Kathmandu Valley has been inundated twice this year alone – countless number of times in the past. While torrential rain occasionally disrupts the lives of city dwellers, more often than not, it is the city’s urban poor – a vast majority of which live along the riverbanks of the city, whose already precarious lives are further threatened. For the urban poor, when it rains, it pains.

On Wednesday, torrential rain yet again entered the riverside settlements along the Bagmati, Dhobi and Bishnumati corridor. “While our homes are inundated almost every year, yesterday’s rain was particularly devastating”, Radha Thapa, who has been living along the corridor for twenty years shared. Radha, who buys water from local tankers, and in turn sells to the community said the floods have damaged all off her belongings.

Sukram Moktan has been residing in a shack along the Bagmati River in Balkhu for 25 years and is constantly battling monsoon-related disasters every year. Furthermore, Moktan and his community are left to confront with new epidemics such as dengue.

Moktan, a driver by profession, continues to grapple with monsoon related challenges every year. “I have been living here for more than 25 years. Every year during the monsoon, we fight problems like flooding,” he told Aawaaj News. “The area is a breeding ground for dengue. There is no proper housing in the village. If there were a better place to live, I would have moved,” he added.

Moktan used to drive a garbage collection truck for Kirtipur Minicipality, however hasn’t been unable to go to work due to the uncertainty of rain and flooding in his region. He hopes to return to work next month.

Similarly, Kumari Magar, who moved to Kathmandu from Bahrabise Municipality of Sindhupalchok after losing her husband in 2040, recounted her struggles. “Last year, we spent an entire night on the street as the rain battered our neighbourhood. Mosquito bites, and the anxiety of the floods sweeping away our world kept us awake”. The relenting of rain wasn’t a respite for Kumari, for she caught dengue, and was bedridden for seven days. “Many people come to ask about us – but hardly anything is done for us. Who will understand our pain? We endure it because it happens to others like us too”, Magar added.

Fulmaya Moktan of Sundarighat, Lalitpur, prefers not to share her sorrows, realizing that any help from the government is unlikely. She moved to Kathmandu 33 years ago and rears cattle to make a living on the outskirts of the city. “It rains and floods during the monsoon. There is a lot to talk about, but nothing changes by telling others. Her pain goes beyond monsoons as shares incidents of leopard attacking her livestock. No one was there to hear my pain,” she shared.

“When we walk in the mud during the rainy season, our feet get covered in mud. We want to walk in shoes and dry clothes, but clearly that’s not meant for us. They come to ask about our problems only during elections. Our problems persists, and speaking up doesn’t change anything,” she added. Similarly, Radha states if the government is willing to provide them with adequate alternatives, she would be happy to move out from the settlement. “If not, we will struggle here, die here”, she tells us.

Kabita Marasini, who sells roasted corn on the roadside in Bagbazar, Kathmandu, also faces numerous issues. “Sometimes the city authorities, sometimes the weather, sometimes our own problems—nature and the government go hand in hand in our woes”, she tells us. Despite the rain, Kabita has to sell her corn for she has two children dependent on her earnings. “I have two daughters to educate”, she shares, and also hopes that their lives, through education, will be better than hers. The common complaint among these individuals is with the government, demanding protection from natural disasters.

Continuous heavy rains from June to September during the monsoon season lead to significant disasters and losses across Nepal, claiming many lives every year. Federal, state, and local governments are responsible for mitigating potential damage and responding to post-disaster needs, however with changing governments and relative inattention to the urban poor, the needs of such communities is often overlooked.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, who is entrusted with the task of managing and reducing disaster risks estimated that 1.8 million people from 412,000 households might be affected by monsoon disasters this year. With rains expected to be 35 to 55 percent above average, the authority created a relief and response plan but has failed to address the needs of low-income residents near urban areas.

According to the NDRRMA, 682 monsoon-related disaster incidents have occurred nationwide in just one month since this year’s monsoon began. These incidents affected 1,264 families, resulting in 69 deaths, 89 injuries, and four missing persons. Last year, 63 people lost their lives across the country during the monsoon season. Seventeen people died in Koshi province, one in Madhesh province, 17 in Bagmati province, nine in Gandaki province, eight in Lumbini province, eight in Karnali province, and three in Sudurpaschim province. A total of 69 people were injured, and 30 went missing across all seven provinces. Last year’s monsoon disasters also damaged around 711 houses and 242 homes.

With lives and livelihoods at constant risk, the question is: When will the government take bold and effective action to safeguard its people from the unforgiving forces of nature?

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