Nepali authorities began demolishing informal settlements along the riverbanks of the capital on Saturday, displacing thousands of residents despite sharp criticism from international rights organizations.

Squatters have lived for decades in flimsy wood and sheet-metal shelters along the Bagmati River and its tributaries.

Under a directive from newly elected Prime Minister Balendra Shah, bulldozers moved into the area early Saturday morning, supported by a heavy police presence to facilitate the clearance.

"We are clearing out the settlements today in this area," Bhishnu Prasad Joshi, chief of the Kathmandu Metropolitan city police, told AFP.

Joshi noted that residents had been instructed to evacuate by Friday evening, adding, "We are here to assist them if they do not have any place to go."

While the eviction process remained largely peaceful—with residents seen loading furniture and personal belongings into small trucks—the human toll was evident.

"I don't know if I should live or die, because I don't have a place to stay right now," said 65-year-old Puspa Kaasai, who had called the settlement home for 30 years.

Prime Minister Shah defended the move on social media, stating it was essential to remove citizens from "unorganised and flood-prone" areas.

He pledged that the government would provide a "permanent solution" to the long-standing issue, promising that genuine squatters would be distributed land.

Furthermore, Shah argued that the relocation is necessary to improve Kathmandu’s drainage system and restore rivers currently choked with pollution and rubbish.

Some residents expressed a mixed outlook. "It's OK for me, the government has done it. Staying here, you have to fear floods, so I think in some ways it's a good decision," said 38-year-old Dambar Bahadur Tamang.

However, Amnesty International condemned the action, describing forced evictions as a "dangerous erosion of lawful governance" and a signal of an "increasingly authoritarian approach."

Nirajan Thapaliya, Director of Amnesty International Nepal, warned in a statement that "evicting families without prior verification, meaningful consultation, or guaranteed alternative housing... risks turning a governance challenge into a preventable human rights crisis."

Source: AFP