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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the Karnali Province government to ensure essential arrangements for the quake-hit people who are now suffering from severe cold.

NHRC member Mihir Thakur, who visited the earthquake-affected Jajarkot and Rukum Paschim districts, met Province Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Krishna Bahadur GC, here and made him aware about the biting cold that has been affecting people.

So far, 43 people living under the tents have lost their lives to cold, so urgent help was needed for the protection of lives.

Thakur met Minister GC on Monday and reminded that the number of fatalities would increase if timely assistance was not ensured. "People living with critical disease, pregnant and lactating women, children and senior ones who are living under the tents were hit hard by the cold. The province government needs proper attention to this regard," he underscored.

According to him, the Jajarkot District Hospital had shortage of workforce and medicines, while the quake survivors had not received even the first tranche of monetary support as announced by the government to construct temporary houses.

"Relief distribution was not transparent. Handful of bigwigs influenced the distribution," Thakur added 

According to him, the province government could establish reconstruction authority and forward activities accordingly.

However, Minister GC accused the federal government of not allowing rights to province government for reconstruction of the quake-hit areas. Despite this, the province government had allocated Rs 1 billion for the construction of temporary houses for the quake survivors, he shared.

The family of Birkha Bahadur Karki from Bheri Municipality-2, Jajarkot, is trying to piece their lives back together after their world crumbled in the earthquake on the night of Nov 3. It has been over a month since the disaster, and yet the Karki family is living under a makeshift shelter made from tarpaulin sheets. The government promised assistance hasn’t found its way to them.
 

Karki says he has done everything the local government has asked him to get the funds so that he can build a shelter for his family, but to no avail. “I have already filled up the beneficiary form and opened a bank account. I don’t know what is causing the delay,” he says. “It’s cold, and the nights are long. I don’t know how long we are going to live in this state.”

Kiran Bhandari’s family faces a similar struggle. Their house now lies in ruins. The tarpaulin tent they call home hardly shields them from the biting cold. “We filled out the forms, hoping for some relief, but it seems like the funds we are supposed to get have been caught in the bureaucratic maze,” he says. His family, like many others, hasn't seen a rupee of the promised assistance. 

“We just want a place where our children can feel safe. We will be alright if only the government provided us with a proper shelter to live in. We don’t need monetary assistance.”

The fate of Karki and Bhadari are shared by tens of thousands of quake displaced people in Jajarkot and the neighboring district of Rukum West. As winter tightens its grip, the tarpaulin shacks that were supposed to be temporary are becoming more unbearable. 

The government claims to have simplified the process of providing assistance, but the earthquake victims argue that the bureaucratic hurdles, such as the requirement to open a bank account and fill up several forms, have caused delays. 

Even though the government has announced to distribute cash handouts to those families who do not have bank accounts, the local governments have been insisting that every earthquake-affected families open bank accounts.
 

The process of opening bank accounts has been cumbersome, especially for those who do not have citizenship documents or have migrated from other districts.

Hari Bahadur Basnet of Bheri Municipality-3 highlights the difficulties faced by those who have moved from outside the district.

“Banks are demanding police issued documents stating that our houses and properties were destroyed by the earthquake, but we haven’t got any such documents. Many of us don’t even have citizenship,” says Basnet.

The procedural framework has been criticized as unjust by earthquake victims, hindering many from receiving the promised assistance. A month after the earthquake, details about damage and temporary shelters are still unavailable, attributing negligence and lack of coordination to the government.

The requirement for the quake displaced families to fill out a self-declaration form stating that they do not own homes elsewhere, and tasks such as opening a bank account have kept  many beneficiaries from receiving the government promised assistance. Many local governments have withdrawn the funds, but the distribution process has been held up in the name of completing the paperworks and bank account requirements.

The delay has left quake victims vulnerable to the harsh conditions, with health issues affecting vulnerable groups. Dr. Pratiksha Bharati, chief of District Health Service Office, Jajarkot, reveals the pressing health concerns.

"Nearly a thousand people are in need of medical attention. Health issues such as respiratory infections, pneumonia, fever, cold, and diarrhea are common among the earthquake victims," says Bharati.

She says senior citizens, children, people with chronic health conditions and pregnant women have been affected the most. 

The government has pledged to provide Rs 50,000 each to the quake displaced families in two installments. That was nearly three weeks ago, and yet many families in Jajarkot have not even received the first installment of the promised sum. 

The local government of Shivapuri Rural Municipality has received more than Rs 82m from the central government, but the local earthquake victims are yet to receive the money. Chhedagad and Barekot municipalities have also not been able to provide assistance to the beneficiaries. 

Another municipality, Nalgad, has not even requested for funds so far, as the authorities have not yet identified the total number of earthquake victims. Like Nalgad, there are several other municipalities in Jajarkot that are still assessing the damage and recording the number of earthquake victims.

Bir Bahadur Giri, chairman of Barekot Rural Municipality, says the delay in collecting beneficiary details has hindered the distribution of funds. 

“The delay has been caused due to incomplete submission of self-declaration forms,” he says.

Despite the government's plan to provide temporary housing to all earthquake-affected families by the Nepali month of Mangsir, the successful implementation of the program is yet to be seen. 

Chief District Officer Suresh Sunar says his office has been repeatedly urging the local municipal offices to expedite the fund distribution process, but to no avail.

“They say delay in form submission, lack of documentation and dispute among locals have hindered the fund distribution process,” says Sunar.

In the far-flung districts of Jajarkot and West Rukum, the Nepali state is virtually non-existent. 

What used to be houses and sheds have turned into rubble, thanks to the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck at midnight on Nov 3, killing around 160 people (more than half of them children) in the immediate aftermath, leaving thousands injured and destroying vital physical infrastructure like school buildings and local government facilities.

Three weeks into the disaster, more deaths have occurred even as the survivors, with foodstucks, warm clothing, utensils and medicine buried under the rubble, continue to brave a cruel winter without vital supplies.

What is the ruling elite in Kathmandu doing for the survivors other than providing token relief? Rather than rushing supplies essential for sustaining life after an early ‘completion’ of the search and rescue operation, the VIPs and the VVIPs seemed interested in chopper flights to the affected areas where they made generous promises to the survivors. 

Despite those lofty promises, aid is barely trickling among the survivors. Media reports, including those published in this daily, suggest that various factors continue to affect relief distribution, particularly in far-flung areas of the affected districts. Worryingly, dirty politics is playing spoilsport, together with unwillingness on the part of representatives of relevant organizations to visit remote areas and local authorities’ undeclared policy of distributing relief only to house-owners and not to the renters.

While the post-quake scenarios at Jajarkot and West Rukum deepen fears of an evolving humanitarian disaster, a divided Center continues to act as if nothing has happened. Its immediate priority is on reining in the anarchy reigning supreme on the streets of a more or less curfewed Kathmandu where rival political forces continue to ‘display’ their strength, throwing life out of gears.  

Even in a crisis situation like this, our top political leaders continue to act like warlords instead of working together to deal with fresh crises facing a country already reeling under malgovernance, corruption, nepotism, inflation, instability and the breakdown of law and order. 

Sooner than later, the top brass should mend ways and act together to bring stability back to this trembling republic instead of fighting like the kilkenny cats if they want history to be merciful to them. 

Two elderly men died of cold in quake-hit Jajarkot district.

The deceased have been identified as Bhuleshwor Karki (88) of Bheri Municipality-2 and Narendra Bahadur Singh of Barekot Rural Municipality-4. They were residing under the tent after an earthquake destroyed their houses.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in Ramidanda of Jajarkot jolted Jajarkot and Rukum West districts on November 3, killing at least 157 persons and destroying properties worth millions.

Both of them were patients of asthma and died due to increasing cold, said Chairperson of Barekot Rural Municipality, Bir Bahadur Giri.  

He said that more than 34,000 families of Jajarkot district are living under tents after their houses were completely damaged by the earthquake.  Children, new mothers, patients suffering from chronic diseases and elderly persons are mostly affected by the cold.

Chief District Officer of Jajarkot, Suresh Sunar, said that children and elderly persons are found suffering from respiratory problems.

He stated that two chronic disease patients also lost their lives from cold at Nalgad-4 last week.

President Ram Chandra Paudel today visited the earthquake-affected Jajarkot district on Tuesday.

The Head-of-the-State made a visit to the Jajarkot Hospital to take health updates of the people injured in the disaster.

During the President's visit, the survivors appealed to him for adequate medical care for the injured, and the security of food and shelter for the affected. 

The President assured that the needs of the affected would be addressed and he would discuss the matter with the government, according to the President's press advisor Kiran Pokhrel.

"Immediate and long-term needs of all of you will be assessed and addressed. Don’t worry. I will talk to the government," Pokhrel quoted the President as saying.

On the occasion, Jajarkot's Chief District Officer Suresh Sunar apprised the President of the loss due to the earthquake and the hospital doctors briefed him of the situation of the injured.

The President reached Jajarkot today from Surkhet to take stock of the post-quake situations there.

At least 157 people had died when an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale hit Jajarkot district at 11:47 pm on Friday.

According to Pokherel, the President will visit the district headquarters Khalanga, Ramidanda, the epicenter of the earthquake, Nalgadh and Aathbiskoth of Rukum West to take stock of the progress in the rescue and relief efforts.

He is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka, Chief of the Army Staff and Karnali Province lawmakers.

It may be noted that the President canceled his Europe trip scheduled to take place from tomorrow, November 8, citing that it was inappropriate to leave the country in the wake of the devastating earthquake.

The government has decided to provide free treatment to the people of Jajarkot and Rukum West who were injured in the earthquake that occurred on Friday.

An emergency Cabinet meeting held on Sunday morning made the decision to this effect.

Minister of Health and Population Mohan Bahadur Basnet said that the rescue of the quake survivors have almost been completed and all the hospitals in Kathmandu among others are ready to provide treatment to the needy.

The government will bear the cost of the treatment of the injured, he said.

An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale was recorded at Ramidanda village in Barekot Rural Municipality of Jajarkot on Friday night.

At least 157 people lost their lives and 197 sustained injuries to the earthquake. 

So far, 92 people have lost their lives in the earthquake in Jajarkot of west Nepal.

DSP Santosh Roka of the District Police Office, Jajarkot said that 92 persons have been confirmed dead in the earthquake which includes 66 women and 26 men.

He said that 55 persons were injured in the incident. They are undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

An earthquake measuring 6.4 in the Richter scale occurred at 11:47 pm on Friday, with Ramidanda of Jajarkot as the epicenter.

The earthquake caused huge damage to the physical structures in Athbis Municipality 11, 12, 13 and 14 and Sanibheri-2, police said.

The District Administration Office said that efforts are being made to rescue the injured from the remote areas of Jajarkot.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has expressed sadness over the loss of human lives and property in the earthquake that took place in Jajarkot and Rukum West last night.

According to the Office of the President, he has appealed to the government and all concerned to ensure effective rescue and relief work in the quake-affected areas.

An earthquake measuring 6.4 in the Richter scale occurred on Friday night with its epicenter at Ramidanda in Barekot Rural Municipality-1 of Jajarkot.

The death toll in the earthquake that hit Jajarkot in west Nepal has risen to 128.

Police said that 92 people lost their lives in Jajarkot and 36 in Rukum West.

According to the latest information, 92 people have been confirmed dead in Jajarkot, DSP Santosh Roka of the District Police Office, Jajarkot, said.

More details are being collected.

Similarly, the earthquake has also caused a huge damage in the neighboring district Rukum West.

DSP Nawaraj Bhattarai of the District Police Office, Rukum West, said that 36 persons have lost their lives in the district so far.

He said that 36 people died in Athbiskot Municipality and eight in Sanibheri Rural Municipality.

Province Police Office spokesperson Gopal Chandra Bhattarai said that a joint team of Nepal Police , Nepal Army and Armed Police Force has been deployed to carry out rescue operations in both the districts.

An earthquake measuring 6.4 in the Richter scale occurred at 11:47 pm on Friday, with Ramidanda of Jajarkot as the epicenter.

A total of 73 persons—37 in Jajarkot and 36 in Rukum West—lost their lives when an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck Jajarkot district of west Nepal at 11.47 pm on Friday.  

According to the National Seismological Centre, the epicenter of the earthquake was in Ramidanda of Jajarkot.

According to Deputy Chief District Officer of Jajarkot Harish Chandra Sharma, 37 persons have been confirmed dead and have just received the details about the death of other 43 persons.

He said that security personnel have been deployed in the quake-hit areas.

“So far, 37 persons have been confirmed dead. Critically injured eight have been sent to the Karnali Provincial Hospital, Surkhet for treatment. More than 100 are being treated at the District Hospital,” Sharma said.

Similarly, 36 persons have been confirmed dead in Rukum West.

According to Chief District Officer Hari Prasad Panta of Rukum West, 36 persons have  been confirmed dead in Athbiskot and Sanibheri Rural Municipalities so far.

The details are awaited.

More than 53 persons were injured in the earthquake in two rural municipalities.

They are undergoing treatment at Mission Hospital in Chaurjahari, District Hospital in Salle, municipal hospital in Athbiskot.

Rescue team heading towards Jajarkot

Police personnel have been mobilized to rescue the people affected by the earthquake in Jajarkot and Rukum West.

Karki Province police Chief Bhim Dhakal said, “Along with the police personnel of the district, a team of 60 people have been sent from Surkhet. I am also heading towards the earthquake-hit areas from Mugu. An ambulance has also been sent to rescue the injured.”

Meanwhile, 36 persons have been confirmed dead in Jajarkot. More than 100 injured persons are being treated at the District Hospital in Jajarkot.

Among the injured, seven have been referred to the hospital out of the district.

Karveer Budha, a resident of Rajutara in Junichande-7, Jajarkot, was hopeful of receiving rice from the government's depot for Dashain celebrations. But his hopes were dashed as officials informed the locals that the depot would not be able to distribute rice before the Dashain festival.

The disappointment is palpable among the locals who are now uncertain about how to secure rice for the Dashain festivities. Rice is already scarce in the local market, and if available, it comes at a high price compared to the subsidized rice distributed by government depots.

The Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) has been distributing subsidized rice in various remote areas of the country. However, residents like Karveer are dismayed as the state-owned food company has failed to supply rice to depots in different remote villages. “The Dashain festival is upon us, but we don’t have a grain of rice at home. The government’s depot has remained closed for three months. How can we celebrate in this situation?” lamented Ramkali Gharti of Rajutara.

 The shortage is not limited to the depot in Rajutara. Government depots in Tangachaur, Kauli, and Nayakbada of Barekot, Chaukha of Nalgad, Tapuchaur of Kushe, and Dashera and Pajaru of Chhedagad have all run out of stock. Locals who depend on these depots now face uncertainty about celebrating Dashain, all due to the FMTC’s failure to initiate the tendering process for rice supply on time.

The remote municipalities of Nalgad and Chhedegad, as well as Kushe and Junichande rural municipalities, are grappling with severe food grain shortages. With their summer crops not yet ready for harvest and the FMTC failing to supply food to its depots, residents are facing a challenging situation.

The FMTC has recently chosen bidders to supply food grains to its remote depots. “We selected the successful bidder 10 days ago, and our head office has given us 15 days to sign an agreement with them,” said Ram Prasad Poudel, the chief of FMTC Jajarkot Office. “We urged the company to commence rice transportation immediately, but they are refusing citing bad road conditions due to the monsoon.”

A recent meeting of the District Food Management Committee had requested the relevant authorities to ensure rice supply to government depots before the Dashain festival.

FMTC Jajarkot Office has appointed MB Builders of Jajarkot to transport rice to government depots in Chaukha, Tapuchaur, and Tangachaur. Similarly, Anjila Traders from Nepalgunj have been roped in to transport rice to depots in Pajaru, Dashera, Nayakbada, and Rajutara. According to Poudel of FMTC Jajarkot Office, they will supply 750 quintals to Chaukha, 1,000 quintals to Nayakbada, 500 quintals to Tapuchaur, 750 quintals to Tangachaur, 700 quintals to Rajutara, and 500 quintals each to Dashera and Pajaru.

While Pajaru and Dashera will receive their rice supply from Nepalganj, other depots will receive their supply from the district headquarters Khalanga. Locals prefer thick rice due to its affordability. However, the FMTC Jajarkot Office has only fine rice in stock which is being distributed in the district headquarters, Khalanga. The situation has left locals in a difficult position. As paddy is not cultivated in most remote areas of Jajarkot, locals rely on government depots for their rice supply. However, the FMTC consistently fails to transport rice to these depots on time due to inadequate preparation and an apparent lack of concern for the plight of people in remote areas.

Two infants died after being stung by hornets at Dhaune Village in Kushe Rural Municipality-1, Jajarkot.

The deceased have been identified as nine-month-old Nirjala and three years old Sushmita, the daughters of Bir Bahadur Singh.

Bijuli Singh, the grandmother of the two, was injured in the hornet sting, chief of Talegaun Health Post Sher Bahadur Basnet said. 

According to Basnet, Nirjala died on the way to the health post on Monday while Sushmita breathed her last on Sunday evening.

The trio were stung by the hornets while they were heading towards the field.

Khambe Damai from Barekot Rural Municipality-2 in Jajarkot faced disappointment when he visited the Ghatbazaar food depot earlier this week only to find it closed. He returned empty-handed, wondering how he would provide food for his family.

“The subsidized rice provided by the government made our lives much easier. We cannot afford the high prices of rice in the local market,” he lamented. Prem Bahadur Bohora from Barekot-3 shares a similar story. “Festivals are approaching, but we have no rice. Many people like me are eagerly awaiting the arrival of rice shipments at the government depot.”

The depot has been closed for three months due to a shortage of rice stock. In the remote villages of Jajarkot, people are compelled to purchase rice from the local market at double the price charged at the government depot. The Ghatbazaar-based depot of the Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) has remained shut for three months. Bir Bahadur Giri, the Chairperson of Barekot Rural Municipality, revealed that the locals in Barekot are facing a severe food shortage. “Since the depot has been closed for three months, we have urgently requested the Chief District Officer to supply rice to the Ghatbazaar depot and the sales point at Kaule,” he added.

The food shortage is not limited to Barekot. Other local units of the district like Nalgad Municipality, Kuse Rural Municipality, Chedagad Municipality, and Junichande Rural Municipality are also seeing food shortages. Food depots and sales centers in these areas have exhausted their food stocks. With the exception of Surkhet and Salyan, all other districts in Karnali have also run out of stock. As new harvests are not yet ready, and food depots are depleted, local residents are struggling to get food. In the rural areas of Jajarkot, locals cannot access rice even if they are willing to pay for it. This crisis has arisen because the FMTC failed to initiate procurement and shipment processes on time. Even after starting the bidding process, the company has not yet selected a transport company for rice delivery to rural districts.

Ram Prasad Poudel, the chief of the Jajarkot district office of FMTC, mentioned that all four depots and sales centers in the district have run out of stock. “The process of selecting the company for rice supply is in its final stages, and preparations are underway to supply rice before the Dashain festival,”  he said. Jajarkot district headquarters currently has only 660 quintals of rice in stock.

According to FMTC, the depletion of rice stock in remote depots and sales centers is attributed to the increase in international market prices, India’s ban on rice imports, and delays in the tender process for procurement and transportation. In the remote areas of Karnali, people face food deficits as their agricultural output is insufficient to sustain them throughout the year. Consequently, the government has been providing subsidized rice in these areas through food supply and trading companies.

The Surkhet Office of FMTC has initiated the necessary steps to supply food grains to remote depots. They are sending 4,000 tons to Humla, which is not connected to the national road network, via Tibet. Madhav Mishra, the head of FMTC’s regional office in Surkhet, reported that 1100 quintals of rice were sent to Jumla, 770 quintals to Mugu, and 170 quintals to Kalikot. He stated that they have taken the necessary initiatives to transport rice to depots and sales centers in Jumla, Humla, Dolpa, Jajarkot, Mugu, Kalikot, Dailekh, Rukum West, and Bajura of Sudurpashchim Province before Dashain. “There won’t be a shortage of rice this festive season. We have already initiated the shipment process, and we have also begun procuring rice,” he added.