At nature’s mercy

Quick action is needed to rehabilitate those displaced by Shuklaphanta reserve’s expansion.

From 1977 to 2007, in the process of expanding the Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, now a national park in Sudurpaschim Province, thousands of families were displaced. The Ministry of Forest and Environment rehabilitated 5,200 families in camps inside the park, quite close to the wildlife. Citing safety concerns, over the past 22 years, hundreds of families have sought a way out of the national park. Yet they don’t know where to go or what to do next. Shuklaphanta is an example of a recurring national problem. Every year, disasters, both natural and manmade, leave thousands of Nepali families without proper shelters. Seldom has the state taken an initiative for their quick and proper rehabilitation.