By Purna Prasad Mishra, Sindhupalchok, Aug 9: Nishamai Tamang, a landslide victim in Sindhupalchok district, is visibly happy after receiving a new makeshift accommodation.    

She has got a temporary corrugated sheet roofing shelter after almost one year of her displacement by a landslide at Lidi in Jugal Rural Municipality-2 in the district on 14 August 2020. Her relocation site is at Manju Deurali community forest in the foothill of Jugal Mountain in the buffer zone of the Langtang National Park.    

This temporary shelter has given a sigh of relief to landslide survivor Tamang, who however lost eight members of her family including her husband, sons, grandsons and granddaughters to the disaster.    

Other 31 families hit by the landslip have been relocated to temporary housing.    

The huts for the landslide survivors were constructed in one month with the help of the Nepali Army after construction entrepreneurs showed no interest in it despite the rural municipality having called for bids. The newly constructed huts were handed to the victims on Sunday.    

Beforehand, the disaster survivors had to go through hard times without their timely rehabilitation. They spent days and nights in tents through which rain would seep in often during monsoon and gusts of wind would send them soaring. The victims are still dependent on donors for their food although they have got accommodations.    

It cost over Rs 7.8 million for the project except for lanour donation by the Army. Of the total cost, various donor agencies provided over Rs 2 million and the rural municipality the remaining sums. Under the project, there are 31 huts for accommodation, seven toilets, a community health unit building, two buildings for bathing and a building housing canteen.    

Handing the huts, brigade commander at 26 number brigade, Bhakundabensi Bishnu Raut said that the Army was lending a helping hand for the construction of temporary housing for flood victims in Helambu and Melamchi.    

Of 209 houses in the rural municipality who were displaced by the landslip, some victims have been relocated to the rural municipality-1 near the community forest at Banskharka of Selang while others have been taking shelter in the village, said the rural municipality.    

In the disaster, 29 houses were completely destroyed and five partially.