Justice to settlers, rivers

Nepalis witness every year the scenario of river-side settlers battling with the local authority and flood during monsoon season. Each time rivers overflow, dwellers are either displaced or in severe risk. Authorities repeat their blaming exercise: the people or the squatters have built structures of shelters unlawfully in river-banks; such settlements should therefore be removed. They rarely check whether the job of river taming has been done professionally. Monitoring how settlements expand in river banks or how investment is made in the areas is often neglected. As a result of this, river-bank neighbourhood expands, grows through impressive investment of capital and labour in infrastructure or factories. When issues crop up, settlers approach the parties in power and get their illegal settlements in river-side legalized. The issue should actually be addressed through multi-dimensional approach of respecting the command area of river banks, multiple needs of the settlers, their re-settlement and the actual reality obtaining in banks and settlements during flood. The motto in this regard should be “justice for nature (no encroachment of river banks) and justice for settlers (no injustice to dwellers and their investment and need)!” Although it is difficult to build ground for justice for nature and humans, efforts should be made to allow rivers to pursue their course during flood-times while protecting the settlements in their banks. Politicos and those responsible for river-flow and river-side dwellers should be convinced about it. All could be sensitized about making the river bank settlements safe throughout the season. They should be motivated to contribute to this end. River-taming in city areas should be done after a thorough study of flood-historyand sound construction-engineering. The need and grievances of the river-side dwellers should also be analyzed, responded, heard properly and addressed with due respect for social justice. Local authorities should be made aware of their duty towards rivers and the dwellers in their banks. They should be smart enough not to allow settlements in river banks expand without due government decision. Foresight in this regard is better than the retaliatory action that could be taken against the wrong doers. Blaming one political leader or party or the other in this regard would not do. A way out could be worked out comfortably without allowing politics to spoil the scenario. Such a strategy would check the annual routine-like recurring of flooding and displacement.