Following the inundation of 60 households on the banks of Bagmati river, women squatters have demanded safe settlement for squatters across the country.

Nepal Mahila Ekta Samaj (NMES), a network of landless women squatters, has come up with a five-point demand—identify the real squatters, include safe settlement as fundamental rights

in the constitution, give alternative settlement, provide alternative plan to those displaced squatters and allow them to own the land they are living in.

“The government is not serious about our problem, demolishing our settlement does not solve our problem. They must have a better plan for us,” said Bimala Tamang, chairperson of NMES.

A survey of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction shows that Kathmandu has 65 squatter settlements, which consists of 3,922 houses with a total population of 12,646.

The settlements are seen basically on the banks of Bagmati, Bishnumati, Hanumante and Tukucha rivers.

After the re-establishment of democracy in the country, the government has already formed 21 commissions to solve the problem, but to no avail.

In 2005, the government had given an evacuation order to squatter settlements in Sinamangal but that didn’t work, while in 2012 the government had demolished 258 squatter settlements using an excavator, deploying over 3,000 security personnel, but this also eventually turned out to be unsuccessful. Without having proper alternatives, they are back to the same place.

The report of United Nations Nepal Information Platform, of the 40 squatter settlements in Kathmandu Valley, 24 are on the floodplain of rivers and most of the areas are prone to landslides.

“Government is expanding roads in riversides by demolishing our houses.  During the rainy season we have the scare of flood and during winter we have to suffer from the foul smell of rivers. We also suffer from diseases inflicted upon by the polluted river. We are staying here out of obligation. If our basic needs are addressed in the statute, we are ready to move from this place,” said Tamang.