Feature: Nepal's "epicenter" Barpak quake victims battle to survive freezing winter

In the lap of magnificent Bauddha Mountain sits the beautiful Barpak village in the Himalayan nation, enriched with natural beauty, diversity and unique lifestyles.

About 165 kilometers away from the hustle and bustle of the capital, Barpak's central district Gorkha received worldwide attention suddenly on April 25 this year following the massive earthquake that shattered the country with its epicenter under this village.

The country underwent many changes in the eight months since the quake including the promulgation of a new constitution, election of a new president and prime minister, and the Madhes agitation and Indian blockade. But these changes could not change the fate of the villagers of Barpak.

As a result, the quake victims at Barpak are being forced to freeze during this harsh winter due to a lack of adequate shelters, warm woolen clothes and blankets. As the temperature dips below zero degrees Celsius at night, the family members gather around open fires and warm themselves.

"The quake completely damaged my house so I could not take out any clothes. My 10-member family is currently living on neighbor's land under a zinc sheet. It's far too cold this time of year. The only option is to burn firewood to keep us warm," 76-year-old Buddhi Bahadur Ghale told Xinhua.

Out of around 1,500 stone roofed houses in Barpak, 95 percent of the houses were destroyed in the quake which took the lives of 74 people and injured hundreds.

Right after the quake, the government distributed 15,000 Nepalese rupees (150 U.S. dollars) to each household that was destroyed in the quake for the arrangement of temporary shelters. Beside this meagre handout, the authority have failed to provide any sort of relief to the displaced families.

As a result, the victims have been left high and dry to face the freezing conditions which has been a major challenge for a population of some 7,700 people in Barpak. Due to excessive cold and lack of warm clothes and blankets, children have started to suffer from common cold, fever and diarrhea.

Bish Bahadur Ghale, a local construction worker and a father of four told Xinhua, "We are all suffering from colds and coughs. My children are small and at risk of developing pneumonia. The only health center opens at 10 a.m., so we get worried sometimes when children get sick at night."

The village, located 1,900 meters above sea level, has only one government health post where six health workers are employed. But the health center has no experienced doctors or nurses, but rather, has been running under a health assistant administering a few basic medications.

"These days, we receive many patients. On average, 20 to 50 people young and old visit us every day with complaints of coughs and common colds," Dhan Maya Gurung, an official at the health post for the last 15 years, told Xinhua this week.

This, the only government health organization in this area provides treatment for only basic health problems like fevers, headaches, diarrhea and common colds. There are no facilities for any lab tests and not even an ambulance service, so severely sick people are referred to visit hospitals in nearby cities or the capital.

According to the health post, only last week, an elderly person suffering from asthma breathed his last breath while being taken to hospital at Gorkha bazaar, some 45 kilometers away from Barpak.

To fight the cruel winter, many villagers have started rebuilding their houses themselves. They are utilizing the remaining stones and wood from the damaged house to build a place where they can feel safe and store their belongings.

"I started the reconstruction of my house but it is only a temporary solution to store crops. After the government provides money, I will make a permanent house where I will live with my two daughters," 66-year-old Risham Ghale told Xinhua.

The Nepalese government had decided to provide 200,000 Nepalese rupees (2,000 U.S. dollars) to the families of the 14 worst-hit districts whose houses were completely destroyed in the quake. But locals of Barpak seem less concerned about when the distribution will start, as they are simply focusing on how to survive this freezing winter.

Santa Bahadur Gurung, a Barpak Village Development Committee officer told Xinhua, "The government has already sent 10,000 Nepalese rupees (100 U.S. dollars) to each displaced family as winter-relief cash to the bank account of the district office. But it has not been transferred to our VDC office yet."

After months of political wrangling, only last week, the government finally endorsed the National Reconstruction Authority bill which will lead the rehabilitation task by utilizing the 4.4 billion U.S. dollars amount pledged by the international community in June for the reconstruction of the quake-ravaged region.

But the locals fear that the recovery might take years as the government has even failed at the very basic task of keeping them warm this winter. Endit