What follows the unplanned demolition?

If the haphazard approach continues, displaced squatters will be trapped in a cycle of uncertainty.

This past week has not been easy for riverside squatters in the Kathmandu Valley. What was framed as a drive to remove encroachment of public land, restore the rivers’ purity and protect ‘genuine’ squatters from seasonal flooding—though logical—raised significant concerns about the basic human rights of the landless people. As the Balendra Shah-led government bypassed the due process of resettlement and rehabilitation, thousands of families became homeless overnight. In a matter of hours, the sick and elderly people had no roof to shelter under; children lost their books in the rubble and mourned the loss of their long-time friends and the schools; pregnant women were hit hard; and countless animals that relied on these settlements were abandoned. Two people reportedly died by suicide as they felt hopeless seeing their houses being demolished.