Kathmandu, July 11 -- It was 5 am. Outside the Radha Soami Satsang Beas holding centre in Kirtipur, families displaced by eviction sat awake after a sleepless night, surrounded by the few belongings they had managed to save from the floodwaters that submerged the shelter overnight.

Near the gate, piles of soaked clothes, mattresses and household items lay scattered. Some people stared silently at what remained of their possessions, while others wrung water from drenched clothing.

Gayatri Shrestha stood with two bags slung over her shoulders, holding her four-year-old daughter's hand, who rubbed her sleepy eyes while standing barefoot on the cold concrete.

"She couldn't save anything," Gayatri said, looking at her daughter. "Her shoes, ...