Post-Disaster Risks: Hidden Dangers Lurking After the Catastrophe

More than a month after devastating floods swept parts of the Himalaya, many people who survived the disaster are still living in fragile circumstances. The makeshift camps that offered immediate refuge now present new threats—particularly to children, young women and girls.

A young woman’s losses

Nineteen-year-old Susmita Tamang is among those trying to rebuild a life that no longer exists. She lost her home, her job and the family ties that once anchored her — her father and grandparents have not been found. Susmita and her mother now share a refugee tent in a temporary camp roughly two hours by car from Kathmandu.

Inside the tents, mattresses are lined up with little space between them. Personal belongings, relief packages and clothing are packed into the narrow gaps. The crowded conditions — combined with trauma from the disaster — have left both mother and daughter struggling to cope.

To distract herself from the pain, Susmita volunteers for kitchen shifts at the camp. But her chief worry is the many children who have been separated from or have lost their parents. “Their vulnerability terrifies me,” she says. “I worry someone could take them away and we might never see them again.”

Camp conditions that increase risk

Humanitarian workers warn that the shelters themselves can exacerbate danger for women and girls. Ayush Joshi from Save the Children points to serious shortcomings: poor lighting at night, limited access to clean water and sanitation, and almost no private space for families. When people are forced to live in cramped proximity, the risk of violence, exploitation and abuse can rise, Joshi says. Young women and children are often the most exposed.

Why privacy and basic services matter

Without separate latrines, secure washing areas or safe sleeping quarters, survivors are left in a precarious situation. Insufficient infrastructure not only undermines dignity but also increases opportunities for abusers and traffickers to take advantage of those displaced by the floods.

Authorities step up checks to thwart traffickers

Concerns about human trafficking are not confined to the camps. At a checkpoint in Nuwakot district, police officer Balram Khadka and his colleagues are carefully inspecting vehicles leaving the disaster zone. Their attention often focuses on young female passengers. “Strangers deliberately target people who are particularly at risk,” Khadka explains. “We are trying to prevent girls from being taken away by checking vehicles thoroughly.”

Local authorities and aid groups say the threat from traffickers is real. Families and survivors generally accept the stricter controls as necessary protection because traffickers tend to prey on those whose options have been stripped away by disaster.

Bad weather prolongs danger

The situation is further complicated by continuing heavy rain, flash floods and landslides in the affected regions. Recurrent flooding and ground collapses have hampered relief work and kept many people displaced longer than expected.

For Susmita and others in the camps, the ongoing storms deepen a sense of helplessness. Still, Susmita says she tries to keep busy with the work that’s available and to look after the younger children in the shelter, conscious that their need for protection is urgent.