Nepal bracing for new humanitarian crisis: aid groups

Nepal could be on the cusp of a new humanitarian crisis six months on from a devastating earthquake.

Nepalese people wait in a queue to exchange empty cooking gas cylinders for fresh supply in Kathmandu, Nepal Source: AAP

Australian aid groups warn earthquake recovery efforts in Nepal are being hampered by an ongoing fuel crisis and bureaucratic delays.

Oxfam says fuel shortages are preventing aid agencies from reaching an estimated 81,000 families who need durable shelter and blankets before winter's sub-zero temperatures set in.

"Tens of thousands of people are living in basic shelters built from bamboo and corrugated metal, which are not fit for freezing winter conditions," chief executive Helen Szoke said.

Sunday marks the six-month anniversary of the first earthquake to hit Nepal this year.

Protests at the border with India have been holding up fuel deliveries for a month.

Care Australia says Nepal is bracing for another potential humanitarian crisis.

Pregnant women, infants and the elderly still lacking proper housing were most at risk from the extreme cold.

"Nepal is still a long way from recovery," country director Lex Kassenberg said in a statement.