In Rasuwa and Nuwakot, the two districts hardest hit by the late-August flash floods, fresh spells of rain began before the rivers had fully receded. The rains added further layers of hardship to the already suffering flood-displaced families who had taken shelter under tarpaulins in temporary camps across the two districts.

“When it rained the other day, water came through the tent, and everything, including the blankets and bedding, got soaked,” said Juthe Tamang, who is living at a temporary camp set up below Shree Karma Dhechenling Monastery in Bandre, Nuwakot. “I put up another tarpaulin over it.”

Three of Tamang’s family members are currently living under the tent, including his wife Shobha, and his granddaughter. He had to send his 77-year-old mother-in-law to spend the night with nearby relatives due to rainfall and congested space inside the small tent.

The rains have turned relentless across Nepal since Thursday, due to a low-pressure system that has developed over the Bay of Bengal. This has made the conditions at temporary camps worse. Some families have begun looking for rented rooms in nearby settlements, even if local authorities have urged them to remain at designated holding centres until alternative arrangements are made.

Across villages like Pipaltar, Dhunge, Gerkhu, Bhaise and around Trishuli Bazar, tarpaulins pitched in open fields and on higher ground have been unable to keep out the rain. Some residents said they had been forced to stay awake at night to protect their bedding and belongings. Some families have put up second tarpaulins for protection, but persistent rains have turned the ground beneath the shelters into mud and sludge.

“It is extremely difficult when it is time to sleep,” said Temba Tamang, who was displaced from Khalte in Rasuwa’s Uttargaya Rural Municipality and is currently staying at the holding centre in Pipaltar. “During the day, you can find somewhere to shelter, but where do you go or sleep when it rains at night?”

Temba added that his family of three received a bed as relief, but only one person can sleep on it. “I put the children on the bed and sleep on the floor,” he said. Temba’s wife was caught in the floods while he was at work. The children survived because they had gone for tuition classes.

Temba said he found his children only four days after the disaster. His daughter had been rescued in Bidur, and his son was brought to Tamang Plaza Agro Resort before they reunited at the holding centre.

At the Lito holding centre in Pipaltar, Nuwakot, residents said wet bedding and clothes were raising concerns about the health of children, new mothers and older people. Families with infants are running out of dry clothes as the damp weather prevents their belongings from drying. Many lost almost everything in the floods and now depend on clothes distributed as relief.

Rain has also made cooking difficult for families living in temporary shelters. Those without proper cooking facilities have been forced to burn firewood in the open or cook inside tents amid smoke and dampness.

Binita Tamang, who is staying in a tent below the monastery in Bandre, said the firewood had become too wet to burn. Some holding centres have distributed induction cooktops, but residents say there are no electricity connections to individual tents, leaving them dependent on communal kitchens.

“If only we had a permanent roof over our heads, I would work breaking stones and somehow support my family,” said Norsang Tamang, who was displaced from Khalte.

“With nowhere else to go, I am staying with relatives along with other survivors. Everything is already gone.”

Norsang’s husband has been missing since the floods. She lives in a tent with their one-and-a-half-year-old son, three-year-old daughter, her blind mother-in-law and her elderly mother, who suffers from asthma.

The rain has heightened fears of further landslides and rising rivers around camps on hillsides and along riverbanks. Bhimsen Thapa, a retired soldier living in Bogati village, said people have become anxious after days of rain and the sound of swollen rivers.

The rain has also made it difficult for survivors to reach government and ward offices to collect relief supplies or obtain recommendations. Slippery, muddy roads have prevented elderly people and those who are ill from leaving the camps.

For survivors who lost their homes in the floods, the immediate concern is finding a safe and durable place to live. Many lack warm clothes, umbrellas and raincoats, while some have been clearing mud outside their tents, wrapped in blankets received as relief.

They are calling for safe shelter, food, tarpaulins, mattresses and medical care.

Krishna Prasad Humagain, assistant chief district officer of Nuwakot, has urged displaced residents to remain at designated holding centres until alternative arrangements are made.

Dhruba Prasad Adhikari, assistant chief district officer of Rasuwa, said the district currently has five holding centres and that the rain had not caused significant problems at those sites. Adhikari added that a district-level committee has identified potential land for resettling displaced families and sent its recommendations to the central government.

“Once the central committee makes a decision, the resettlement process will move forward,” Adhikari said, adding that officials were aware of the difficulties faced by survivors and would work to address them.

Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said preparations were underway to establish permanent settlements for displaced residents in Rasuwa and Nuwakot based on their needs and preferences.

Detailed information has been collected on potential public and private land from Syaphrubesi and Timure in Rasuwa to Bidur in Nuwakot, Uprety said.

“We will provide them [the displaced survivors] with options for permanent settlement in safe locations by managing forest areas or private land,” he said. “Even if the law has to be amended.”

But survivors are desperate for a stable roof over their heads. Many of them are searching for a room to rent, even if they don’t immediately have the means to pay for it.

Pemba Dechen Tamang, a seven-month pregnant woman displaced from Khalte, said she has been looking for a room ever since she arrived at the holding centre. “But I still haven’t found one,” she said. Thirteen members of Pemba’s family, including her husband, have been missing since the floods. “Everywhere I go, they say all the rooms are occupied,” she said.