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.