These settlements built around the Karnali Highway and the Karnali Corridor are new settlements built after the advent of the highway. Chairman of Narharinath Village Municipality Dhir Bahadur Bista said that the settlements built after the construction of Karnali Highway and Karnali Corridor are at high risk of floods and landslides. "The markets along the Karnali River are built with the pace of development," he said. These were not before. The new settlements are at high risk because they are on the river bank.
Jite Bazaar and Lalighat Bazaar on the banks of Karnali River and Tila River are at high risk of floods, said Chairman Bista. "In 2073 BS, floods and landslides killed eight people in Lalighat," he said, "but even high-risk civilians do not want to move."
Netra Bista, a local trader of Narharinath-1, Lalighat, said that markets have been set up in many places along the river after the Karnali Corridor, where the market dwellers of these high-risk areas have been living for years. The distance between Lalighat Bazaar and the river bank was earlier 25 meters but the river has been flooded by the river since Sunday night. It is not known when the market will sink as the flow of water in the river is increasing at the same rate, 'he said. Citizens are doing business at their own risk for their livelihood.
Bhurabgar Bazaar of Pachal Jharna village municipality of Kalikot is also at high risk of floods and landslides, said village chairman Khadkaraj Sejuwal. "I have told the slum dwellers many times to go elsewhere, but they do not agree," he said. Tomorrow could be a big risk. '
Chief District Officer of Kalikot, Krishna Prasad Acharya, said that they have been requested to relocate the settlements and markets at high risk of floods and landslides in the district. "The meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee has been urging the people of the slums at risk to stay in a safe place and relocate the slums since April," he said.
Floods and landslides in Kalikot last year killed 53 people and destroyed tens of millions of rupees. One thousand families were displaced. According to the District Police Office, Kalikot, three people have been killed in floods and landslides since the onset of the rainy season this year.
