Floods swamp holding centre for evicted squatters, dozens rescued
Bagmati River overflows after overnight rain, forcing emergency evacuation as displaced families lose belongings for a second time
Overnight flooding triggered by torrential rain inundated a temporary shelter housing evicted informal settlers on the outskirts of Nepal's capital early Saturday, forcing dozens of people to flee by rescue boat after the Bagmati River burst its banks.
Floodwaters entered the Radhaswami Squatter Holding Centre at Sundarighat in Kirtipur shortly after 1:00 a.m. following hours of heavy rainfall, rapidly submerging rooms and tents where 154 landless people had been staying, according to residents and disaster authorities.
Police and other security personnel launched rescue operations after residents appealed for help as water levels continued to rise.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 54 people were evacuated to Smriti Bhawan on the nearby Tribhuvan University campus, while government agencies were coordinating the delivery of food, drinking water and other emergency supplies.
"We were asleep and only realised what was happening after the entire place was flooded," resident Rajkumar Majhi told local media after reaching safety. "No one warned us in advance that a flood was coming."
Many families were unable to save clothing, food, medicines and household belongings before the floodwaters swept through the camp, leaving much of the site covered in mud and debris by daybreak.
The holding centre had been established to accommodate families displaced after authorities demolished informal settlements in Kathmandu, including Thapathali and Shantinagar, in April. Since then, dozens of households had been living in temporary tents inside the compound.
For many residents, the flood compounded an already precarious situation.
Some said they had managed to salvage only a few possessions after the earlier evictions, only to see them destroyed by the flood. Others remained near the inundated shelter searching through the mud for recoverable belongings, while some sought refuge with relatives.
Residents also voiced frustration over what they described as the lack of advance warning before the river overflowed.
Continuous rainfall persisted through Saturday morning, raising concerns among those affected that further flooding could occur.
