Since a massive landslide dammed the Sunkoshi river in Sindhupalchok district on August 2, an especially heavy monsoon in Western Nepal has led to numerous floods and landslides. The cost has been heavy. Hundreds of people, in addition to the over 140 dead in the Sindhupalchok landslide, have perished, hundreds more are missing and thousands have been displaced. The districts of Kailali, Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Surkhet, Salyan, Jajarkot, Rolpa and Rukum have been especially affected. The immediate danger of being swept away seems to have subsided but an equally terrible fate now awaits the survivors. Displaced from their homes and belongings, the survivors have congregated alongside highways and high lands in make-shifts tents of tarpaulin. Many have been hungry for days. Living in closed quarters with little to no access to clean water or sanitation, diarrhoea and viral fever have begun to set in.

It is a matter of grave shame for the government of Sushil Koirala that thousands continue to languish under its watch. The Koirala government has long been criticised for its lacklustre focus on governance but in such a time of crisis, the indolence has been especially stark. The Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund has reportedly collected over Rs 250 million from various private sector entities and charitable organisations and yet, relief measures for those affected have been meagre and inadequate. Packets of rice and noodles have been doled out to many who lack utensils to cook them in and conversely, utensils have been handed out to those who lack food. Understandably, anger among survivors is growing.

Amid the appalling failure of the government, citizen-led initiatives are stepping in to fill the void. A unique social media initiative, hashtagged #fillthebucket, has begun to spread. Inspired by the ALS icebucket challenge—where people douse themselves with icewater, donate to research Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease, and nominate others to do the same—the #fillthebucket challenge nominates people to gather a large bucket, fill it with rice, pulses, instant noodles, water purifiers, energy bars, soap, paracetamol and metronidazole, oral rehydration salts (Jeevan jal), canned food, and sanitary napkins. These buckets will be airlifted by private airlines and then ferried to specific affected areas by local transport entrepreneurs.

This scheme, novel in its ingenuity and mobilisation of social media, is laudable, but such efforts should have come from the state. The government cannot shy away from its responsibilities as a welfare state and expect citizens to pick up the slack. Citizens, though well-meaning, will undoubtedly be limited by logistics. Here is where the government can still step in. Government convoys can help deliver the goods collected by citizens and make certain that they reach those who need aid. Helicopters can be marshalled to airdrop substantial relief packages to hard-to-reach areas and the state can help make certain that relief is coordinated and targeted. The millions collected for disaster relief must also be immediately utilised. Even as thousands continue to suffer, the government cannot continue to sit on piles of cash simply because of bureaucratic inertia.