Water for the displaced

 The Dhading district chapter of the Nepal Red Cross Society has been ferrying water to earthquake-displaced people in their settlements for the last 10 days. The Red Cross bears the daily expense of Rs 10,000 needed to transport 8,000 litres of water, over two trips, to camps in Lapa and Rig villages, in coordination with Unicef. The Red Cross has also installed in each settlement a rubber-bladder tank with the capacity to store 6,000 litres of water.

The District Drinking Water Office has also been sending water in tankers for the displaced by cutting off distribution on the usual routes. But after water meant for the others started being shipped off to camps, people from other areas are now facing a water shortage.

The logistical problems are making it difficult for the relief workers to conduct their operations. Due to the lack of water, the toilets built by the Red Cross have started to give off a foul smell. As there are not enough toilets for the whole population, people have resorted to relieving themselves out in the open. Several organisations, including the Red Cross, USAID and HC3, are thus organising awareness programmes on sanitation in the camps, said Red Cross volunteer Narayan Kumar Shrestha. “We have pressed the District Disaster Relief Committee to relocate the displaced to a new settlement that is near a water source, as we cannot afford Rs 10,000 a day to ferry water,” said District Chief of the Red Cross Sitaram Koirala.

“And because the locals who live near the water sources have demanded Rs 200 per family for letting them use the water, some needy families haven’t got water,” said the chief of the district’s Drinking Water and Sanitation sub-division, Shivendra Jha.

“The DDRC has taken the matter seriously,” said CDO Basudev Ghimire. “We will shift the displaced to areas near a water source as soon as possible.”

Some 214 households displaced from Ri and Lapa VDCs have camped at Dhansar of Sangkosh Pakha and on a parcel of private land in Damgade.