Red, yellow, green: A colour for damaged and safe Kathmandu homes

Homes here are being inspected and authorities are categorising it as red, yellow and green -- each colour denoting the extent of damage. A red colour means its heartbreak for the homeowner who can't step into their extensively damaged house, while green means you can go home now.

The devastating earthquake that rattled Nepal on April 25 has left many homeless, including in Kathmandu which was home to over a million people.

The officials, including architects, have begun inspection of houses after taking a stock of the damage caused by the quake that killed over 6,000 people, left over 10,000 injured and displaced millions.

A house denoted as red means it is unsafe to live in and will be brought down. Yellow indicates it needs repairs before moving in and houses labelled green are safe.

"I don't know what to do. We have been told that it is not safe to step inside the house," Dhiraj Pandey, 58, told visiting IANS correspondent in the middle-class neighbourhood of Gyaneshwor in Kathmandu.

Pandey, who owns a petrol pump and whose house has been labelled red, said his 11-room house has developed many cracks.

He said the floor seems to be sinking on being stepped upon, which makes it very dangerous. He was outside his home when the temblor struck.

His family -- wife, two kids, mother and father -- is safe.

After the quake, the family is living in the porch of the house in a tent.

"This is my bedroom now," said Pandey pointing towards his car.

"Our house was moving back and forth when the quake struck. Even when we were rushing outside, we felt the ground moving," said Pandey's wife Sunita.

His mother is wheel-chair bound and his 89-year-old father is also facing a tough time after the quake.

Sunita said: "Since the condition of the house is so bad, we have been asked to bring out only one luggage at a time."

They don't know when they will be able to rebuild again.

(Shweta Sharma can be contacted at shweta.s@ians.in)