As many as 48 landslide victims from Seripakha of Chaurapati Rural Municipality-6, Achham, are languishing in temporary accomodations even after a month of the natural disaster.

The displaced people of nine families are taking shelter in a building of the village’s community health unit. They were displaced after a massive landslide struck on June 20, leaving four houses above the landslide site and five others below at high risk.

Achham’s Chief District Officer Shiva Prasad Lamsal said that it has been raining in the area sporadically. “The risk of landslides has not yet abated,” he said. “It is not possible to send the landslide displaced people home anytime soon.”

The displaced families are living in the community building in a difficult situation. The District Disaster Management Committee has provided Rs15,000 each to families with less than five members and Rs20,000 each to families with more than five members as immediate relief, according to Lamsal, who is also the chairman of District Disaster Management Committee. “In the first phase, we provided relief for food and other general expenses,” Lamsal said. “The victims need additional support as they cannot return home immediately.”

According to Lamsal, a big rock is stuck at the place where the landslide occurred. “Until it is managed, all houses are at risk,” he said. “Moreover, the land in the area is fragile as it has developed cracks.”

Experts suggest that the large boulder stuck in the landslide should be managed first and the topography should be examined to determine whether the settlement is safe or not. However, the authorities concerned are yet to deploy a technical team for land survey and manage the hanging rock due to unabated monsoon rains in the area.

“We are preparing to send a technical team to the affected area for the management of the hanging rock and examine the topography,” said Lamsal. According to him, paddy was planted on about three ropanis of land just above the landslide and it is suspected that the water through the paddy field has made the land more fragile in the area. He said that the landowners agreed not to irrigate their paddy fields as it could worsen the situation in the landslide-affected area.

The District Disaster Management Committee plans to carry out sustainable measures to control the landslide and avert risks in the nearby settlements. The committee says discussions are being held with Chaurpati Rural Municipality and others concerned to manage the hanging rock, install gabion wall and plant trees to control the landslide.

On the one hand the displaced people should be rehabilitated while on the other the landslide should be controlled in a sustainable way.

“Resettlement process of the displaced people will begin soon,” Lamsal said, adding that based on the report of the local disaster management committee and the technical team, the District Disaster Management Committee will recommend the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority in the centre to allocate necessary budget for the resettlement of the displaced families.

According to Bhim Bahadur Saud, chairman of Chaurapati Rural Municipality, nine displaced families and 16 other families who are at risk should be shifted to a safer location. “The land developed cracks and was completely torn apart,” Saud said. “Nine families have already left their homes while other families are at risk. Most of the locals have their own land in other places. There is no need to purchase land. But houses should be built for them.”

According to him, 48 people living in the building of the community health unit are anxious about their settlement. “The displaced victims should be rehabilitated as soon as possible,” he added.

Meanwhile, various rural roads in Achham, a hill district of Sudurpaschim Province, have been disrupted due to monsoon rains.

The floods and landslides blocked some rural roads while many other dirt roads are so muddy and slippery that vehicles cannot roll.

All 10 local units in Achham prioritised construction of rural roads over the past few years. Most of such roads were constructed haphazardly without even carrying out surveys, officials say.

“The haphazardly constructed roads cause landslides in the district,” said Lalit Bahadur Kunwar, chief of the District Coordination Committee in Achham. “The District Coordination Committee has jurisdiction to monitor such roads but we don’t have skilled and technical manpower to do that.”