Promises frozen: Quake victims shivering under zinc sheets

By Raju Lamichhane,Rukum West, Nov. 28: Families displaced by the earthquake that struck Ramidanda in Jajarkot on November 3, 2023, are spending the third consecutive winter in makeshift shelters covered with zinc sheets. This shows a fitting example of government insensitivity to the plights of poor people hit by natural disasters.   

Despite government assurances to support reconstruction, survivors said that they are now forced to brave the winter chill again in temporary huts, waiting for the promised grants.

After the earthquake of November 3, 2023, many spent the first few months under tents and later shifted to temporary shelters, where life has remained extremely difficult. 

Krishna Bahadur Oli of Triveni Rural Municipality-10 recalled surviving two winters under tin sheets, shivering in the cold and suffering through unbearable heat inside the hut during summer. He said the dripping frost from the roof has affected children and the elderly.

Amrita Pun of Sanibheri Rural Municipality-1 said that frost soaks their blankets at night, and tears wet their pillows. She lost her brother, sister-in-law and nephew in the earthquake. Because of the cold, her eyes swell in the morning and the bedding gets damp. 

Pun said her family -- including her parents, younger brother and sister-in-law -- has been living in a shelter built with Rs. 50,000 provided by the government.

Dev Bahadur BK of Chaurjahari Municipality-1 said he has been living in a temporary hut ever since his house collapsed in the quake, and the situation is increasingly turning risky. 

As reconstruction efforts fail to gather pace, survivors remain trapped in hardship in the temporary shelters. The first year was spent preparing procedures, and since then the detailed damage assessment (DDA) has still not been fully completed. 

According to Assistant Chief District Officer Keshav Oli, the DDA process is going on under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, but so far only four local units have had their assessments approved.

So far, 8,576 beneficiaries in Rukum West have been approved for housing reconstruction and strengthening. A total of 32,996 families have been listed as eligible beneficiaries.

The District Administration Office said that it had already transferred funds to the local disaster management funds of all six local levels for temporary shelter support. Last year, four earthquake-affected households in Chaurjahari Municipality signed reconstruction agreements, but work has not begun this year, Oli said.