Monsoon troubles Nepal quake survivors three months on

Kathmandu

As dark clouds loomed overhead, Rabi Baral hurriedly secured his tent to the ground at a camp for victims of Nepal's earthquake, three months after the disaster upended his life. 

The 7.8-magnitude quake on April 25 destroyed the 41-year-old's home and left him without a job, forcing him and his young family to take refuge in a makeshift camp in Nepal's capital Kathmandu. 

"The rain has made life even more difficult, but we have no choice right now," Baral told AFP. 

As his wife Parwati nursed their 18-month-old son, Baral said he was desperate to return home to the hills east of Kathmandu but was too afraid to risk travelling on quake-hit roads that now face the threat of landslides triggered by heavy rains.

"We are in limbo right now. I am counting days for monsoon to end so we can plan ahead," he said.

Three months on, Nepal is still reeling from the impact of the earthquake that killed over 8,800 people and flattened nearly 600,000 homes, leaving thousands in desperate need of food, clean water and shelter.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), landslides are already hampering delivery of relief supplies to mountainous villages and there are concerns that the monsoon could trigger an outbreak of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases.