Every winter there is snowfall in Lapu, Gumda, Laprak, Barpak, Keraunja, Kasigaun, Manbu and other villages in the northern parts of the district. Locals have to live with the bitter cold. But unlike in previous years, there are now quake-affected people still living in temporary shelters.
“Earlier, it would be difficult for us to go out of the house when it snowed. But now we have no house at all. We are living in temporary shelters which cannot keep out the cold,” said Sane Gurung of Gumda. According to him, the number of people suffering from cold-related ailments is on the rise.
Many of those living in temporary shelters in Gumda are already suffering from diarrhea due to the extreme cold.
Maila Gurung, 73, of Laprak is suffering from asthma. The cold has aggravated her condition. “Had we a house to live in, we would have more warmth. Unfortunately, we're now living under tents,” she said.
The clothing that the quake victims had was buried under rubble during the earthquake. The winter is already half over but the quake-affected are yet to receive the amounts of Rs 10,000 that the government decided to provide each household as winter relief.
According to locals, it generally takes a month to bring warm clothing from the market. Delay in the procurement is also likely to affect the health of quake victims.
Over 60,000 households are living under tents and other temporary shelters in Gorkha district. In most cases, 15 members of a family have to queeze in under a single shelter.
The cold is extreme, according to Bir Bahadur Gurung, a local of Samagaun VDC. “The locals leave their work and sit around fires the whole day, covering themselves with thick clothing,” Gurung said.
Quake victims have been falling ill in their temporary shelters. Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to cold-related illnesses such as diarrhea, pneumonia, cough and fever.
According to Barpak Health Post chief Dr Anil Kumar Sinha, the elderly have been diagnosed with respiratory and joint related problems. The extreme cold in Barpak has taken its toll on the health of the quake displaced. With the increase in cold, the number of patients admitted to health facilities has increased, according to Dr Sinha.
Meanwhile, schools in northern Gorkha have started to close because of the bitter cold. With the start of snowfall, schools running classes under temporary shelters have started announcing 45-day closures. “It's very cold and we don't want to take any risks running classes. As per Arughat Resource Center, which monitors local schools, six schools of Arughat VDC that is contiguous with Tibet have already shut down.
“It's very cold. Children shiver. We don't want to take any risk running classes,” said Ramhari Dhakal, a teacher at Kerauja Secondary School.
District Education Officer (DEO) Hari Aryal also attributed the decision to close the schools to extreme cold.
The sudden cold has also affected local sheep farmers. They have started migrating down to the foothills with their sheep, according to a local.
Meanwhile, the District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC), which is yet to provide the government funds of Rs 10,000 to the quake affected, informed that it has already distributed warm clothes and cash in 24 VDCs with the help of non-government organizations.
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