Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - In less than 24 hours dozens of people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced by the floods that have hit Nepal. For the moment only the Church, its institutions and some NGOs are working to rescue the affected people. As every year, the population denounce, the government inaction has led to a lack of prevention and emergency measures.
Floods have swamped the western part of the country. The most affected districts include Doti, Mahakali, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Bardia, Dang, Banke, Siraha, Saptari and Nawalparasi, but 40 other districts reported a variety of problems.
Minister of Information and government spokesman, Minendra Rijal, said: "We are aware of the problem and we are trying to do our best with limited resources. The government is grateful that several organizations, Christian and non, are helping the affected population".
According to the Central Disaster Management Office at least 10 thousand homes were damaged, 100 thousand people have been displaced and hundreds more are in need of aid.
Pom Bahadur Pun, who has been displaced from Jajarkot, says: "We risk our lives but the government is not doing enough to save us. We lost everything, but we want to save our lives." At the same time, however, he adds, "we are very grateful for the help and prayers of the Christians".
Krishna Chandra Ghimire, chief district officer of Kanchanpur, said: "Many Christians are offering prayers and Masses in the refugee camps. This helps to calm the victims a lot".
Every year Nepal is hit by massive floods which inevitable cause at least 200 deaths and thousands of families displaced by landslides, mudslides and floods.
