‘If help doesn’t reach us now, it is never going to’

The first snowflakes fell in some villages on Wednesday, hampering relief and rescue operations. With rehabilitation moving at snail’s pace, the villagers have little choice but to leave behind what remains of their homes. ‘‘Our houses are gone and our cattle dead,’’ says AR Badana, former MLC and resident of Nachian. ‘‘Our belt is a densely populated region of Tangdhar. But nobody shows any interest towards our villages.’’

Badana says the belt could receive snowfall anytime now. ‘‘If it snows, where will we go along with our families? The government and some NGOs are only helping people living in Teetwal…they have forgotten us.’’ Badana says more than 10,000 villagers are waiting for relief; many of them near starvation. ‘‘We need temporary shelters and ration,’’ he says. ‘‘If help fails to reach us, then it’s never going to reach us.’’

The survivors of Saturday’s earthquake are disenchanted with the efforts of the administration. ‘‘Our villages should be given preference as snow is going to hamper all relief efforts,’’ says Badana.

Villagers, meanwhile, have started collecting wood and stones for erecting temporary shelters. ‘‘I lost my child in the quake,’’ says Raj Wali Bajad of Nachian. ‘‘I am worried about my other family members who had a close shave in the quake. We have lost everything and received not a single packet of food.’’

Like Badana, Wali is also worried about the chilling winter ahead. ‘‘Things are going to get worse in the coming days. Our area accumulates more than ten feet snow. Once it snows, nobody can help us.’’