Timeline
From Disaster to Delayed Relief in Bajhang (2021-2025)Scroll Down
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Video: Subhash Chandra Rokaya
A major monsoon-related disaster occurred, recorded as one of the most devastating incidents in Bajhang district's recent history. A total of 32 people lost their lives, including 23 individuals from the Dalit community.
For two months, affected families endured pain and uncertainty, receiving only limited emergency relief and political promises. Many of them continued living in partially damaged homes or makeshift shelters, risking their lives.
An initial survey identified 463 Dalit families as affected by the floods and landslides.
From the initial survey list obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request, Asian Dispatch identified Dalit beneficiary households.
The Government of Nepal failed to verify and include hundreds of affected families. Only 97 Dalit families were included in the second list of eligible households for housing and reconstruction grants.
Local and district-level disaster management committees delayed the re-verification and approval process. Out of the 97 Dalit families listed, only 48 were approved by the committees.
The distribution of the first tranche of the housing grant began 27 months after the incident occurred.
Although 48 Dalit households were approved, only 33 have received the first tranche of NPR 50,000 in housing and reconstruction support. This means that of the 463 families identified in the initial survey, only about 7 percent have actually received any government grant.
Asian Dispatch conducted an on-the-ground investigation to verify the names of Dalit families listed in the initial beneficiary survey. The investigation confirmed that many of these families were indeed affected by the monsoon disaster and were in urgent need of housing reconstruction support. However, several were excluded from the second list of eligible grant recipients. In cases where their names did appear on the second list, Asian Dispatch found that the municipality and the district NDRRMA office either failed to verify their status or caused significant delays in the verification process, effectively stalling the grant approval. Moreover, even among those Dalit families who were eventually approved, all of them had not received the first tranche of the housing reconstruction grant.