By Thakur Prasad Acharya
Myagdi, Oct. 13: Mahabhir village in Annapurna Rural Municipality-8, Myagdi district, has been deserted after the risk of landslides increased, forcing residents to flee their homes.
Landslides have occurred below the settlement and at several locations within the village, causing cracks in houses and courtyards. Following incessant rainfall during the second week of October, residents were forced to leave their homes and take shelter in a temporary camp as the risk of landslides increased.
A total of 90 people from 30 households have been displaced. Of them, 70 are living together in a temporary shelter, while the others have taken refuge with relatives and neighbours.
Kham Bahadur Garbuja, ward chair of Annapurna Rural Municipality-8 and a resident of Mahabhir himself, said the displaced families had been accommodated in a temporary camp at Siruwari in Kafaldanda, where tents provided by the District Disaster Management Committee had been erected.
“The entire village has been riddled with cracks due to landslides. Many houses and cattle sheds have developed cracks. As the settlement was no longer safe to live in, we moved the entire village to a safer location,” he said.
Garbuja said residents had been relocated to a safe place to prevent casualties, as a major landslide had occurred below the settlement and cracks had appeared in the ground at various locations across the village.
Chandra Basic School, which provides education up to Grade 5 in Mahabhir, has also been relocated to Siruwari due to the landslide risk.
Kula Prasad Acharya, assistant chief district officer of Myagdi, said temporary arrangements had been made in tents to ensure the safety of residents after both the settlement and the school were found to be at risk.
He said essential supplies, including food, had been transported by helicopter with the support of the Nepali Army during the initial days of the displacement. According to him, the displaced families are not facing shortages of daily necessities.
A total of 126 people from 52 households have been displaced from various settlements in the former Ramche Village Development Committee area of Annapurna Rural Municipality-8, including Mahabhir.
A landslide destroyed a house in Dharapani, killing Sabin Chochangi, while Manoj Chochangi remains missing.
According to ward chair Garbuja, three households in Okhalkharka Jhumrekhor, four in Dharapani, 11 in Gaunphant, three in Thalthale and two in Chinar have been displaced. The affected families have been accommodated in tents provided by the rural municipality and the District Disaster Management Committee.
Blocked roads have also made it difficult to deliver relief supplies and food to displaced families. The road connecting Siruwari has been obstructed by a landslide between Nagi and Ramche.
Chitra Tilija, a local resident actively involved in supporting the displaced families, said supplies were being transported by vehicles from Beni via Mallas and Phalamedanda in Parbat district to Nagi, after which locals carried them on foot to the affected areas.
Bharat Kumar Pun, chair of Annapurna Rural Municipality, said the situation indicated that Mahabhir village might have to be relocated entirely to a safer area.
He said proposals had been submitted to the provincial and federal governments for the long-term resettlement of families currently living in temporary camps, as well as for reconstruction and rehabilitation.
Pun said the lack of resources had made it challenging to address both the immediate needs of displaced families, including shelter, food and other basic necessities, and the long-term solution to settlements at risk of landslides.
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