Almost a year after twin earthquakes battered Nepal, life in the Himalayan nation is still far from normal.
ADVERTISEMENTNepal is remembering the victims of the deadly, twin earthquakes which battered the country almost a year ago.
More than 9,000 people died and almost a million homes were damaged when two huge tremors struck within the space of 17 days.
Life is still far from normal.
“Nobody’s helping us in the process of building or reconstructing our homes,” said Purba Namjel Tamang, who lives in Ne Sing villiage, in Langtang. The government told us they would give us 200,000 rupees (around 1,700 euros) but we’ve been waiting so long, what’s going on?”
The Himalayan nation’s crippled economy has still not recovered from the magnitude 7.8 and 7.3 tremors.
NGO worker Surya Bahadur Pariyar said most help is coming from outside the government:
“I don’t believe in the government also because since one year if we compare in every earthquake victim areas most of the people get most of the contribution, any kind of contribution – like food, like tents, like zinc for making the roof also – they will get it from some Nepali (civil) organisations, some religious societies as well and some international organisations also.”
Reports suggest around one in seven people are still living in temporary accommodation.
Durga Devi, from Solukhumbu district, is living in a makeshift camp.
“As I entered my house after the earthquake, I saw my daughter-in-law buried under the debris, and everything around her collapsed. I grabbed hold of my granddaughter, who was also buried under the rubble in the house, and then came out to the field. From that day on we have not reentered the house,” she explained.
Tourism, a key money-earner for Nepal, has been devastated, with world heritage sites and the mountaineering and trekking industry being dealt a severe blow.