Let’s help them

Dolakha is well-known for its natural beauty. But Dolakha’s happiness has turned into sorrow after the earthquake of April 25. With several aftershocks with the epicentre in Dolakha, this district has been affected badly. Relief funds are being raised and distributed to most places in Dolakha. But, unfortunately, some villages here are not being helped due to some reason or the other.Singati is one such place in Dolakha. People in Singati and nearby places have got some relief materials, though not enough. But, people of villages like Suri VDC have not. The roads have been blocked by landslides. It takes about seven to eight hours to reach Singati from Suri. And people have to walk on the edges of cliffs taking high risk. Thus, a simple mistake can lead them to death into the Sun Koshi River, while there is the added risk of landslides.A helicopter ride costs around Rs 25,000 to fly to Singati from Suri, which is not affordable. It has become really hard for the local people of Suri to survive. Almost all the houses here were damaged. The people are staying either in their cattle sheds or on barren land or under tarpaulins on the basis of their castes — Gurung, Khadka, Shrestha, Sherpa and Nepali. It seems like it would be harder for those who are considered low castes to survive. This may be one of the reasons most people are in a state of trauma and depression. However, people still have hope and faith. Some of them still have a few expectations from the international and the national organisations.The locals there need help. With monsoons here, it is time we already did something for them.— Saira Khadka, Class X, AVM HS School