Govt moved squatters to ‘safer’ shelter to escape floods; the shelter itself was inundated

KATHMANDU, July 11: A few months ago, the government relocated squatters living along flood-prone riverbanks in Kathmandu to a temporary holding center, saying the move was necessary to protect them from rising rivers. But on Friday midnight, the residents found themselves trapped in the very disaster they were meant to escape after floodwaters swept into the shelter itself.

The holding center at the Radha Soami Beas shelter in Kirtipur, where squatters from vulnerable riverside settlements had been relocated, was inundated after the Bagmati River swelled following incessant rainfall. The incident has sparked outrage among displaced residents, who accused authorities of exposing them to greater danger instead of ensuring their safety.

Floodwaters entered the shelter suddenly late Friday night while residents were asleep, leaving many stranded. They said they spent the night wading through muddy water, struggling to save their lives and whatever belongings they could collect.

“We faced a terrifying situation last night. The flood came all of a sudden. Balendra (the prime minister) had said we were brought here to protect us from floods, but he ended up putting us right in the middle of a flood. There are many sick people here. The government has been cruel to squatters. Despite knowing that this place gets flooded even with a little rainfall, they still brought us here,” an affected resident said.

The residents accused the government of negligence, alleging that authorities shifted them to the Sundarighat-based shelter despite knowing that the area was vulnerable to flooding. Many said they lost blankets, bedding, food supplies, and other essentials after water entered the shelter during the night.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, authorities launched a rescue operation after receiving information about the flooding at 1:38 AM. A 60-member joint rescue team, including 30 personnel from the Armed Police Force’s Disaster Management unit under the command of a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and 30 Nepal Police personnel, was deployed.

The rescue team used boats to evacuate residents trapped inside the flooded shelter.

Of the 154 people staying at the holding center, 54 were rescued and shifted to Smriti Bhawan inside Tribhuvan University premises. Another six moved to a nearby hostel or stayed with relatives, while 94 residents refused to leave and continued staying in the unaffected section of the shelter.

Since Saturday morning, government agencies and various thematic clusters have been working at the site to provide food, drinking water, and other essential relief materials to those affected.

The squatters accused the government of failing them twice—first by demolishing their riverside settlements in the name of protecting them from floods, and then by relocating them to a shelter that itself became vulnerable to the same disaster.