Nepal, the Hindu Festival of Dashain Without Rice Due to Famine
by Kalpit Parajuli
The famine is due to monsoon floods. Distribution centers besieged by the population. In mountain villages children await the return of adults in line for days for a bagful of food.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) – the population of the Western districts of Nepal lacks rice, right during Dashain, the most important and prosperous of Hindu festivals. The heavy monsoon rains and landslides in recent months have destroyed crops and disrupted roads. In some areas the population has not eaten for days and complains of discrimination in aid distribution. Meanwhile the rest of the country is organizing banquets with rice dishes in honor of the goddess Durga.
In the district of Dailekh most of the villages are empty, and one finds only children and the elderly about. For weeks, the adults have been lining up outside the offices of the district headquarters to pick up a 30kg bag of rice, despite these government handouts costing up to 10 euros. To famine, there is added disorganization on the part of the authorities, who, underestimating the emergency, have left many distribution centers without food.
"I've been waiting my turn for two days", recounts Jamung Gurung of the village of Kharigaira, "I'm tired and I have still hundreds of people in front of me." He hopes to buy enough food to celebrate Dashain and give his family a moment of happiness at this dramatic time.
In addition to the disorganization, many denounced the corruption of officials, who cause friends and acquaintances to pass ahead, giving them preferential prices. "We are discriminated against", emphasizes Bir Bahadur Raniban, from the village of Buda, "whoever knows someone has easier access to aid. To get something I was forced to beg for food in a hotel."
Officials of the Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) attribute the disorganization to a booming demand for rice. "We did not expect all these people," says Ram Bahadur Bam, head of aid for the district of Dailekh. "Unlike previous years", he says, " we announced the distribution by radio. The news has spread with great rapidity even in remote villages. Thousands of people poured into the district offices. In a few days we've finished all the rice available."
In recent days the government has promised to send humanitarian aid to the districts most affected by famine. However, the monsoon season is still ongoing. Landslides and swollen rivers have interrupted the normal avenues for transportion. The office responsible for agriculture in the district of Bajhang points out that many mountain villages are only accessible by mule or helicopter. Added to this is the large amount of rice consumed during the festival of Dashain, which has dried up the available stocks.
In the district of Dailekh most of the villages are empty, and one finds only children and the elderly about. For weeks, the adults have been lining up outside the offices of the district headquarters to pick up a 30kg bag of rice, despite these government handouts costing up to 10 euros. To famine, there is added disorganization on the part of the authorities, who, underestimating the emergency, have left many distribution centers without food.
"I've been waiting my turn for two days", recounts Jamung Gurung of the village of Kharigaira, "I'm tired and I have still hundreds of people in front of me." He hopes to buy enough food to celebrate Dashain and give his family a moment of happiness at this dramatic time.
In addition to the disorganization, many denounced the corruption of officials, who cause friends and acquaintances to pass ahead, giving them preferential prices. "We are discriminated against", emphasizes Bir Bahadur Raniban, from the village of Buda, "whoever knows someone has easier access to aid. To get something I was forced to beg for food in a hotel."
Officials of the Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) attribute the disorganization to a booming demand for rice. "We did not expect all these people," says Ram Bahadur Bam, head of aid for the district of Dailekh. "Unlike previous years", he says, " we announced the distribution by radio. The news has spread with great rapidity even in remote villages. Thousands of people poured into the district offices. In a few days we've finished all the rice available."
In recent days the government has promised to send humanitarian aid to the districts most affected by famine. However, the monsoon season is still ongoing. Landslides and swollen rivers have interrupted the normal avenues for transportion. The office responsible for agriculture in the district of Bajhang points out that many mountain villages are only accessible by mule or helicopter. Added to this is the large amount of rice consumed during the festival of Dashain, which has dried up the available stocks.
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See also
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Pyongyang asks for more humanitarian aid
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