerable because of its steep and fragile terrain, river erosion, poorly planned road construction and the growing effects of climate change.