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Goodmorning from a hot Pokhara/ Nepal. We are in the midst of
the monsoon and I have a (urgent) question.
Let's introduce myself my name is Leonard van Duijn. I was study
fellow of the RSP in 1997.
At the moment I am Security, Research and Planning officer for the
International Nepal Fellowship. INF is an health oriented
development organisation with around 550 staff working in western
regions of Nepal.
As you may be aware, there is a low-intensity conflict going on in
Nepal between the government forces and a maoist rebel group.
What happens in the hills is quite unclear, but what we can see,
although on first hand and anacdotecal basis, is a growing number
of people leaving the hills in search for safety and food. Due to the
fact that both groups clash with each other in the hills and also
blocking food transport.
It is not garanteed that these people use historical migration
routes. But what we can see is growing number of people arriving in
the urban areas. Some have money to buy a piece of land to built
something on it, others have hardly any possesions and have to
stay overnight in public places. Both groups produce a mixed
patern whereby some stay in the town in order to find work, others
return to the hills in order to look after their land and others leave to
india. In general the women and the children are left behind in the
urban areas.
The donor community is developing an either or appraoch. 'Either
we try to keep the people in the hills via 'counterfamine programs
etc' or we prepare ourselves for the possibility that we have to set
up IDP camps.
Preventive programs in order to avoid that people are leaving the
hills may be a very difficult process, due to terrain, mil/pol situation
on the ground etc and will probably not prevent people from leaving.
The camps or temporary human settlement approach will probably
trigger a flux of people out of the hills into the terrai (the lowlands of
Nepal). This may create a multi-dimensional nightmare.
At the moment we are exploring the idea of 'increasing/ enhancing
the absorption capacity of urban and surrounded areas who have to
deal with an unexpected growing number of people.
Do you know any literature what relates with the idea absorption?
Or do you have some ideas yourself.
Thank you very much in advance for your kind assistance,
Leonard van Duijn
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