A night with the tent people

KATHMANDU: The recent earthquake here damaged or completely reduced to rubble many buildings and houses leaving victims homeless and with no other choice but to live in tents in the fields.
One such area is a field in Tudikhel where about 150 tents were set up by the authorities. theSun spent a night with the victims in the area to experience the harsh living conditions they face.
As electricity is not available in many parts of the capital, candles, campfires and moonlight were the only source of light available for those living in the tents, many of which are no more than five square metres in size.
The tent dwellers have to cramp into the tight space along with their belongings.
One makeshift tent, for instance, which measured four square metres had 12 people from a single family living in it.
Despite such conditions, the occupants still invited us to spend the night with them when they heard we did not have a place to stay.
"It looks like it is going to rain tonight. Please come if you cannot find a place to stay," they said after we politely declined their invitation.
At another tent, the family preparing dinner invited us for a cup of tea when they saw us shivering in the cold night.
The day time temperature can rise to 37° Celcius and drop to below 15° Celcius at night.
The victims have to live in unhygenic conditions as water is rationed and the toilets are in bad shape, with a strong stench of human waste. Those who could not wait in the queue would just defecate in any secluded areas in the field.
"It is not the best place to live with a family, but what other options do we have?" said Tarkabahadur Mogar, who lives in a makeshift tent with four other family members.
"We do not know for how long we will have to spend the night under the stars. With our house destroyed and left with no money, we can only rely on the government to rebuild our house," he said.