Flood-affected family of Sundarlal Chaudhary has been living under a hut inside Siddeshwor Community Forest in Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality-6 in Banke district for the last four months. 

“We always faced the problem of inundation and erosion,” said displaced Sundarlal, adding that not much has been done to address their concerns. Even during local elections, promises were made, but only to be broken, he said. 

Now flood-affected people in the region have decided to cast their votes only to those candidates of the upcoming elections who can find a lasting solution to their problem. “This time, we will cast our votes to the parties who will help us to build our houses,” said Sundar Lal. 

Hundreds of families living in Rapti Sonari, Daduwa, Khajura and Baijanath rural municipalities were displaced by the August floods in Banke. With federal and provincial elections just two weeks away, candidates of various parties are reaching the flood-affected families’ settlements to seek votes. 

The only request the flood-hit people are making is “build houses for us and find a permanent solution to inundation”. Radheshyam Lodh, also a flood victim of Lalpur in Rapti Sonari-4, said: “We won’t vote for the leaders who made fake promises in the past.” 

Flood-affected families of Dhalaiya in Rapti Sonari, Khalla Tepari, Gulari and Siddhanawa are living in temporary huts in the community forests. Forest officials have in the past warned of evicting them. 

Most of the political parties in their manifestos have promised that they would address flood-victims’ problems and bring programmes to control inundation and flooding. But victims say “these are false promises”. 

“The leaders reach out to us during elections only. Once the elections are over, they forget us and the promises they had made,” said flood victim Ram Lakhan Tharu.