Nepal earthquake survivors: own tarpaulin a luxury

About 75 percent of the houses in Marchugaun had collapsed. Credit: Matthieu Alexandre/Caritas

About 75 percent of the houses in Marchugaun had collapsed. Credit: Matthieu Alexandre/Caritas Internationalis

Shrouded by morning mist, we reach Marchugaun. It’s so early I don’t expect to meet anyone yet awake. But already at the edge of the village I can hear voices.

Marchugaun is a small village of about 120 inhabitants, close to the city of Gorkha, 30 kilometers away from the epicentre of the earthquake that shook Nepal on 25 April.

Through the fog I recognise the shapes of children playing and a group of men standing in front of a large tarpaulin placed on stilts that’s now the common sleeping area for one third of the village.

“Nobody is asleep,” said Issor, a local farmer. “Anyway, we hardly find any sleep at all these days. Nobody is living or sleeping in the houses any longer.”

About 75 percent of the houses in Marchugaun had collapsed. Those still intact, on closer inspection have cracks in the walls.

“It is impossible to fall asleep in buildings like this, when you have to worry the house might collapse at any moment and you will be buried in the debris,” he said.

Jaumaya Ranaa woman and 15-months-old daughter Nabinarana are among the survivors. Credit: Matthieu Alexandre/Caritas Internationalis

Jaumaya Ranaa woman and 15-months-old daughter Nabinarana are among the survivors. Credit: Matthieu Alexandre/Caritas Internationalis

Every night nearly all the men, women and children are packed like sardines into only three tents. Two other ones are built at the other end of the village.

“Many of us sleep in turns in order to create more space under the tarpaulins,” he said.

With the dawn, people creep out of their makeshift sleeping rooms and sit in front of what remains of their houses. They make a fire and prepare breakfast.

Tham, Jaumaya Rana, their eight-year-old son Nabin and 15-months-old daughter Nabinarana are among the survivors

“Just look at that child,” said Jaumaya. “Her face is covered with mosquito bites. Mosquitoes are swarming around all night under the tarpaulin. Our children cry most of the time. How are we supposed to sleep.”

“At least we survived” says Tham. “When the earthquake struck I thought that this would be the end.”

Tham says he did not take it very serious when all the items in his house began to tremble. Many years ago, he remembers, he had experienced a minor quake lasting only a few seconds and causing no damage.

To be on the safe side, he asked his wife and children to leave the house with him. It was a last minute rescue. As soon as they managed to escape, the house collapsed, simultaneously with most of the other buildings in Marchugaun.

This must have been the apocalyptic moment when Tham thought it would be the end. Petrified with horror he fell down the small slope in front of his former house. Luckily, he got away with some slight bruises.

Near Gorkha, Villagers working in a field after the earthquake. Credit: Matthieu Alexandre/Caritas Internationalis

Near Gorkha, Villagers working in a field after the earthquake. Credit: Matthieu Alexandre/Caritas Internationalis

The mist clears. Nabin is looking for more firewood. Jaumaya, with the baby in her arm, and Tham are sitting in front of the fire over where they prepare a simple fish curry in tin pots which they had taken out of the rubble.

“Thank God we still have enough to eat and we still have some cows left. But what we urgently need, if you people from Caritas really want to help us, is a tarpaulin of our own. I tell you: having my own tarpaulin meanwhile appears as some kind of luxury to me.”

A fairly modest request, expressed again and again to all the Caritas-workers who visited affected villages in Nepal.

Just one day after I return from Marchugaun, Caritas is starting to distribute tarpaulins in the mountain areas of Gorkha, Sindhupalchowk, Kavre and Nuwakot.

Caritas is also going to build more solid temporary shelters for the victims of the earthquake and – in a process that probably will take many years – new earthquake-proof houses.

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