People return to houses
KATHMANDU, MAY 02 -
Most people in Kathmandu have moved back into their houses six days after a
deadly earthquake rattled the country taking at least
7,000 lives and displacing millions.
People say they are
feeling safe now to shift into their houses as no major quakes have been felt
in the past last three days. However, thousands others whose houses have been
completely damaged are still living in tents, vehicles and even under the open
sky, while some are still reluctant to move into their homes fearing another
quake.
On Thursday, the
situation turned so worse that hundreds of thousands of people came out to the
streets and open spaces in desperation after rumour went around that another
major earthquake will hit the country.
“The past week has
been the hardest days of our lives. It is also becoming risky to live outside
in tents due to health concerns. Many are feeling sick,” said Goma Shrestha of
Kalanki. Occasional rainfall, coupled with poor food and sanitation in tents,
has exposed people to diseases. Hospitals in Kathmandu have also witnessed a
surge in the number of patients with flu-like symptoms.
Gurung and many of
her relatives were staying under plastic tents for four nights. They had to
live with little food and water as no relief assistance came from the
government and other organisations. It has been difficult especially for
children to live in tents.
The Post’s visit to
various places in the Valley found significant reduction in the number of
people living in tents. Many locals are consulting engineers before moving back
to their houses.
Khagendra Bhurtel,
a senior civil engineer, said several people consulted him in the past few
days. "It would be wise to take opinion of experts if there are structural
cracks in the house. There is no need to consult anyone if there are no such
defects. People can live inside their house without fear if no structural
defects are seen," he said.
Bhurtel said people
should use common sense rather than running after rumours such as those found
in social media and online portals. "It is much safer to stay indoors
instead of running outside during tremors. Everyone should play a constructive
role to free people from fear," he said.
Meanwhile, nearly a
million people living temporarily in the Capital have returned to their
villages. The government had mobilised hundreds of vehicles to ferry people to
various places outside the Valley free of cost.
“Many people are
leaving the Valley on their own initiatives. The number of such people is
increasing day by day as they want to be useful in their villages and be with
their family members,” said Laxmi Dhakal, spokesperson at the Home Ministry.
Many people whose
houses have partially cracked are still unwilling to move into their house.
Prabiti Magar of Siraha, who sells tea in Thamel, said she still doesn’t want
to go back to her rented room. “The house is made of mud and bricks and there
are several cracks in it,” she said.
The earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale has
killed over 6,000 people, destroyed hundreds of thousands of house and killed
similar number of livestock.
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