Flood-displaced people taking refuge at temporary shelters in Surkhet and Bardiya districts have been hit hard with the onset of the winter season. As the temperatures go down steadily, flood-hit people, especially senior citizens, post-partum women and kids, are suffering from cold-related ailments.

The victims say they are finding it hard living under makeshifts huts to protect themselves from the cold. “We have been living in tents for the past 15 months. But the government is turning a blind eye on our plight,” said Lal Bahadur Sunar, a landless flood victims from Surkhet.

Over 800 flood-hit families, who were supposed to be resettled in Surkhet, are left in the lurch as the government plan has not yet materialised.

The ongoing unofficial blockade imposed by India has only compounded their misery, according to Maisara Thapa, a flood victim. “The ongoing blockade has made life more difficult as prices of essential supplies have shot up,” she said.

The condition of the flood victims taking shelter in Gulariya is no different. Around 98 families, who were displaced from Baniyabhar-4 due to the flood in Bardiya a year ago, have been fighting the cold weather under tarpaulins.

Govinda Khatri, a flood victim from Gulariya-5, said they requested authorities concerned to take initiative to relocate the temporary settlements. Without warm clothes and other essentials, many flood victims in the Gulariya camp have been suffering from cold-related illnesses such as common cold and pneumonia.