It is natural when the monsoon rains start, the water levels in rivers increase. Floods and also landslides will occur. It is beyond the control of the human beings. However, of late, the Kathmandu settlements around the river banks have been flooded and a hue and cry is being made. Every year, the Hanumante River enters into the local settlements. Accordingly, the Tukucha River around the Kapan area, the Bishnumati River around the Balkhu area, the Bagmati River around the Shankhapark area, the Nakhu River around the Lalitpur area are entering the human settlement. This happened after people started to encroach on the riverways. When rivers start finding their path, the tussle between human beings and water is witnessed.
During the Panchayat days, there were strong laws and regulations and human settlements were prohibited around the riverways. After the 1990 political change, the land mafias started to dominate the politics and for certain financial benefits, the land mafias started to encroach on the river areas. Moreover, even knowing the possibility of the river floods, people started to buy land in these areas and constructed multistair buildings. Also, fake land squatters started to capture the river banks with the plan of occupying expensive land. Such squatters are being protected by different political parties. When Mayor Balen Shah tried to evacuate squatters, the government run by different political parties didn’t support the Kathmandu mayor. The land squatters issue has become an opportunity for the political leaders to distribute the government land free of cost to the party workers. Such a plan of the government has encouraged people to capture river banks and other government lands.
Talking about the squatters in Thapathali and Balkhu, they are not ready to leave the area at any cost and the price of the land in these areas is very high. More interestingly, around 90 percent of the squatters are fake and they have houses in different places in Kathmandu. The government officials are also aware of them but they are reluctant to identify the real and fake squatters. When people purchase land or occupy precious government land around the river banks, surely they are causing trouble during the rainy seasons. They had to think twice before purchasing land in such areas. Moreover, the government should take strong steps against those who are turning the river areas into a settlement area.
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