Displaced of Sindhupalchowk worry about future

KATHMANDU, May 23: As Galbo Waiba Tamang takes a rest under one of the makeshift tents at Nilbarahi, Bhaktapur on Friday, he looks utterly exhausted. He hurriedly wiped the sweat off his forehead, all ready to share his plight. However, his voice was too low to be heard properly and he also sounded exceedingly nervous.

Tamang and his family have been displaced from Baruwa VDC of Sindhupalchowk district by the powerful earthquakes that have struck the country.

Tamang’s house collapsed on April 25 when the catastrophic quake of 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale shook the country. And after the second powerful earthquake, of 7.3 magnitude, on 12 May, Tamang’s family could no longer stay on in the village.

“We managed to shelter under a makeshift tent after our house turned to rubble, but the second quake left us with absolutely nothing,” he shared, adding, “We have been forced to abandon the place where we were born.”

“Our remaining land and belongings have been swept away in the landslides that followed the second quake. The incessant landslides scared us to death and we had to come to Kathmandu just to stay alive,” said Tamang, who is a farmer by calling.

The family slept in open spaces in many parts of Kathmandu before they were taken to the temporary camp at Nilbarahi. They left their village some 10 days ago and were admitted to the camp three days back.

“We finally have somewhere to stay but we don’t know what we will do after leaving this place. I am not able to think of anything,” he lamented.

Bile Sherpa of Tatopani VDC is another displaced individual sheltering at the Nilbarahi camp. He is also too scared to go back to his village and contemplate nature’s fury. He said he has felt more at ease after coming to Kathmandu.

Thousands of families in Sindhupalchowk, the most affected district, have been displaced by the quake calamity. The displaced are sheltering temporarily in different parts of Kathmandu. They now point out that the coming monsoon is another big threat looming over Sindhupalchowk.

“We don’t know for long we will have to live in makeshift tents in Kathmandu but the approaching monsoon is
another threat for Sindhupalchowk locals,” added Sherpa.

There are altogether 1,176 people from Sindhupalchowk in 100 makeshift tents at Nilbarahi. The camp was set up by the Chinese government.