Shikha Pradhan
Shikha is the vice-president of the National Federation of the Deaf Nepal and is actively involved in national level advocacy für die the rights of people with hearing disabilities. With a lived experience as a deaf woman, she draws attention to the risks faced by people with hearing impairments in disaster situations and the added communication barriers linked to increased pollution.
“During heavy rainfall, people can assess the risk of the situation by listening to the intensity of the sound of the rain, which helps them move to safer places. We cannot hear the sound of rain when we are sleeping. We cannot smell either. Although I have not personally gone through the situation, I know my friends who faced challenges. For persons with disabilities, it is difficult to survive in such situations or even move to safe space. I have seen those challenges faced by others.”
“Kathmandu was very clean and green some years back. But today rivers are drying up and filthy— too many vehicles, too much smog. I can't even walk without wearing a mask and many others do, which makes communication more difficult for me because of my hearing disability, as I often use lip movement and facial expressions.”