The surrounding hills have been ravaged by landslides and deep cracks. The Salandu stream has yet to return to its original size. The Patikharka area in ward 4 of Bethanchok Rural Municipality in Kavrepalanchok, has been badly damaged by floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains on Friday and Saturday.

Scores of families in Patikharka lost their homes, land and other possessions. Many have started leaving the settlement in search of food and shelter. Some of them walked for hours to reach their relatives’ homes while a few others searched for rented rooms.

When the Post reached Patikharka for reporting on Wednesday, women with their babies in piggybacks and elderly people leaning on sticks were seen leaving the rain-ravaged village. Villagers of the working age were found carrying loads of utensils, clothes and other belongings.

“The landslide buried our house, and the floods destroyed the crops. We have no place to live and nothing to eat. We somehow survived the disaster. Now we have no alternative to leave the village to find shelter elsewhere,” said Sabina Mahat who was leading three goats with her. Sabina and her family have been staying at her maternal house in Khopasi in the district since Sunday.

Syani Nepali, 70, from ward 4 of Ganeshthan in Bethanchok, using a stick for support, was walking along with her physically challenged daughter. “It took six hours to reach Patikharka from Ganeshthan. I don’t know when we will make it to Panauti,” said Syani. “The landslide destroyed our house. We stayed in a local school for two days. But we couldn’t stay there indefinitely, so we decided to move to Panauti to rent a room,” she added, complaining that the local government did not provide food or shelter after the disaster.

The local people in Patikharka are in abject terror, worried that a similar catastrophe could strike again. They are worried about finding a sustainable way to rebuild their settlement, and their rehabilitation.

“Our entire settlement has been ravaged by floods and landslides. How can we stay here? How long should we stay at relatives’ places? I am anxious about our future,” said Pushpa Mahat, another local of Patikharka. The house where she stayed was badly damaged. Her under construction house also sustained partial damage.

Ward 4 of Bethanchok Rural Municipality was severely affected by last week’s disaster. According to Bhagawan Adhikari, chairman of the rural municipality, as many as 250 families were displaced in ward 4 alone. He added that more than 600 families had been displaced across the rural municipality.

“People affected by floods and landslides are leaving their homes in search of a safer place. Entire settlements were destroyed in wards 2, 3, 4 and 5. But the local unit doesn’t have resources to provide them safe shelter. It’s heartbreaking to see the suffering and hardships they are enduring,” said Adhikari.

The disaster-ravaged settlements have been cut off from road networks, electricity, and communication services. “Efforts are on to reopen the blocked road and restore power supply. It will take millions of rupees to bring Bethanchok back to its previous state,” said Adhikari.

Kavrepalanchok, a hill district of Bagmati Province, is one of the worst hit districts by the rain-induced disasters on Friday and Saturday.

According to the Nepal Police Headquarters, a total of 72 people have been confirmed dead in floods and landslides in Kavrepalanchok district as of 5 pm Thursday. Among them 12 people died in Bethanchok alone. Four people remain missing while 75 people were injured in the disasters.