Bajura.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 occurred in Himali rural municipality of the district. According to the National Earthquake Measurement and Research Center, the earthquake occurred at 1:45 PM on Wednesday. There is no information yet on how many areas were affected by the earthquake.
Dozens of villages in Barimalik Municipality, Goumul and Himali Rural Municipality are at risk due to the earthquake that occurred on January 10th with Bichya as its epicenter. Chief District Officer Pushkar Khadka said that some houses were destroyed and some houses were damaged and were not habitable.
He also said that during the on-site inspection of seven out of nine municipalities in the district, Bajura is at high risk due to natural disasters including more landslides and earthquakes.
Chief District Officer Khadka said that in order to submit the details of how much field work has been done in the district, the collection work has been carried out in coordination with the local municipality. Meanwhile, the building of the Dahkot health post in Dah Kot, Gaumul rural municipality has been damaged.
After the building of the health post was damaged, there was a problem in providing services to the patients who came to seek services. Health workers are treating patients in the risk building.
Anami Sarita Bishta of Dahkot health post said that the health post’s building was cracked due to the earthquake and it was not possible to stay inside.
Bista said that they had to sit outside and serve the patients who came to the health post. Dharma Khatri, a health worker, said that the entire building was shaken by the earthquake, and later he had to provide services out of fear. Health workers have said that they are providing services risking their lives.
According to health workers, they had to provide services by excluding patients who came to the health institution and pregnant women who came to give birth. There have also been many problems in the operation of pregnant women. It is not known when the whole Chirachira will collapse due to the heat of the treatment inside the building, the health workers said that the treatment had to be done in the open.
The animal service branch building in the same ward was also damaged by the earthquake. It is difficult to provide services to the farmers as the houses are at risk due to the earthquake. Due to the earthquake, one person was killed in Gaumul rural municipality, while more than 500 families were displaced. Village Chairman Hari Bahadur Rokaya said that 20 families were completely displaced.
President Rokaya said that initiatives are being taken to manage the building of the health post which is at risk. He said that due to limited resources and lack of budget in the municipality, there is a problem in rehabilitating the earthquake victims. The municipality said that the health post and school buildings in the municipality are at risk due to the earthquake.
Due to the earthquake, the houses of more than 2000 citizens of Himali, Gaumul and Badimalika municipalities of Bajura were destroyed, while some families of Himali Char Borta and Gaumul are still spending the night on the banks of Muni river in Tripal. In Badimalika Municipality Ward No. 7, the local people have complained that the names of the actual earthquake victims have been omitted from the relief list and the list has been collected on the basis of political beliefs.
Even though charitable organization Nepal Red Cross and other organizations have provided humanitarian assistance with food and clothing for immediate rescue, there is no concrete plan for a sustainable solution for the communities affected by natural disasters including the earthquake victims.
Meanwhile, after the Bajura earthquake, the residents of the headquarters, including Martadi, are panicked. On the 10th of January last, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit Bichya, Himali Rural Municipality, causing a large earthquake in Bajura. Earlier, on January 10th, one person was killed in an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 which had its epicenter in Bajura.