Melamchi, December 10

With the winter nearing its peak, survivors of 2015’s earthquakes in Melamchi, Sindhupalchok are certain that this winter will also have to be weathered under makeshift tents.

Although many of the victims have received Rs 50,000 as the first instalment of housing grant, the sum is grossly insufficient for them to even construct the foundation of a house. Those with the financial wherewithal have constructed houses on their own, but others have no option but to face the winter in temporary shelters.

Kale Gole, a local of Gunso VDC, complained that the sum provided by the government in the first instalment was not enough to even dig out a base for a house.

Some victims said they had drawn out the first instalment during the Dashain festival, and the money was already spent by now. Many victims living in Helambu, Gunsa, Gumba, and Selang have contracted diseases such as pneumonia due to the lack of a safe shelter. A local of Helambu Sangle Hyalmo shared that they do not have the money to build a protective shelter although they pressingly need one.

Likewise, locals of Shermathang in Kiul VDC face the same problem. Children and the elderly have been most affected by the cold.

Chairperson of the Melamchi Municipal Development Committee Prakash Shrestha informed that quake survivors of various parts of the district including the district headquarters are in dire need of a protective shelter against winter.