But she relived her fears when it rained incessantly on Wednesday night. And just as she feared, heavy rainfall tore down the tarpaulin under which her family has been sheltering. Everyone, including her children, spent the night without blinking an eye."We could hardly sleep. We were all drenched," said Hasila. She is terrified that heavy rains might trigger flood and landslide like it did last year. "If there's another flood, we won't survive," she said.
The flood in August last year had displaced Hasila's family of seven. They had received a tarpaulin, which has already worn out and they do not have money to rebuild their house.
Many other Dang flood victims are living in the same fear as the monsoon progresses. Although a few of the flood victims have erected make-shift houses, others have not been as fortunate.
"How can we build houses without money?" questioned Sundari Badi, another flood victim. "No one cares about the poor. If no help comes forth, we might have to spend the rest of our lives under tarpaulins," she sighed.
The flood had washed away everything in Bakriya village of the district. This time too, the locals are ill-prepared against possible floods and landslides. "We have only managed to gather mud for building houses. However, the recent rainfall has begun to wash it away," said Devi Ram Kusari.
The terror of floods has not only gripped the locals of Bakriya. Locals of Tulsipur-20 of the district, including Motipur, and Goltakuri VDC, are equally terrified.
After the August flood in Dang, Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam had been to Dang to learn about the plight of flood victims. Locals had high expectations from the government as the latter had announced plans to relocate the flood victims immediately. However, the promise was never kept.
Likewise, Minister of Commerce and Supplies Sunil Bahadur Thapa, President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, state minister Gir Bahadur KC, senior leader of Nepal Congress or former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, along with other high-profile politicians visited Dang after the flood to give assurances to the flood victims.
"Many senior leaders visited us to make tall promises, which they never kept," said Devi Ram Kusari, secretary of Struggle Committee for Displaced Flood Victims of Fulbari, Bakhriya.
Photo caption: Hasila Badi and her family, along with other displaced flood victims of Fulbari, Bakhriya
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Locals have sleepless nights due to fear of flood
