The people displaced by the last year’s Bhotekoshi river flood in Tatopani, Sindhupalchok, have been forced to crush stones for living.

The demand for crushed stones has gone up significantly with the Gorkha Earthquake victims in the district rebuilding their homes, which means sand and stone contractors need workforce to ensure uninterrupted supply of aggregate.

With many flood-affected families left in the lurch, without any means to survive, they have started to crush stones on the banks of the same river that obliterated their homes last July.

One of the flood victims, Nyaure Sherpa, said they earn up to Rs 2,000 crushing stones in a week. 

“The government has not done much to support us, so we are crushing stones for a living,” he said.

With the Tatopani border area no longer a vibrant commercial town after suffering a devastation inflicted by the 2015 April earthquake, the flood victims have been left with a few options to earn money. 

The flood had swept away 261 homes at Barhabise and Liping Bazaar.     

Pasangbuti Sherpa, another flood victim, said the prospects of earning income for them were limited. 

“The earthquake had already taken a toll on the economy here. The border with China had to be closed off. And the flood only made the situation worse,” said Pasangbuti.