Nepal’s unending land crisis: Politics, power and the plight of the homeless

Photos: Milan KC

When bulldozers moved into Kathmandu’s riverside settlements in late April 2026, they did what Nepali governments have done for decades: cleared land, displaced people, and called it progress. Over 15,000 residents lost their homes along the Bagmati and its tributaries within weeks. The Supreme Court intervened, demanding rehabilitation plans. Protests erupted. And the cycle demolish, promise, commission, repeat began once more.