Floods and landslides devastate Nepal and make life even harder for the Nepali people already affected by last year’s earthquakes. Despite the tough conditions WAWCAS’ women continue to work together to run their businesses and manage their everyday life.
By Sangeeta Shrestha, Program Director in Nepal
Nepal is experiencing one of the most devastating monsoon seasons in the last couple of years with at least 37 landslides and debris flows reported over the past two months. In flash floods and landslides caused by heavy rain that started in June at least 120 people have lost their lives, 20 people are missing and 51 people are injured. 50 districts are affected, more than 12,500 families are affected with over 6,000 families displaced as thousands of houses were destroyed.
The situation is particularly desperate this year because millions of Nepalis are still living in tents or makeshift huts after the devastating earthquakes that killed nearly 10,000 people in 2015.
Each day we don’t know when we will arrive at our home. There is a joke, that to get driving license in Kathmandu we should able to drive at Phewa lake first, and only then be eligible to get license to drive in Kathmandu valley.
The situation of WAWCAS women in Kathmandu is OK. Due to the heavy rain they could not open their shops/carts. Based on the situation few women have changed their businesses, which hamper their living standard and their daily operation cost. A good thing is, that the women never get too frustrated. They raise the issues in the meetings, discuss and find solutions, which make them enthusiastic in continuing their business.
The situation of Lamjung’s women is good. There has been few landslides but not much is affected by these. The Lamjung women are busy with their rice plantation and doing their business as usual.