Life in Chautara, the district headquarters of Sindhupalchok, has yet to return to normal. More than a month has passed since the April 25 earthquake, but the Chautara residents still cannot go about their daily businesses because they fear that the houses at the main market centre could collapse any time.
As the authorities have not finished clearing the debris left by the houses that had crumbled in the quake, tearing down the unsafe houses will take some time.
Dust from the debris has also raised public health concern.
Dr Sagar Raj Bhandari at the District Hospital said children and the elderly people are especially at risk of developing respiratory diseases.
Officials have not yet decided how and where to dispose several tonnes of rubble.
Shree Krishna Paudel, executive officer of Chautara Municipality, said that they were still in the process of finding ways to manage the debris.
Another major problem faced by the Chautara locals is of drinking water. As the pipelines damaged by the earthquake-induced landslides have not been fixed, people are relying on the water supplied by tankers.
Without running water, people, especially those living under tents, are at risk of contracting diseases associated with poor sanitation.
Arun Simkhada, the chief of District Water Supply and Sanitation Division, said they have started repairing the water pipelines.
As the earthquake damaged many government office buildings in Chautara, the recovery works have been delayed.
Local Development Officer Mahesh Baral said many government agencies are running their operations through makeshift workstations set up under the tents provided by the District Disaster Management Committee.
The buildings of District Administration Office, District Hospital, District Post Office, District Jail, District Development Committee, District Agriculture Development Office and District Court, among others, were damaged in the earthquake.
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