Nepalese brace for monsoon after twin earthquakes leave thousands without proper shelter

As representatives of more than 50 countries and agencies gathered in Kathmandu yesterday to discuss Nepal's recovery from the devastating earthquakes in April and May, hundreds of thousands of people rendered homeless by the nation's deadliest disaster on record face a new menace - the monsoon.

In Sindhupalchowk district, 86km northeast of Kathmandu, schools are still being run under tarps, and people continue to live under plastic covers and in tents two months after the first quake, even as rains and winds threaten to tear their shelters apart.

"We need proper houses," said Sunil Budhathoki, 32, of Chautara town in Sindhupalchowk, which accounted for 3,535 of the 8,841 deaths in the quakes that struck on April 25 and May 12.

"We might be able to feed ourselves working on daily wages, but it's impossible to survive without proper shelter in the monsoon when the afternoons are sweltering hot and the rain and wind are strong," he said.

This town of narrow, winding roads and tall houses built poorly on the steep slopes of hills is now a scene of complete devastation.

Many houses have collapsed like boxes of cards, while others have tilted and are resting against neighbouring houses that have developed gaping cracks from the foundation to the roof. Still others are just a pile of rubble.