On the evening of June 16, Sub-Inspector Sunil Thapa of Area Police Station, Helambu had just returned after warning people residing near the Melamchi river of possible floods as there had been incessant rainfall for several hours.

“There were nine of us in the office,” Thapa remembers.

Soon after a while the office building was suddenly hit by the wave of muddy water which was surprising for the officers.

“Our office was not very close to the river; however, as the water level had increased drastically it entered the office,” said Thapa.

The area police office had already started getting calls for rescue from villagers hit by the floods. However, as all of their rescue equipment was inside the building they were helpless.

“Our officers started taking out rescue equipment, furniture, files, computers and other stuff,” Thapa told the Post over the phone from Helambu.

Two days later, on June 18, fresh flash flood triggered by a heavy rainfall in Helambu Rural Municipality of Sindhupalchok district swept away the whole station.

“We are currently working from small rooms provided by villagers,” said Thapa. “Local residents have helped us by providing five rooms in different homes, where we have kept all the office stuff.”

According to Thapa, as the available space is not enough for the staff, they are thinking about working from tents.

“But during the monsoon, it’s not possible to work from a tent due to the rain,” Thapa told the Post.

Police officers stationed at the Area Police Station, Helambu are now busy clearing the roads damaged by floods and landslides while also distributing relief materials. They don’t know how long they will work without a proper office.

“We are collecting data of total damage in the area, clearing roads in coordination with local residents, distributing relief materials to the victims and other regular policing work,” Thapa said.

The monsoon which began on June 10 has already wreaked havoc across the country damaging property worth millions and displacing hundreds of families.

This means more work for the police who are already implementing prohibitory orders amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

But resources are limited which means more challenge.

Many police stations across the country are still operating from tents since the April 2015 earthquakes.

This is not only the case in the rural hinterland, but even in the Capital.

Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range has been conducting its day to day work from tents for the past six years.

According to Senior Superintendent Ashok Singh, chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range, there are 11 tents in its office premises at Teku.

“It is fine during other seasons but there are major problems during the monsoon when tents start leaking. The tents have undergone major wear and tear,” said Singh. “Officers often have to clear the water collected on the roofs of tents as well as inside as there is no proper drainage. ”

According to him, rooms where applications for various police business are registered, consultation rooms, interrogation rooms and sleeping quarters are in tents.

Although the construction of a new building of Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range is underway at Teku, the progress has been slow because of Covid-19 pandemic.

“It will take another one and half years for the building to be completed and till then there is no choice other than working from tents,” Singh told the Post.

According to the data provided by Nepal Police, 143 police offices damaged by the earthquake are still under construction although 180 police stations were built over the six year period.

“Without proper drainage, water enters the tents, which we have to clean every time it rains,” said an officer at Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range on condition of anonymity.

Senior Superintendent Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, spokesperson for the Nepal Police, said he is well aware of the fact that police officers are facing difficulties operating from tents.

He said office buildings were being constructed and their troubles will end very soon.

But across the country, work is not being expedited, by his own admission.

“Due to the limited resources, construction of police stations has been moving slowly,” Kunwar told the Post. “However, it has not affected policing as they have been carrying out their responsibilities from rented offices at different places across the country.”

But for Thapa and the officers under him in Helambu, the situation is difficult to manage.

“As many rooms are filled up with office belongings, there is very little space to sleep. It is a bit difficult,” said Sub-Inspector Thapa. “The office building was newly built but now it has been destroyed. We don’t know when another will be built and how long we will have to manage this way.”