Beldangi refugee camps
Encyclopedia
The Beldangi refugee camps (Nepali
: बेलडाँगी शरणार्थी शिविर; Belḍā̃gī śaraṇārthī śivira) consist of three settlements in Damak
, Jhapa District
, Nepal
: Beldangi I (26°43′22.7"N 87°41′57.8"E), Beldangi II, and Beldangi II Extension (26°42′48.9"N 87°41′6.4"E). They are inhabited by Bhutanese refugees. As of 2011, Beldangi I to the east had 12,793 residents; Beldangi II to the west had 14,680; and Beldangi II Extension had 8,470. The three camps are located near each other, off main highways LD Rd 15 and DL1, which separates Beldangi I from a nearby river.
grounds and were temporarily settled in Maidhar by the side of the Kankai river, some 600km east of Kathmandu. Slowly, other international organizations, including UNHCR and the International Red Cross Society
, started helping them, providing food and clothing. Gradually the population of these refugees swelled and were moved to different refugee camps with in Jhapa
and Morang District
s of Nepal lying under Mechi Zone
Far eastern Zones among which Beldangi-2 has been the largest and biggest camp.
The vast jungle of Beldangi 2 was made suitable for settlement in early 1991, as the Maidhar camp not suitable for the growing number of refugees. In the beginning, there were several big trees inside the camp which eventually were cut down by the Authorities. Human settlement began from Sector A and the plots to the north filled up gradually as more and more refugees poured in. Any one who visited this camp in the early and mid 1990s would have seen hundreds of colorful huts with plastic roofs. There were no toilets for them in the camp, so the refugees had to go to the nearby forest. Thus, the environment was alarmingly polluted. Refugee students use to study in an open ground. Books and stationery were very limited and were to be shared among many. There were skilled teachers, yet the education system was at stake with insufficient teaching/learning materials. Slowly, the Agencies helped build, schools, health centres and toilets – one toilet for two families. Gravel roads within the camp were constructed to ease the transportation.
By the end of 1999, more and more trees had been chopped away. Refugees modeled and remodeled their huts and started extending them without giving notice to the authority concerned. Schools were built in almost all the nine sectors, and the number of health centres multiplied. The literacy rate of the refugees swelled. The younger generation started moving out of the camp after graduating from the camps schools, seeking a better future.
Housing some 20,000 refugee
s, Beldangi 2 is located 4 miles north of Damak, a small town on the Mahendra Highway
, the longest highway of Nepal. The camp is divided into nine sectors for the efficient administration. Each of the sectors are further divided into 4 units which means that the whole camp consists of 36 units. Each sectors are geographically separated by the gravelled roads. The refugee camp is surrounded in the North and east by community forest known as Humsedumshe. The Beldangi 2 extension, also called Beldangi 3, lies in the west and to the south lies a small market
called Bangay.
The thatch roofed huts of the refugees are constructed in rows, with toilets between each pair of rows. This camp has two secondary level schools, Tri-Ratna Secondary School and Pancha-oti English School, managed by Caritas Nepal. It also has five primary and two lower secondary schools. In 2006, there were 22,542 refugees in Bledangi 2 refugee camps. 3,604 huts were officially counted during the same year but due to rapid birth rate, migration of the refugees to foreign lands and many other factors the present figure might be different. The population of Bhutanese refugees in this camp has been reduced by half. The evacuated huts are either demolished, destroyed or occupied by some other refugees within the camp.
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
: बेलडाँगी शरणार्थी शिविर; Belḍā̃gī śaraṇārthī śivira) consist of three settlements in Damak
Damak
Damak is a town and municipality in Jhapa District in the Mechi Zone of south-eastern Nepal. It is situated between the Ratuwa River in the east and the Mawa River in the west. As of 2001 census total population of city is 35,009...
, Jhapa District
Jhapa District
Jhapa District, a district of Mechi Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal. The district, with Chandragadhi as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,606 km² and has a population of 688,109.-Location:...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
: Beldangi I (26°43′22.7"N 87°41′57.8"E), Beldangi II, and Beldangi II Extension (26°42′48.9"N 87°41′6.4"E). They are inhabited by Bhutanese refugees. As of 2011, Beldangi I to the east had 12,793 residents; Beldangi II to the west had 14,680; and Beldangi II Extension had 8,470. The three camps are located near each other, off main highways LD Rd 15 and DL1, which separates Beldangi I from a nearby river.
Beldangi 2
Beldangi 2 was cleared for settlement in the early 90s. Bhutanese exiles were given refuge by the government of Nepal on humanitarianHumanitarianism
In its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution...
grounds and were temporarily settled in Maidhar by the side of the Kankai river, some 600km east of Kathmandu. Slowly, other international organizations, including UNHCR and the International Red Cross Society
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
, started helping them, providing food and clothing. Gradually the population of these refugees swelled and were moved to different refugee camps with in Jhapa
Jhapa District
Jhapa District, a district of Mechi Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal. The district, with Chandragadhi as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,606 km² and has a population of 688,109.-Location:...
and Morang District
Morang District
Morang District , a part of Kosi Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Biratnagar as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,855 km² and has a population of 843,220....
s of Nepal lying under Mechi Zone
Mechi Zone
Mechi and other ethnic groups like Koche and Meche, and hill castes like Bahun and Chhetris.Mechi is divided into four districts:*Ilam District*Jhapa District*Panchthar District*Taplejung District...
Far eastern Zones among which Beldangi-2 has been the largest and biggest camp.
The vast jungle of Beldangi 2 was made suitable for settlement in early 1991, as the Maidhar camp not suitable for the growing number of refugees. In the beginning, there were several big trees inside the camp which eventually were cut down by the Authorities. Human settlement began from Sector A and the plots to the north filled up gradually as more and more refugees poured in. Any one who visited this camp in the early and mid 1990s would have seen hundreds of colorful huts with plastic roofs. There were no toilets for them in the camp, so the refugees had to go to the nearby forest. Thus, the environment was alarmingly polluted. Refugee students use to study in an open ground. Books and stationery were very limited and were to be shared among many. There were skilled teachers, yet the education system was at stake with insufficient teaching/learning materials. Slowly, the Agencies helped build, schools, health centres and toilets – one toilet for two families. Gravel roads within the camp were constructed to ease the transportation.
By the end of 1999, more and more trees had been chopped away. Refugees modeled and remodeled their huts and started extending them without giving notice to the authority concerned. Schools were built in almost all the nine sectors, and the number of health centres multiplied. The literacy rate of the refugees swelled. The younger generation started moving out of the camp after graduating from the camps schools, seeking a better future.
Housing some 20,000 refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s, Beldangi 2 is located 4 miles north of Damak, a small town on the Mahendra Highway
Mahendra Highway
Mahendra Highway also called East West Highway runs across the Terai region of Nepal, from Kankarbhitta in the east to Mahendranagar in the west, cutting across the entire width of the country. It is the longest highway in Nepal.-Overview:...
, the longest highway of Nepal. The camp is divided into nine sectors for the efficient administration. Each of the sectors are further divided into 4 units which means that the whole camp consists of 36 units. Each sectors are geographically separated by the gravelled roads. The refugee camp is surrounded in the North and east by community forest known as Humsedumshe. The Beldangi 2 extension, also called Beldangi 3, lies in the west and to the south lies a small market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
called Bangay.
The thatch roofed huts of the refugees are constructed in rows, with toilets between each pair of rows. This camp has two secondary level schools, Tri-Ratna Secondary School and Pancha-oti English School, managed by Caritas Nepal. It also has five primary and two lower secondary schools. In 2006, there were 22,542 refugees in Bledangi 2 refugee camps. 3,604 huts were officially counted during the same year but due to rapid birth rate, migration of the refugees to foreign lands and many other factors the present figure might be different. The population of Bhutanese refugees in this camp has been reduced by half. The evacuated huts are either demolished, destroyed or occupied by some other refugees within the camp.