Pavitra Pahari, a resident of ward 3 in Doramba Shailung Rural Municipality, Ramechhap, is facing the toughest challenge of her life just a month after giving birth. Displaced by a devastating landslide, she now finds herself crammed into a shelter, worrying not just about herself but about how to protect her newborn from the cold and the continuous rain.

Pavitra, along with 180 other villagers, are living in temporary shelters for the past five days, when a landslide on Saturday night ripped through their village, displacing 63 families and claiming eight lives. Two people are still missing. The landslide swept away six houses, forcing the survivors to seek refuge in an old school building and a house arranged by the local government.

The conditions in these shelters are harsh. “The rural municipality has provided us with a place to stay, but it’s very crowded,” said Pahari. “There are 43 of us living together, and whatever food is prepared, we all share it.” She said all the women from the village are staying together in one house, while the men are sleeping in an old school building. The victims are trying to make the best of a bad situation, but the cold and dampness make it difficult.

Pavitra expressed her concern about her newborn son, saying, “I can somehow manage to get through the night, but I can’t keep my baby warm. There are seven other new mothers in the same situation as me, and we’re all struggling.”

The elderly are also having a hard time.

Dan Bahadur Pahari, 91, said, “My hands and feet are numb from the cold. It’s not as warm as home here, and the mattresses provided by the municipality aren’t enough to keep out the dampness of the monsoon.”

The victims were initially housed in a new school building, but to make space for students, they were later moved to an eight-room private house and the old school building. The municipality has provided mattresses for sleeping, but the cold remains a significant issue.

Shanta Bahadur Pahari, another victim, shared the daily routine. “In the morning, we go back to the village to feed the cattle that survived the landslide. The village is in ruins, with cracks everywhere, and the rain won’t let up. We don’t know how long we’ll have to live like this,” said Shanta Bahadur.

The local government has arranged food and shelter for the time being, but he mentioned that the situation has become stressful as they cannot return to their village. “How long can the local government provide support? They’ve said we can't go back to the village,” he added.

It takes an hour and a half to reach Lekharka village from the shelter. They climb uphill to the village, feed the cattle, and then return to the same place. “Relatives of those who died or went missing in the landslide are currently in Lekharka for funeral rituals,” Shanta Bahadur said. “They will return soon, and the local government has promised to set up temporary shelters for them in the playground.”

The landslide not only displaced 63 families but also levelled six houses in the village, he said. The rural municipality has arranged for 20 to 22 children from displaced families to continue their education at the school they’re currently staying in. To manage meals, the victims have formed three to four cooking teams. “We cook for 63 families on a single stove, taking turns,” said Shanta Bahadur. “There’s no special food for the newborns and their mothers; whatever is cooked is shared by everyone.”

The municipality on Thursday called an emergency meeting of the disaster management committee, where it was decided to construct temporary shelters on a nearby playground for the displaced families.

“For now, we’re providing food and shelter to all the victims,” said Mankumar Moktan, chairperson of the rural municipality. “Managing everything during a disaster is very challenging, but we’ll make sure that the new mothers and their babies get the nutrition they need.”

Moktan explained that transporting supplies has been difficult due to the floods that washed away the main motorable bridge connecting the area with the rest of the district.

The municipality has also requested the federal government for help in relocating the displaced families permanently. “The landslide has made it unsafe to live in the village, so we’re looking for a new location to relocate them,” he said.

The landslide has also caused damage in other wards of the rural municipality. The authorities are working to collect detailed information on the damage and to clear the rural roads affected by the disaster.