Bajura, January 26
Earthquake victims in Bajura are facing problems as details of the destruction and rescue works are yet to be collected even after three days.
The houses have received cracks and snowfall has added to the woes of people.
Gaumul Rural Municipality Chairman Hari Bahadur Rokaya said the natural disaster had caused unexpected problems. The 5.9 rector tremor that occurred at 2:43pm on Tuesday had its epicentre at Bichhaya of Himali Rural Municipality.
Earthquake victims have been compelled to stay inside tents with the local administration yet to collect details of the destruction and rescue works.
Some displaced families have are sheltering in their relatives' houses and public places.
Hundreds of households have been displaced due to the tremor. District Administration Office is yet to collect details of the damage. Chief District Officer Puskar Khadka said details of the destruction were yet to be collected due to geographical constraints. He added that rescue and relief programmes had also been obstructed for the same reason.
Khadka further said his office could not receive information on time due to communication problems and remote locations.
More than 60 houses were destroyed completely in the quake at Badimalika Municipality, and Himali and Gaumul rural municipalities. The families of the houses are now taking shelter under the tents and relatives' houses. Similarly, the earthquake partially damaged more than 59 houses while 103 houses received minor damage.
A total of five government building were damages. The buildings belonging to the barrack of prison security guards, Bichhayan Police Post, Kunna Police Post, among other buildings, are at high risk.
Meanwhile, victims said the authority concerned had yet to manage relief and temporary settlements. They complained that the local government could not manage food materials, tents, clothes, utensils, among other essentials.
Of the nine local levels in Bajura, almost all houses in eight local levels have been affected due to the tremor. The earthquake victims have been facing additional problems due to the winter. They said they had nowhere to go as they could not enter their houses.
Jamuna Rokaya, 32, of Gaumul Rural Municipality died after a boulder fell from a cliff and hit her. Raj Dal Bohora, 35, of the rural municipality, Chanda Mahat, 45, of Badimalika Municipality and Sarita Nepali were injured.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 27, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
