KATHMANDU: Two weeks ago, Rama Thapa was making chapatis, burning some trash for a makeshift stove until her husband returned with gas. Along the Bagmati River in Kathmandu, hundreds of families called the polluted river banks home, but that all changed this week when the government forcibly evicted hundreds, including over 400 children, and offered little in return. Thapa's family was not one of those booted from their homes, but she fears their stretch of the river, barely moving and full of rubbish, will be next. “Why do they want to kick us out? Where will we go and what will we do?” she asked. Local NGOs have reported that the evictions, as part of an urban development project, some 257 homes have been destroyed, leaving 844 people homeless, including 401 children. A primary school that 200 children attended was also destroyed. Authorities plan to evict an estimated 12,000 people in Kathmandu for the planned project. Other families Bikyamasr.com spoke to responded similarly. They are in disbelief, piling into already overpopulated slums until the government promises of resettlement is realized. But there is little hope. “I don't think the government will help us. This is for the tourists,” one bricklayer, who had saved enough money to erect a small one bedroom house for himself and his wife. The newlyweds had hoped they would have time before moving, but now are forced to find new shelter, somewhere. “Where do we go right now? They just come in and destroy our homes? It is wrong,” he added. The international community is beginning to take note, with Human Rights Watch (HRW) lashing out at the government and demanding an end to the carnage. “If this first round of evictions is any indication, the government of Nepal has no intention to respect the rights of the people living in the settlements,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The government has obligations – at a minimum – to respect due procedure, to inform people affected well in advance, and to ensure availability of alternative housing with basic infrastructure and services.” The New York-based rights group also said that the evictions “were not carried out in compliance with applicable due process standards, and the government has not provided compensation or social services to those affected, including children.” Families are now living in fear along the river, worried that they will be forced to flee when the bulldozers come for their homes. One elderly woman, who has lived along the river for years, said she believes the government cares more for foreigners than it does its own people. “I hear about all the money being made from the foreigners, but we still live here, in this,” she said, her hands pointing at the stagnant river, plastic bottles, garbage and waste piled up along the banks. She motions for those around to cover their faces with cloth to avoid breathing in the fumes. Development workers in the country, on condition of anonymity, told Bikyamasr.com that the tourist-people argument has some traction. They argue that hundreds of millions of dollars come into Nepal annually, but “little goes to infrastructure projects for the most impoverished. We are trying to push this, but corruption is strong.” And making matters worse still, for the evicted families, many have no where to go, which could create a massive humanitarian problem. “According to credible reports from local groups, the government has failed to ensure that alternative housing arrangements are adequate and sustainable,” HRW said in its statement published Thursday. A group working with children and schools in just one of the settlements reported that 25 families with children slept outside next to their razed homes for the two nights following the demolition. Another group has allowed 50 families to sleep on the floor in their nearby office. Families report they fear violence and theft, and that they have nowhere to go and nowhere to send their children to school. Thapa and her family are already searching for alternative housing, before the bulldozers come for them.
