Send us engineers, say Laprak locals

LAPRAK, May 15: Most people whose homes are destroyed by earthquake set up tents in open spaces. But people in Laprak villagers do not have this option. Unlike in other places, even the fields here have developed serious cracks while heaps of rubble are a common sight in the locality.

The massive earthquake and strong aftershocks have forced 400 displaced households of Laprak to migrate to Gupsichaur situated at an attitude of 2,700 metres above sea level. Gupsichaur is 500 meters higher than their village. Generally covered with snow during winter, the place is cold even in May.

Landslides are a common sight around both the villages these days. Youths from Laprak who returned home after the quake disaster point out the urgency of evacuating the villagers and relocating them to a safer area."We are already in a landslide-prone zone and the cracks in the fields are even more scary," said Kisan Gurung, a local youth.

The villagers are well aware of the risk from landslides, but an earthquake was something outside their imagination, they say. Hoarding boards put up at several place in the village indicate that the entire area is vulnerable to landslide.

The hoarding boards lit the do's and don'ts to avert landslides. A massive awareness program was launched here after a devastating landslide took several lives and damaged property in 1999.

Most of the livestock perished when their sheds collapsed. Only livestock for which sheds had been constructed at Gupsichaur survived.

The locals complain that relief arrived in the village only three days after the disaster. Twenty Armed Police Force personnel two from Nepal Police and around a dozen of Nepal Army official are currently assisting the earthquake victims.

Some of the villagers have started constructing a hut with a tin roof. Many others are preparing to settle in the cracked areas. In the last few days thunderstorm also forced them to find shelter.

Gupsichaur itself is a landslide-affected area. So the locals want confirmation from a technical tem whether or not they can settle there.

"We have heard that the government has deployed engineers in Kathmandu to determine the safety of houses," said Marsing Gurung adding, "Send us such team to tell us whether we are safe here or not."

They raised concern about the monsoon that is arriving next month.

"Devastated by the quake, we might suffer a worse fate in the rainy season,"Marsing added.

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