Flood-hit kids face starvation

Kailali, February 15:

Children of flood-hit families, whose huts were torched by the forest authorities a few days back, have been starving.

Purnakala Rokaya, whose hut was set ablaze in Laukavouka Community Forest, said, ‘’All the food items were gutted. Children have been sleeping on empty stomach since Wednesday.

My relatives do help with some food but how long can I keep asking them?” She said nothing remained of the 80 kg rice given under relief quota. Her land and house in Khailad was swept away in the floods in October.

Her fate is shared by the flood-hit people residing in the community forest.

“Our children never get enough to eat,” a woman residing in the Jhaljhalia Community Forest

said, adding, “I have bought some food with the money that my husband sent from India.”

She vented her ire on this journalist: “Everybody comes, takes photographs and says everything would be alright. But we haven’t got anything.”

Four persons, including two children, have already died in Jhaljhalia camp due to lack of food and proper treatment.

“Four persons died due to the cold in this camp, as they did not get proper treatment,” Dhan Bahadur BK said. “Lactating mothers do not get food, children don’t have clothes. How can I go to work leaving them in this forest?” he added.

His 10-cottah land in Khailad was swept away in the flood.