Jajarkot: Kaushila Khadka, who is living in a relief camp with her husband after their house was damaged in Friday night’s earthquake, is trying to keep her two-month-old baby warm from the cold.
Khadka told ANI, “The situation has become worse compared to the day after the earthquake. The house where we were staying was damaged and we had to move out. The rented room where we lived was damaged. There is no damage.”
Khadka is dependent on blankets given by his relatives and cousins as relief from authorities has failed to reach him.
“The baby has just turned two months old; it was cold for the first two days but since last night we got some extra blankets which helped keep us warm. Sister brought some clothes for the baby which reduced the cold,” Newborn The mother of the infant child said.
Although the government has started focusing on relief operations from Sunday, women, children and the elderly are still facing the threat of cold. Inadequate distribution of relief goods, which has concentrated on poor district urban areas, has raised fears of health risks for vulnerable populations.
The 2,230 square kilometer district has a population of 1,89,360. According to the 2021 census, the female population in it is 50.3 percent while the male population is 49.7 percent.
The mortality rate among children and the elderly is also high in the latest earthquake in the district, which has claimed 105 lives so far.
Damage to 937 houses has so far been recorded in Jajarkot, the epicenter of the November 3 earthquake, while officials are still conducting surveys to assess the actual extent of the damage.
The displaced people are now taking shelter under a tarpaulin which has now become a new home for them and is protecting them from the cold for the time being, however, the worst is yet to come.
“The problems are gradually increasing, our stomachs are hurting due to the extreme cold, and we do not have proper clothes to wear as all our clothes are buried under the debris. Moreover, there is no place to sleep There isn’t even a proper bed and blanket to use.” ,” Lakshmi Giri, one of the displaced living in a temporary relief camp, told ANI.
The elder sister, who has to take care of her elderly parents and younger siblings, is worried about the days ahead as her house has been razed to the ground and her old parents are in the grip of cold.
“Obviously there is an atmosphere of fear because we have no home to live in but aunty’s house has given us some hope,” Giri said.
In relief camps set up in open spaces across the district, covered only with tarpaulin sheets in temperatures that are 10 degrees Celsius and below at night, displaced people struggle together in camps to stay warm and the elderly and those suffering from cold. surround people. Give them shields. Now the elderly, children and pregnant-postpartum women are facing big problems,” Hari Bahadur Basnet, president of Nepal Red Cross Society, Jajarkot branch, told ANI. “The distribution of blankets and tarpaulins has been given top priority during the ongoing relief operation.” Has been.” To protect them from the cold. But many families have lost their residence permanently and their clothes are buried under the debris. In such a situation, they should be provided warm clothes and nutritious food. We have seen some children, elderly and post-partum women are not getting enough food to eat. Therefore, relief operations should first focus on their safety and on providing warm clothing.”
