Bajura earthquake victims struggling to survive in harsh conditions

Bajura: Residents of Bichhya in Himali Rural Municipality-3, Bajura, have been forced to endure recurring natural disasters every year. Over the past three years, they have been repeatedly displaced by earthquakes in winter and by floods and landslides during the monsoon season.

On Thursday, April 21, 2080, at 1:17 pm, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck, leaving most of the houses in the area at risk. Again, on July 28, 2082, at 6:30 pm, floods in Bichhya Khola displaced around 41 families from Ward No. 1, Bichhya, and Rugin of Ward No. 5. As a result of consecutive earthquakes and monsoon disasters, locals are now forced to live in tents in the open even during the cold season.

Tents provided by the local government have offered some relief, making it slightly easier for families to remain outside during the winter. Dhana Bohora of Bichhya shared that there has been no concrete support for housing. “Last year, the earthquake destroyed our home. On the night of July 11 this year, a flood and landslide washed away the entire house, so now we are spending nights in tents during the cold,” she said. She added that if housing support had been provided by the local, provincial, and federal governments—like the relief materials and clothes distributed earlier—they would not be living in tents in such harsh weather.

The earthquake in April 2080, with the same epicenter, had destroyed dozens of houses. Likewise, the flood and landslide in Bichhyakhola on July 11, 2082, swept away eight houses in Bichhya, Himali Rural Municipality-1, placing nine others at complete risk. In Kawadi of Ward No. 5, 16 houses were swept away and 32 were fully damaged. Altogether, 24 houses were displaced and 41 were completely destroyed.

Bajura experiences cold weather even during the rainy season, with winter bringing even harsher conditions and heavy snowfall. Despite this, locals remain under tarpaulin shelters, waiting for proper housing. Himali Rural Municipality Chairman Govinda Bahadur Malla said that appeals have been made to the District Disaster Management Committee, as well as to provincial and federal governments, for housing support, but no response has been received so far.