More then one month after the earthquake that devastated Nepal, thousands of people have not yet received relief and are living outdoors, in the rain. Victims and rescue workers accuse the government of corruption and insufficient efforts distributing aid. The latest toll speaks of more than 5,500 dead; about 12 thousand wounded; 70 thousand houses destroyed and 530 thousand others damaged, in 39 of the 75 districts of Nepal. It has ignited public alarm that the collapses exposed not only flaky concrete and brittle pillars, but also a system of government enforcement rotted by corruption and indifference. Residents and building experts say the corruption is an open secret, as evident as the unlicensed five- and six-story buildings that have risen in recent years, displacing two-story ones that sprang up in former farm fields starting a decade or so ago. The developers and landlords who slap up the buildings, the residents and experts say, know they will rarely be punished by officials, who are often happy to look the other way for a price.
