Nepal Floods: Families Struggle To Rebuild As Homes Left Destroyed, Businesses Buried Under Silt

Nepal Flash Floods: The floods in Nepal have destroyed not only homes and roads but also the livelihoods of thousands of people. In the flood-hit districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, many families have lost their shops, businesses, farmland, and sources of income. They are even struggling to understand how they can rebuild their lives and start earning again.

Petrol Pump Buried Under Debris

A petrol pump located in Galchhi Rural Municipality along the Kathmandu-Muglin Highway is now buried under mud and debris. The pump, which once had long queues of vehicles, is now difficult to recognise. Two to three feet of silt has covered the entire area, while the machines are buried under sand, according to Jagran.com report.

Petrol pump owner Deepak Karki sits helplessly as he does not know where to begin the process of restarting his business. “This flood has destroyed everything. We have lost our fertile land, our home and our source of livelihood. I do not understand how my family will survive,” Karki said.

ALSO READ: 'No One Has Asked': Nepal FM Denies Seeking Climate Compensation From India, China, US For Devastating Floods

Families Lose Their Sources of Income

(Image: ANI)

Karki’s situation is just one example of the suffering caused by the floods. The same pain can be seen on the faces of people across the flood-affected districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. The floods have not only damaged homes but have also completely changed the economic condition of many families.

Bakery Owner Unsure How To Start Again

People who once ran small businesses and shops now have to think about how they will earn enough money to support their families. In Baireni, Sunita Dahal sits sadly outside her damaged house. Her building had both a shop and a home. The bakery was on the ground floor, while her family lived upstairs. Now, the flood has completely covered the ground floor with mud and debris.

The bakery oven, refrigerator and other items are buried under silt. Since the flood, Sunita has been staying with her relatives at her sister’s home in Gajuri. According to Sunita, she returned to her house in hope to find a way to rebuild her life, but the place no longer feels like a home.

“This shop was the only source of income for our family. It helped us pay for our children’s education. Now everything has been destroyed. I do not know how we will raise our children,” Suntia said. While looking among the layers of silt, she found a burnt baking tray. She picked it up and said, “I used to make bread in this tray. Now I will have to start again, but I do not know where to begin.”

Baireni Market Buried In Silt

Her story is similar to that of almost every family in Baireni market. Some people ran grocery stores, some repaired mobile phones, while others operated small tea stalls, but the Trishuli River swept away their business within just 10 minutes. For most families, removing the two feet of silt from the shops has become the biggest challenge. According to local residents, while they can’t remove it on their own, the government assistance is also not enough.

They need JCB machines to clear the silt and money to restart their businesses. But after losing almost everything in the floods, most families have neither the resources nor the capital to begin again.

(With inputs from Jagran Correspondent Vishwa Deepak Tripathi)

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