Flooded Koshi River: Opportunity for livelihood for some and cause of devastation for others

Dharan (Sunsari): The recent monsoon flooding and landslides have devastated the country, resulting in significant loss of life and property. Kathmandu, the federal capital, has been one of the most affected areas, while Koshi Province has also faced severe damage from the relentless rains.

Floodwaters from the Koshi River and others have left many homeless, turning entire settlements into desolate areas. Amidst these wretched moments, the disaster brought ‘an income opportunity’ for a section of people residing near the river banks.

Birbal Majhi of Barahachhetra municipality-6 said he collects wooden logs brought by the floodwaters to make a living. He said it was not his choice but the compulsion. He said he uses the logs for the household purchase and supplies the ‘surplus’ to the market to make money.

As he said, during monsoon, he gathers enough firewood from the river to last throughout the year. The collection as of now is sufficient to cook food and to prepare food for 15 pigs and five buffaloes the family rears, he added.

According to him, this time he witnessed the largest flood of his life, which brought a significant number of logs. He said a majority of the Barahachhetra area now keeps them busy grabbing logs from the river.

Most of the labourers like Majhi collect firewood to make expenses for the Dashain festival. They, who have been making their living working as labourers at the Koshi bank area of Chatara, have now been making income selling firewood collected from the Koshi river.

They have been spending their day at the bank of the Koshi River to collect firewood brought by flood. Though the flood has terrified locals residing on the bank of the Koshi River, it has now become an opportunity for many people like Majhi.

Similarly, Sobha Chaudhary of Barahachhetra-8 is making expenses for Dashain by collecting firewood brought by the Koshi River. Chaudhary said, ‘Collecting firewood from the river is very risky and challenging, but we are compelled to do this to earn for daily expenses.’

A crowd used to gather at the bank of the Koshi River to collect firewood. A tractor full of logs fished out from the Koshi river risking one’s life sells in the range of 12 thousand to 20 thousand rupees, said Asha Chaudhary of Jitpur, Baraha Kshetra-8.

According to her, some people manage to collect three to four tractors full of logs in a single day. ‘It will be enough to earn a whole year’s income if we can collect logs during the floods whereas it would require many days’ labour if we collect the firewood from the forest and transport the same on our bicycles,’ she shared.

One can see heaps of logs collected from the flooded Koshi river at Koshi Tappu which lies between Baraha Kshetra Ward nos 6 and 9. The main source of income for most of the people of the Koshi Tappu area is the logs that they collect from the Koshi River.

RSS (Sangita Rai)