Bhaktapur, October 6

Almost 18 months since the devastating earthquake, displaced victims in Bhaktapur are still living in temporary shelters.

Basu Krishna Gosain, 28, said, “We have been living in this tent for 17 months now. The country is gearing up to celebrate Dashain, but for us, little has changed in all these months.” Gosain said..

More than 20 per cent of quake victims displaced during the earthquake are still living in temporary camps and tents in Sano Byasi, Kamal Vinayak, Chyamasingh, Liwali, Indrayani, Guhe pokhari, Bhelukhel, Ga-Kiba 2, Garud Kaundal, Bade 7, Thulo Byasi, and Dekocha.

Over 3,000 people are still living in temporary camps in 24 different places in Bhaktapur. Some people pay rent to live in the temporary space, while some live with their relatives.

As many as 197 families are living in temporary camps in Bhaktapur of which 1,226 are female, 1,114 male, 495 children, and 223 elderly people.

A local of Tinacchen, Krishna Lal Manandhar said, “We used to invite many relatives to our home during Dashain for a feast. But now, we have no space to celebrate this festival.” He added, “If we had a small house of our own, the festival would have been more joyful.”

Most earthquake victims here are hoping to get government relief soon.