Five months after devastating floods and landslides struck many parts of Kavrepalanchok district killing at least 78 people, displaced survivors continue to live in fear and uncertainty. In the flood-affected areas, many are still living in unsafe conditions, with little to no assistance from the government.

Durga Khatri, a resident of Manakhala Dobhan in ward 12 of Panauti Municipality, is among them. Her small shop on the edge of a crumbling house, is her family’s only source of income, just enough to sustain them.

“Whenever we step inside, the house shakes,” Durga told the Post recently. “We are living in constant fear.”

For Durga, the recent earthquake that jolted Nepal came as a rude reminder of the trauma she endured after the September floods.

“The small earthquakes make my heart race. But what can we do? We have nowhere else to go. We have to stay here,” she said. “We can't afford to build a new house, nor do we have land to relocate. How long should we wait for government support?”

Despite the risks, Durga and her family are still living in their dilapidated house damaged by the monsoon-induced disaster. The shop, although damaged by the flood, still has some goods. But with the monsoon approaching, they fear that they won’t be able to stay there much longer.

For the past five months, disaster-affected individuals like Durga’s have been left in the lurch, waiting for government support. Yet no substantial action has been taken by the local authorities for aid or relief.

Thuli Khatri, 70, from Gurunggaun in ward 1 of Panauti Municipality, shares a similar plight. Her house, built with the housing reconstruction aid after the 2015 earthquake, was washed away by the floods.

"There is no option but to stay here,” she told the Post this week.

“The house we built with the earthquake relief was washed away. Now, I have no money to rebuild. The landslides and floods are constant threats, and adding to our troubles, mining and crushers upstream are polluting the river with dust and threatening our community.

Thuli's situation mirrors that of many others in the region who have yet to receive the government’s support to rebuild new houses. "People in our village have received assistance, but not us. They say our names are not on the list. How can we rebuild our houses? The government promised money, but how can we rebuild in such a dangerous place? The monsoon is just a few months away, and it will be hard to survive here," she complained.

Despite the months that have passed, the government has not taken concrete steps to address the situation. Many victims are still living in fear and uncertainty, as authorities have yet to collect accurate data on beneficiaries and the extent of damage caused by the disasters.

Earlier, local disaster management committees had decided to conduct a geographical study of the affected areas and send the findings to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) and the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction. However, no action has been taken.

Umesh Kumar Dhakal, the chief district officer and coordinator of the district disaster management committee, said that they had repeatedly followed up with federal agencies regarding the issue. "We have requested them to take action, but there has been no response. Even though local authorities have requested details of affected communities, no information has been provided yet," Dhakal explained.

A meeting of the district disaster management committee on February 27 decided to request the NDRRMA to release funds for the reconstruction of temporary shelters. However, the affected municipalities are still struggling to compile the list of beneficiaries and assess total damage. So far, only five of the 13 local units in Kavrepalanchok have submitted details for temporary shelters.

Out of the affected municipalities, only Dhulikhel Municipality, Namobuddha Municipality, Roshi Rural Municipality, Chauri Deurali Rural Municipality and Mahabharat Rural Municipality have managed to submit the beneficiary details to the NDRRMA. According to the district disaster management committee, the worst-hit local units like Panauti, Bethanchok and Temal are still in the process of collecting and verifying the details of affected households.

Chandra Lama, the chairperson of Temal Rural Municipality, said that the data collected previously was unclear and had to be re-collected. According to him, the rural municipality is planning to complete data collection within two weeks.

Meanwhile, Panauti Municipality is facing technical difficulties in entering data into the disaster portal, leading to further delays, according to local officials. "The process is half-complete, but we are working to finish it soon," said Ram Sharan Bhandari, mayor of Panauti Municipality.