A Case of Sunwal Municipality, Nawalparasi, Western Nepal

VOLUME 40 NUMBER 1 SJPG JUNE 2017 Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement: A Case of Sunwal Municipality, Nawalparasi, Western Nepal Devi Prasad Paudel Abstract This paper attempts to explore the livelihood strategy of the people of squatter settlement at Sun- wal Municipality of Nawalparasi. Sunwal Municipality sees an influx of a large number of immigrants from the different districts. A few of them are living in the temporary dwellings in marginal land of forest, public land and banks of streams since a long time. The squatters of Sunwal Municipality have adopted different kinds of livelihood strategies. Most of them reported that they work as masons at construction sites, small business, vegetable farming, fruits shops, and rickshaw pullers while some have gone for foreign employment. A small percent of them are in government service. The paper concludes that squatters have been facing a number of problems and their lives are getting more complex. The squatters’ settlement was found unsatisfactory and not well managed in previous years. The squatters’ settlement has also polluted environmental condition. They are compelled to change their livelihood strategies that have been making it diffi- cult for them to adopt the urban settlement. Municipality authorities need to think of settling these problems with priority. It can be done with the help of local government giving them the responsibility for controlling and managing the planned and safe settlement for the sustainable development of the municipality. Keywords Governance, livelihood strategy, vulnerability, squatter settlement, urbanization and squatters dwellers Corresponding Author Devi Prasad Paudel, Email: [email protected] 60 Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement Introduction The growing proportion of squatter dwellers in large cities signals the difficulties lying ahead (Chandana, 2004). Squatters’ settlements are found particularly in the Third World countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India etc. A squatters’ settlement is an area where poor people temporarily settle. Such settlements are burning problems of the 21st century in the urban areas. The squatters or urban poor live with many deprivations and their challenges may include: limited access of employment opportunities and income, insecure housing and service, violent and unhealthy environments, limited access to adequate health and edu- cation opportunities (World Bank, 2003). During the period, squatters have be- come one of the major issues in the capital cities of the Third World. Squattering is a typical urban phenomenon whereby the poor working class cre- ates a form of temporary housing on the unwanted land or building (MOPE/IUCN, 1999). Due to meager income to buy or rent house, squatters choose the most neglected land to build their shelters, such as riverbanks, public land and open spaces. Political backing is provided to start up squatter settlements and ensure their continual existence (KMC/WB, 2001). The squatter settlement is primarily a form of urban poverty development at the riverbank, public land and open spaces of urban area (Dahal and Sapkota, 2005). Most of the people of squatters’ settlements struggle with low quality of living as survival livelihood strategy. In the context of Nepal, owing to the poor living conditions, most of the small farmers and low income level people struggle for sustaining their livelihood in the rural areas of the country. The rural people, who are unemployed and struggling with deep-rooted poverty, come to urban area in search of employment and relief (Bhattari, 2005). The major urban areas of Nepal have experienced a number of changes during the last two decades. It is going to increase in other urban areas in the developing countries like Nepal. This has resulted mainly due to rapid population growth especially migration and urbanization (Madai, 2006). The local/colloquial name often used for the squatters’ settlement is Sukumbasi in the context of Nepal. Since a long time, this population has suffered from the government’s forceful squatters vacating programs. Different government Reset- tlement Companies (1959/60) and the Timber Corporation of Nepal (TCN) have also accelerated the clearing of the forest areas of Terai to relocate the population. At the same time, rural people of the hilly region, who had no own land, migrated to the Tarai in search of land and food (Mahat, 1998). They settled in South Asian Journal of Policy and Governance 61 public places, riverbanks and marginal land of forests. They especially occupied common property in the Terai. The fertile land of the Terai became an attraction for migration. Over time the land value in the Terai has gone up making it more complex for the squatters and other low income level of people to purchase a piece of land of their own. National policies and squatter settlement Section 96 of Local Self-governance Act (LSGA), 1999 has clearly mentioned the functions and duties and power of municipalities and accordingly, “to arrange for or cause to be arranged for public toilets, sanitation and public health programs, electricity, health posts, scholarship schemes for the children of oppressed and backward community in municipality area are some of the responsibility” (HMG, 2000).All residents whether from the formal and informal shelter possess the right to adequate housing as this has been guaranteed by all the four major interna- tional conventions ratified and adopted by Nepal. Section 96 Ga (3) of LSGA 1999 has further guided municipalities to maintain an inventory of population houses and land within the municipality area, and section93 (a) has directed the wards to assist the municipality but the wards have not been able to keep the inventory of all squatters’ settlements. So many squatters’ settlement in Sunwal as well those whose names have not been registered in the ward office despite such provision in LSGA. A town cannot be developed fully unless and until the poor section of the society are brought into the mainstream of the development and their interests are also taken care of. Town Development Act 1988 was endorsed in the context of increasing population and urbanization to make necessary provisions for providing basic services and facilities to the people of the town by rebuilding, expanding and developing the already existing towns or building into new ones, and to maintain health, comfort and economic interest of the public (HMG, 1997). This act has provisions like town planning according to land use and physical development of the land use area, environmental conservation of town etc. But the act has not addressed the upgradation of the physical structure and environment of the squatters’ settlements. No concrete policy has been developed to address the socio-economic and environmental concerns of the squatters’ settlements till date. There is concrete land use policy, but it has not been implemented properly. The domestic laws have not yet recognized the squatters right to health, security and livelihood. The review of the policies related to squatters will be incomplete without the review of the poli- 62 Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement cies of Squatters’ Problem Solving Commission (SPSC). A large number of people who already have their own land, have also declared themselves as squatters and held unregistered land and this trend has been a long held problem of Nepal. Due to this, the government of Nepal could not implement its land use policy to solve the problems of the genuine squatters. Landlessness is not a new phenomenon especially in the Terai region but the issue was hidden in previous decades within the traditional structures where shelter was provided and poor people were dependent on local landlords. Poor people are deprived of access to local resources and among them so called low caste (Dalits) people are more deprived. The increasing trend of population growth makes the life of poor people more vulnerable. In the past decades, several development policies such as modernization and lib- eralization have led small-scale farmers and people into difficulties, as they could not compete in the market for their livelihood. Migration and the displacement of poor people to the urban areas increased the number of squatters’ settlements in the cities as well. A squatter settlement indicates the occupancy of land without having negotiated its occupancy or paying for it and the illegal occupation of the marginal and de- velopmental land with the low market value (Turkstra, no date). It is often re- garded as temporary in nature. In fact, as the poor people could not afford the housing available in the urban areas, they resorted to living in abandoned land especially on the riverbanks or basins. Due to the haphazard and unmanaged growth of cities, the problem of squatters has grown rapidly. This increase has created adverse effects on environmental, demographic, socio-economic and political sectors. Sunwal Municipality is the selected study area for this paper. It is one of the new- ly established urban centers of the Nawalparasi district where the problem of landlessness and poverty is clearly visible. The squatters have been occupying the land of Sunwal since a long time though they were a few hundreds living infor- mally in Sunwal and its surroundings. This was not considered as a big problem at that time but the numbers rose further after the establishment of Lumbini Sug- ar Mills in 1986. In the case of Sunwal, there are two categories of squatters. The first category was provided with the landowner’s certificate by the SPSC, but the certificates did not obtain validity as the decision of the government to distribute landowner’s certificate was dismissed by another competent government agency. The second cate- South Asian Journal of Policy and Governance 63 gory was not provided with any certificate. The second category has only been included in this study.

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