Long road to recovery for landslide-hit settlement

The floods and landslides that struck in September 2024 have left a trail of devastation at Nabughat in Manthali Municipality, Ramechhap district, destroying farmland, vegetation, and the livelihoods of countless families. Among the hardest hit is Neeta Majhi, whose 15 ropani fields were completely washed away by the Sunkoshi flood. Neeta, who lives with her seven-member family, including four school-going children and elderly in-laws, now faces an uncertain future. With no food or income, she is forced to borrow money to buy rice and other essentials, leaving her anxious and overwhelmed. “I don’t know where to go or what to do to feed my family,” she says, her voice filled with despair.

Neeta’s plight is shared by approximately 50 families in the Jhurupp Majhi settlement, located in the southeastern corner of Manthali Municipality-6. The flood has left the community in ruins, with fields buried under sand and crops destroyed. “September 28 was a black day for Nabughat,” says Badri Bahadur Majhi, a local resident. “The flood buried everyone’s fields and crops. Now, all that remains is a vast expanse of sand. We can’t even tell where our land used to be.” Standing amidst the sandbanks, Badri gestures helplessly, trying to identify the boundaries of his lost farmland. “This is where my land used to lie,” he says, pointing to the heaps of sand around him. “But now, it’s all gone.”

The Sunkoshi flood has left behind deep ditches and towering sand dunes, rendering the once-fertile land unusable. Chakra Bahadur Majhi, another local, explains the challenges of reclaiming the land. “If we can clear the sand and prepare the land, we might be able to cultivate it again,” he says. However, the task is daunting. Unlike other areas where the Koshi River has receded, leaving behind cultivable land, Nabughat’s fields remain buried under layers of sand and debris. The community’s hopes are pinned on restoring the land to its former productivity, but progress has been slow.

Last year, locals successfully grew watermelons on the advice of agricultural technicians, and this year, they hope to do the same. “We’ll plant watermelons again,” says Chakra. “What else can we do? We just hope the land will be ready in time.” The community believes that beneath the nearly 500 ropanis of sand lies the fertile soil of their former farmland. In hopes of reclaiming it, they have appealed to Manthali Municipality for assistance. The municipality has allocated Rs 600,000 for sand removal and land restoration, but Ward Chairman Ashok Tamang admits it is insufficient. “The budget isn’t enough to clear the sand and restore the land,” he says. “We’re waiting for additional funds to start the work.”

The flood has also destroyed the irrigation infrastructure, compounding the challenges faced by the community. Wells, pipes, and cement-lined canals have been washed away, while electricity poles lie half-buried or broken. “First, we need to reclaim the land, then we can focus on rebuilding the irrigation system,” says Kale Majhi, a local elder and former public representative. “This is a disaster. The Koshi, which had never reached Nabughat before, has now devastated our village.” Kale, who has witnessed decades of change in the region, is deeply concerned about the future. “We’ve never faced anything like this,” he says. “The flood has taken everything from us.”

Four months after the flood, the community feels abandoned. “No one has come to help us,” laments Kale Majhi. Whenever outsiders visit the village, he hopes for relief, but so far, the community has received little support. “All we’ve gotten is a sack of rice,” he says. The lack of assistance has left the people of Nabughat feeling forgotten and hopeless. “We’ve lost our land, our crops, and our livelihoods,” says Neeta Majhi. “We don’t know how we’ll survive.”

The road to recovery is long and uncertain for the people of Nabughat. While the community remains resilient, the challenges they face are immense. Reclaiming the land, rebuilding infrastructure, and restoring livelihoods will require significant resources and support. For now, the Majhi community clings to hope, determined to rebuild their lives despite the odds. “We’ve faced hardships before, but this is the hardest,” says Badri Bahadur Majhi. “We’ll keep fighting, but we can’t do it alone. We need help.”