… after heavy rains on October 12 damaged their homes

Disaster: Tashi Yangzom, 23, from Nimshong village in Korphu gewog in Trongsa has been living with one of her neighbours for about a month now after heavy rainfall on October 12 damaged her home.

Cracks have developed around her house the following morning from the landslides. “I can’t live in it any more,” Tashi Yangzom said, adding that she is worried about what to do next since she does not own any other land to construct a house. The land on which her current house stands has become unstable and will not support another house.

“I would be grateful if the government provides me with land replacement so that I can build a new house,” Tashi said. She has already identified a plot of government land in the village incase the government agrees with her.

The October 12 rainfall destroyed fields and houses, and also caused landslides in the village.

Karchung, 77, is another villager whose house is in danger. The land below his house has slid and rendered the foundation unstable. “I have taken out all my belongings and kept the house locked,” he said.

He added that his house could slide down with the slightest tremor. “I have some land but it is far away and located on the top of a hill,” he said.

Another villager, Phurpa Lhamo, is also living in a hut that belongs to one of her neighbours. “I have borrowed the hut to live in for the time being,” she said. “I don’t know what I should do.” Cracks have developed between the walls and the wooden beams of her house.

Landslides also destroyed cardamom fields in the village.

Chimi, 26, lost around 1,000 of her cardamom plants  to the landslide of some 3,000 she planted. “It is a huge loss as my plants were suppose to fruit next year,” Chimi said.

Korphu gup, Sangay Khandu, said the village never experienced landslides in the past and the recent disaster came as a shock.  “Three houses have been critically damaged,” he said.

The gup said the gewog has already informed the dzongkhag administration about granting land replacement to the three affected households.

Trongsa dzongrab Karma Dendup said the dzongkhag had received the letter on October 27 and that it will look into what can be done.

Nima Wangdi | Nimshong

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