One month after deadly flash floods in Nepal swept away Karishma Tamang's community in Rasuwa District, the pregnant 26-year-old is still struggling to find a safe place to call home. Karishma, who is expecting her second child, has been moving from place to place with her 4-year-old daughter since the devastating floods swept through Nepal's Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river corridor near the Chinese border at the end of August. "Initially, we were kept in a covered hall at Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot District," she told DW, adding that hundreds of people shared the same shelter for days.
"Now we have shifted to a small makeshift family tent at the nearby Barahachaur area. Still, we can't sleep during rainy nights as it leaks when it rains." Her brother and his two children remain missing after the flood. There is no proper toilet, although a small makeshift latrine has been set up near the tents, Karishma said.
Children and pregnant women like Karishma need privacy and safety, but such facilities remain scarce in the Himalaya nation's flood-hit areas. "It would be great to have a stable place to stay, where I could cook my own meals, feel safe and have some comfort," she said. The August 26 flood, triggered by a glacier collapse along the Nepal-China border, killed about 1,450 people and left more than 5,500 missing.
Reconstruction costs are estimated to be $4.8 billion (€4.2 billion). At least seven people, including girls, women and local volunteers at temporary shelters and camps, spoke to DW. Although none reported experiencing sexual harassment or abuse, their accounts point to widespread concerns about safety and vulnerability in the aftermath of the floods.
Sabita Tamang, who lost her 5-year-old daughter, nephew and niece in the floods, is also staying in a makeshift tent in Barahachaur. The 24-year-old said she has to travel beyond the nearest tap to bathe and collect water. "We feel uncomfortable taking a bath in an open space among strangers and unknown locals," she told DW.
"Many children have seen their family members, friends and neighbors caught in the floods," she said, raising concerns about the impact on their mental health and education. Save the Children Nepal has warned that protection measures for children and their families must be strengthened across flood-affected areas amid concerns about trafficking, violence, exploitation and child marriage. Many families have moved into rented rooms.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
