By Rajani Yogi, Surkhet, Oct. 12: As Nepal’s major festivals approach, people displaced by floods and living in the Girighat settlement in the community forest area of Birendranagar Municipality-1 are still struggling to find reasons to celebrate.
Dashain began on Sunday with Ghatasthapana (auspicious first day of Dashain).
People have started returning home from cities and towns, as well as from abroad, to celebrate the festival with their families.
People from all walks of life are preparing to celebrate Dashain according to their means.
However, there is little festive cheer in the flood-displaced settlement at Girighat, where residents continue to struggle under the weight of hardship and debt.
For the past 11 years, Dashain has brought little joy to these families. The floods of 2014 left hundreds homeless, while many lost family members and relatives.
More than a dozen people died in the disaster. Although 11 years have passed since the tragedy, the suffering of those living in the Girighat settlement has yet to ease.
In the past, Dashain brought joy to Dil Bahadur BK’s household, with relatives filling the house, crowds gathering to receive tika and blessings, and people singing and dancing in the courtyard in the evening.
However, the festival has lost its meaning for him in recent years. He said it had become difficult even to manage two meals a day.
Ram Bahadur Nepali, who has been living in the settlement, said he had spent many Dashains in hardship under makeshift hut over the past decade.
He does not know how many more festivals he will have to spend in such conditions. Earning his livelihood through daily wage labour, he said he no longer felt the joy of Dashain.
The floods that struck on August 15, 2014, swept away Kamala BK’s house and land.
After losing all her property, she moved with her family to the roadside at Girighat, where they have lived for 11 years. She said their problems remained unresolved and that festivals only added to their difficulties.
A total of 125 households from Ward No. 2 of Barahatal Rural Municipality are living in the community forest area of Ward No. 1 of Birendranagar at Girighat. More than a decade after being displaced, they have yet to be resettled.
The families face not only unsafe living conditions but also the daily struggle to secure food. They lack access to basic facilities such as healthcare, education, drinking water and electricity.
Harikala BK, another resident of the settlement, said festivals brought additional difficulties. Having lived under old, worn-out tents for 11 years, she said she had to keep looking for work to put food on the table.
With no money to buy new clothes or prepare special meals, there is little Dashain cheer in the settlement. Even with the festival just days away, residents remain occupied with earning their daily livelihoods.
They make ends meet by selling gravel, sand and firewood. The lack of proper employment opportunities has further compounded their difficulties, leaving them struggling to afford even their morning and evening meals.
Rather than celebrating Dashain, many residents are preoccupied with survival. Children and elderly people are among those seen in the settlement, while others go out in search of work.
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