Monsoon is not just a season for people of Nepal, it’s also a season of hope as most Nepalese depend on agriculture, and thus on rainwater, for their livelihood. But this same source of hope turns into a cause of despair as each year the excessive rainfall results in Flooding and Landslides all around Nepal. This monsoon alone, there have been more than 614 recorded incidents of floods and landslides all over Nepal affecting a total of 7,365 households and 42,000 people: Ministry of Home Affairs, Emergency Operation Center.
One such catastrophic event occurred on June 17th, 2023, in Taplejung district of Koshi Province, where relentless rainfall triggered multiple landslides and flooding in the Hewakhola river, rendering hundreds of families homeless. Maiwakhola Rural Municipality and Sidingwa Rural Municipality in Taplejung were hit particularly hard, displacing 105 and 75 families, respectively.
In response, Volunteer Corps Nepal (VCN), a national NGO, collaborated swiftly with local authorities to provide immediate relief. Within the first week, they distributed essential supplies such as food, hygiene kits, tarpaulin sheets, and buckets to address the urgent needs of the affected families.
However, the disaster inflicted extensive damage on infrastructure, with three bridges completely destroyed and several roads blocked. Consequently, 65 families from Maiwakhola Rural Municipality were forced to remain in high-risk areas vulnerable to landslides as they were unable to relocate to safer locations.
Recognizing the pressing need for relocation, the municipality sought help for construction of temporary resettlement houses; and thus VCN initiated the project’s second phase in collaboration with partners such as NSET, CRS, and NHSRP and secured financial assistance from Start Fund Nepal and UK AID.
Remarkably, the resettlement project was successfully completed, and on September 25th, 65 temporary integrated residential dwellings along with 36 toilets and 18 water taps were handed over to the families affected by the disaster, all within a remarkable timeframe of just 60 days.
