Respect squatters’ rights
Nepal, August 19 — Following another ruling from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) regarding the removal of temporary shelters occupied by unauthorized settlers near the Manohara River in Kathmandu, the informal housing areas within the national capital once more attract attention. It has been reported that these individuals constructed between 25 to 30 makeshift dwellings by occupying lands designated for the Manohara Land Pooling Project. Three months prior, the KMC issued a notification demanding they leave the location; however, the occupants did not abide by this directive. Subsequently, on Friday, members of the KMC’s Municipal Police joined forces with officials from the Nepalese Police, arriving at the scene equipped with an excavator to remove the settlement. As their buildings were dismantled, local inhabitants began throwing stones and bricks toward law enforcement officers during the demonstration, leading to a confrontation where police used batons against the crowd, escalating tensions considerably.
The question remains: where will the squatters go once their temporary shelters are destroyed? Unfortunately, both the national government and the KMC have yet to provide a response. Despite this problem having plagued the Kathmandu Valley for years, a workable solution continues to be elusive. Previous attempts to assist squatters in finding new places to live have resulted in unsatisfactory results. For example, during the administration of Baburam Bhattarai, 251 makeshift houses in Thapathali were removed, with plans to move residents to a resettlement center located in Ichangu Narayan within the Nagarjun Hills, near the western part of the Kathmandu Valley. However, due to the absence of essential facilities such as power supply and clean water, nobody ended up moving into the facility.
Successive governments as well as local authorities have thus failed to solve the problem of squatters. While beautification of areas along Kathmandu’s rivers is welcome, such a development should not come at the cost of people’s right to live with dignity. Alarmingly, efforts to evict landless squatters have continued even after the Land Related Problems Resolution Commission in February urged all tiers of government not to breach the constitutional rights of squatters, warning that uprooting people from their settlements without proper management goes against human rights and humanitarian laws.
This escalating issue requires strong measures. The challenge of slums extends beyond Nepal—for example, Indonesia, which ranks as the fourth-most-populous nation globally, faces similar difficulties. However, the country’s large-scale initiative known as the National Slum Upgrading Project has significantly improved control over informal settlements. These effective examples deserve replication. A structured strategy regarding evictions must be implemented, requiring collaboration between the national administration and the Kathmandu Metropolitan Council. It should involve collecting precise data about homeless occupants and developing suitable resettlement schemes through active participation from those affected. Employing coercive methods previously failed and continues to prove ineffective moving forward.
Again, as outlined by the United Nations, before proceeding with any evictions, all viable alternatives must be explored, while also considering the participation of affected squatters when making decisions for them. Squatters live where they do only out of necessity; they have nowhere else to go. They know that their settlements are at high risk of being inundated and swept away, and their lives are in constant danger. If they get a good option to resettle elsewhere, many of them will happily do so.