Kathmandu

Garkha mourns dead, braces for gloomy Tihar

Garkha mourns dead, braces for gloomy Tihar

By Baburam Shrestha

DADELDHURA: Garkha residents of Mastmandau VDC will have a gloomy Tihar this year. At least 12 people were killed in the area in the landslide on Tuesday morning. Flash floods have inundated 30,000 hectares of farmland. “The entire village is mourning,” said Dan Bahadur Bohara, who had come home from India to celebrate Dashain. While, those who were unaffected by the floods, too, have decided not to celebrate Tihar as a mark of respect for the victims and their next of kin. Karna Bahadur Dhami, VDC secretary, warned of an imminent famine due to acute shortage of foodgrains. The condition of 18 displaced families is pitiable. Mahesh Bahadur Shahi, president of the local sub-branch of Nepal Red Cross Society, said that the flood-hit were suffering from diarrhoea due to lack of proper sanitation and potable water. “They’re compelled to drink contaminated water,” he said. Shahi warned that the crisis could deepen if proper assistance was not provided soon.