Settlement of the Brave

The Paurakhi Basti settlement, meaning "settlement of the brave people," was founded in 2006 by people who came to Kathmandu from various parts of Nepal and India during the democracy movement. Having no land or money to rent, they settled on the banks of the Bagmati River. They had previously cleared the area of garbage and debris to make it habitable next to a riverine forest in Thapathali. In 2009, the government began a program to restore the river in order to clean the water, secure the banks, and prevent flooding. In 2012, 251 huts were demolished in Thapathali with the deployment of over 1,000 security personnel. The replacement accommodations offered in Ichangu Narayan were too small for the often large families, and too far from work opportunities, so no one moved there. Another eviction attempt occurred in November 2022, displacing around 300 people and destroying their huts. Nevertheless, around 300 people continue to live in Thapathali today, often in temporary shelters right by the river. Although clean-up programs continue on the Bagmati, the river remains heavily polluted. For people without land of their own, the struggle for safe and affordable housing near their workplace remains unresolved to this day.