Rukum West quake survivors still living in tin sheds a year since disaster

Rukum, November 4 — It has been one full year since Harka Pun of Aathbiskot Municipality-14 of Rukum Paschim was rendered homeless since a devastating earthquake struck the district.     

An earthquake of local Magnitude (ML) 6.4 occurred around Ramidanda of Jajarkot district at 23:47hrs (local time) on 3 November 2023, killing more than 150 people and injuring almost 400 people. It caused extensive damage to buildings, infrastructure and critical services mostly in Jajarkot, Rukum Paschim, Rukum Purba and Salyan districts.     

The Pun family has already spent one winter and one monsoon living in the tin shelter, and now he is worried that he will have to spend another winter there. After living under tarpaulin tent for some days after his house was completely destroyed by the tremor, the Pun family is now living in a tin shelter.     

"We spent a whole year living in difficult condition inside the tin shed. Now winter has started setting in and it is already getting cold. We are worried how we are going to cope up the winter this year," he expressed his exasperation.     

Many earthquake affected families like Pun's are living under temporary tin shelters these days after living in tarpaulin tents for some months since the earthquake. They are now yearning for safe shelters as the winter approaches.     

The earthquake-affected families, who were compelled to live in tents during the chilling winter cold and inside sheds constructed from corrugated zinc sheets during the summer, have still not got safe shelters.     

"We did not get the timely assistance from the government to build our houses. We are worried about the health of our children and the elderly people. We don't know how many children and the elderly people are going to die this year as last year," said Hiralal Pariyar of Sanibheri Rural Municipality-4.     

The government has not been able to bring reconstruction procedure even in one year. It had announced to make arrangement of Rs 50,000 grant immediately to each family affected from the earthquake for the construction of huts by preparing Temporary Housing Construction Grant Procedure, 2080.     

But, the earthquake victims complained said they have not received the full grant amount. Chairperson of Sanibheri rural municipality-4, Manoj Budhathoki, said though arrangement of tarpaulin was made immediately and temporary housing after it, reconstruction has not been carried out yet.     

He mentioned that construction of earthquake victims' houses has become delay following federal government's apathy to introduce procedure for reconstruction.     

The Public Policy and Delegated Legislation Committee of the National Assembly had carried out onsite visit about the state of earthquake hit areas. The committee had suggested the government to complete reconstruction and resettlement of quake-hit people at the earliest.     

As per the data of the District Administration Office, out of 34,989 beneficiaries throughout the district, 32,996 households have received first tranche for the construction of temporary huts.     

Two thousands two people have not yet got first tranche. Second tranche has been allocated for 16,000 families.