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SURKHET, Oct 13: Two months after the government announced it would distribute rice and salt to those affected by diarrhea and cholera epidemic in the midwestern region earlier this year, affected families are yet to get promised relief supplies, though most bereaved families have already received the promised cash relief.
The announcement was made by the prime minister and health minister when they reached the affected region. They had promised 10 kg of rice and one kg salt to each affected person.
Officials in only two districts -- Jajarkot and Rukum -- have received the relief. But even in these districts, the relief has not been released to the affected families. Other affected districts are yet to receive any relief.
According to the District Administration Office (DAO) Jajarkot, the district has received 1,660 quintals of rice and 166 quintals of salt in relief supplies. However, the supplies have not been distributed as the affected families are still being identified and the supplied rice and salt are too little to suffice for families identified so far, according to Acting Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal.
According to Aryal, the supply is meant for 16,600 people who fell ill during the epidemic. However, Jajarkot DAO has records of 30,000 people who fell ill during the epidemic.
"Firstly, we don´t have sufficient supplies. Secondly, we are still facing difficulties identifying those affected," Aryal said.
In Rukum too, the supplied rice and salt have yet to be distributed. According to DAO, Rukum, the government has supplied 950 quintals of rice and 9.5 quintals of salt for 9,500 people. However, the DAO has records of 20,000 people falling ill, according to CDO Shambhu Prasad Marasini.
"It would have been easier had the relief supplies been dispatched to the district with instruction to distribute a fixed amount to each affected family. But the government took the decision to distribute to each affected individual," Marasini said.
He said a meeting of the Natural Disaster Rescue Committee will soon sit to decide the modality of distributing the supplies.
But Jajarjot and Rukum have to consider themselves lucky compared to 10 other affected districts where supplies have not even reached so far.
Baldev Gautam, the chief district officer of Dailekh, said he has heard from the media about the government´s decision to provide rice and salt to the affected, but hasn´t received anything yet.
"How can we distribute anything when the government itself hasn´t supplied anything?" he questioned. In Dailekh, 3,753 people were affected.
Similar is the situation of Surkhet. The district´s administrative officer Nawaraj Baral expressed ignorance about announcement of relief supplies.
"I had only heard of cash relief for bereaved families, which is being distributed here too. But I have no idea about relief package of edibles," he said. In Surkhet, 2,556 people were affected.
According to Mid-Western Regional Health Directorate, 45,916 people fell ill during the epidemic in 12 districts in the midwestern region, barring Mugu, Bardiya and Jumla. Altogether 276 people lost their lives in the districts.
The government announced a cash relief of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 to the bereaved families, apart from rice and salt to those who fell ill. Most of the bereaved families have received the cash relief.
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