By Radhakrishna Dumre,Waling (Syangja), Oct. 25: Setibeni Bazaar, located at the junction of two provinces, remained deserted during this year’s Dashain festival. The marketplace, which usually attracts large crowds of traders and pilgrims during festivals, has lost its vibrancy. Even the roads are no longer properly accessible.
Situated at the junction of Syangja, Gulmi and Parbat districts, Setibeni Bazaar has a distinct identity as an old marketplace. It has also served as a gateway to various destinations and is known for the Shaligram Shila, a sacred stone found along the banks of the Kaligandaki River.
A devastating flood in the Kaligandaki River on September 27 caused extensive damage to houses and shops in the marketplace. More than 50 houses were damaged, displacing 32 households entirely. The disaster has severely disrupted daily life, bringing trade and business to a standstill.
According to Ghanshyam Bhattarai, ward chairman of Galyang Municipality-5, 32 houses were damaged to the extent that they are no longer fit for habitation, forcing many local residents to leave their homes.
Although Dashain is a time for families to gather and celebrate together, residents of Setibeni have spent the festive period dealing with damage to their houses and shops and moving their remaining belongings to safer places.
Nearly a month has passed since the flood, but a complete assessment of the damage has yet to be made. Galyang Municipality said it would take a few more days to collect the details.
Ram Prasad Neupane, a trader affected by the flood, said he had brought in a large consignment of mobile phones in anticipation of increased demand ahead of Dashain.
“Just four days after I brought them in, a devastating flood struck and submerged everything,” he said.
Restarting businesses has become a major challenge for traders after the Kaligandaki flood swept through the marketplace. Medical shop operator Deepak Bhandari said he had suffered losses worth hundreds of thousands of rupees.
Bhandari, who runs a medical shop in the village offering services including X-rays, said the flood damaged his medicines and X-ray machine.
According to traders, fancy goods, cosmetics, medical and mobile phone shops, among others, suffered losses worth hundreds of thousands of rupees.
Local govt preparing for rehabilitation
Although some immediate relief and assistance have been provided to flood-affected residents, no final decision has been made on how to resettle the Setibeni settlement safely.
Guru Prasad Bhattarai, mayor of Galyang Municipality, said the municipality was working on a long-term plan to determine whether the vulnerable settlement should be reorganised at
its existing location or relocated to a safer place.
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