Nepal flood women face sanitation shortages in camp

Women displaced by Nepal's August 26 flash floods say inadequate toilets, little water and gaps in basic supplies are creating sanitation and menstrual hygiene problems at a school relief camp in Nuwakot district.

Thousands of people are living in temporary camps after homes were washed away by rivers or buried under silt and mud. Authorities and aid groups have provided shelter and food, but women at the school camp described a lack of privacy, poor sanitation and shortages of drinking and bathroom water.

Anju Bhujel, 40, who is living at the camp with her two young children after her family home was swept away, said there were only three toilets for more than 400 people. She said the toilets had no tap water and that used sanitary pads could be found around bathrooms because disposal remained a problem.

A volunteer said authorities were working to connect the toilets to a pipeline.

Yogita Tamang, whose family of 20 is living in a crowded classroom, said some women had received sanitary pads but lacked underwear. “What will we do with pads if we don't have underwear?” she said.

UN Women said an estimated 43,000 women and girls in Nepal needed immediate humanitarian assistance. Christine Arab, the agency's regional director for Asia and the Pacific, said women survivors were running out of food and safe water was “increasingly inaccessible”.

Workers from the United Nations Population Fund were distributing dignity kits containing sanitary pads, soap, underwear and other basic personal-care items. Jyoti Gaihre of the Golyan Foundation, the charity managing the camp, said more underwear would be distributed in two days.

Aid agencies warn that displacement can create additional risks for women and girls because of overcrowding, shared facilities and loss of privacy. UNICEF official Abiodun Banire said displaced families needed psychosocial support and basic supplies.

Some residents also fear they will be asked to leave when the school resumes classes. “Where will we go then?” asked Maina Nepal, 50. “We will have to sleep on the street.”