Three Dalit labourers from the same ward of Saptari have gone missing following the floods in the Bhotekoshi area of Rasuwa, leaving their families in distress. With their breadwinners missing, Dalit families in Boriya of Rajbiraj Municipality-16 are struggling even to put food on the table.
Bechan Sada of Boriya, Rajbiraj-16, has been out of contact with his family for the past 12 days. He went missing following the flooding in the Bhotekoshi area.
Bechan’s wife, Huliya Devi Sada, had already died of cancer. Following the death of their mother and the disappearance of their father, their four children (two sons and two daughters) have been left in a desperate situation.
Nine-year-old Bibha Sada, one of the four children, described the family’s plight in the absence of her parents. “Our mother died after falling ill. Our father has also been out of contact since the flood. Now, who will look after the four of us? There is neither rice nor money at home,” she said.
Bechan had gone to work at the powerhouse of Trishuli Hydropower Project about two months ago. He had travelled there for employment with the aim of repaying the debt incurred for his wife’s treatment and supporting his family financially.
Surendra Sada and Shiva Kumar Sada, also from the same ward, have been missing since the flood. They too were working as labourers at the powerhouse of the Trishuli 3-B Hydropower Project. They have also remained out of contact with their families since the flooding.
Shiva Kumar Sada has four children. His parents are elderly, and his wife is also unwell.
With Shiva Kumar, the family’s only breadwinner, missing, the daily life of the seven-member family has been severely affected, his wife Gudiya said.
“The only breadwinner of the family is out of contact,” Gudiya said. “The responsibility of the children, elderly parents and myself has fallen entirely on me. We are struggling even to arrange food.”
The situation of Surendra Sada’s family is similar. He has three children. His wife, Dropati Devi Sada, said the family was struggling to put food on the table after its sole earning member went missing.
Local youths provide assistance
Some youths and women from Rajbiraj Municipality-16 and Rajbiraj Municipality-6 provided relief materials through their own initiative and financial contributions.
On Sunday, they provided food and other essential supplies to the families of Bechan, Shiva Kumar and Surendra.
Local health worker Ramchandra Yadav said the families were provided with essential daily-use items as immediate assistance.
Each family received one sack of rice, one sack of beaten rice, one carton of instant noodles, three kilograms of lentils, two kilograms of salt, soya beans, four kilograms of potatoes, two kilograms of onions, one litre of cooking oil, spices including coriander, chilli and cumin, and firewood.
Bechan’s children said the support from locals had provided some immediate relief as food supplies at home were running out.
