Homes, livelihood sources lost due to landslides; Sikkim plans to build houses for affected families

GANGTOK: For the 54 families of Rimbi in Sikkim's Gyalshing district, landslides have taken away not just their homes but also many of their livelihoods, and they are now staring at an uncertain future.

The government has been planning to permanently move the families to a new site, but it will take a few months to be completed, making the plight of the impoverished people worse.

The landslides that hit Rimbi in August and September affected 33 families living there permanently and 14 others staying in rented houses without homes and, in several cases, their farmland, their main source of livelihood.

Seven families from Singlitam have also been affected by the calamity, with the displaced families currently staying at a relief camp set up at the village administrative centre.

“The house is gone, the (agricultural) land is gone; now there is no way to earn,” said Rimbi resident Sonam Pinchon Sherpa, summing up the uncertainty faced by families who have lost both their homes and land.

Sherpa said landslides had been occurring in the area since August 14, but the situation became critical after the night of September 24, when large-scale movement of earth forced the evacuation of the village.

Though the administration is providing relief materials and other assistance, those have done little to ease concerns over what lies ahead, he said.

Sherpa urged the authorities to deploy heavy machinery to clear boulders, uprooted trees and debris from the affected area.

For Rohit Limbu, the disaster has wiped out a home that took years of struggle to build.

He lost both his parents when he was 11 and worked until the age of 26 to build his own house. That home has now been reduced to rubble by the landslide.

Limbu supported his family through farming, a small shop and odd jobs. With his house and land gone, he now faces the difficult task of rebuilding not just his home but also his livelihood.

Gyalshing District Magistrate Tenzing D Denzongpa said heavy landslides occurred from Singlitam on the nights of August 14 and 15, while the night of September 24 saw large parts of Rimbi engulfed by landslides.

Despite the extent of the damage, the fact that there was no loss of life was a major relief, Denzongpa said.

The administration has provided Rs 1.30 lakh each to the 33 affected permanent families, while 14 tenant families have received Rs 50,000 each as immediate assistance.

For long-term rehabilitation, land belonging to the Industries and Power Department has been inspected, Denzongpa said.

Subject to government approval, houses are proposed to be constructed for the affected families under the Sikkim Garib Awas Yojana, while land would be provided through the Land Bank Yojana, he said.

A detailed project report is also being prepared for construction of a safety wall aimed at checking further landslide activity in the village.

The administration is targeting permanent relocation of most of the affected families within the next five to six months, officials said.

For the families now living in a relief camp, however, the immediate challenge remains the same — finding a safe place to live and a way to earn after losing homes, land and livelihoods to the mountain.