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Sushil Koirala

Kathmandu — Many victims were still awaiting basic relief supplies yesterday, as foreign aid trickled in after Nepal’s deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake. “We’ve received a sack of rice and that’s all” since the quake on April 25, said Ishwar Shrestha, a resident of Bahrabise in Sindupalchok district, where nearly 3,000 people had died. “All the houses here are gone, but no one from the government has come here offering help. No one. We’ve no place to shelter.”

Frustration was growing as even those who lived closer to the capital complained of lack of relief and concern from the government.

“We’ve received some rice and packets of noodles, that’s what we’ve been eating,” said Sukuli Maharjan, from under a tarpaulin tent in Dharmapur, a village on the outskirts of Kathmandu. “I don’t know how we will build the house. We had some wheat from our fields but it got buried in our house.”

The quake destroyed entire towns and blocked roads in the mountainous country.

The official confirmed death toll exceeded 7,550 people, and was expected to rise when more damage from isolated areas is counted.

In some places, people vented their anger at government representatives who had arrived to provide relief, even seizing aid trucks.

“What can the government give? They only stage a drama. Even those who lost their houses in the landslide in Sindupalchowk have yet to receive the relief promised by the government,” Shrestha said.

“We hear on the news that aid is pouring in, but we’ve no hope from our government. We’ve to rebuild on our own.”

There is little confidence in politicians in Nepal, which has been plagued for years with unstable politics and is currently without an elected government due to wrangling over a new constitution.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s prime minister said on Tuesday that relief efforts were picking up, but acknowledged a severe lack of key resources after the devastating earthquake in the mountainous country.

Sushil Koirala spoke after visiting the Barpak-Larpak area near the rural epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude quake.

“We’re doing our best with the resources that we have. The relief effort is gradual,” he said.

“We aren’t very happy with the speed of the work. The people are very patient and reacting with no anger. They’re deprived but I’m surprised how calm they are. I’m quite optimistic that in due course of time things will be better.”

Koirala said the country still faced a scarcity of tents and basic foodstuffs including rice, cereals, oil and salt.

“We don’t have enough tents. We received 100,000 tents but it’s not enough,” he said. Shelter has been the biggest problem facing the earthquake victims.

“We can’t build houses in the current situation. We don’t have land right now. First we’ve to settle them immediately in the tents.

“After the rainy season, work for reconstruction will start. We need financial support from the international community for construction of houses and rehabilitation.

Foreign search and rescue teams began leaving Nepal on Wednesday, 10 days after an earthquake that killed thousands, as the government said it would focus its efforts on relief to survivors. — AFP