Surkhet, 25 Jan: After a long period of drought, heavy snowfall has occurred in most places of the Himalayan districts of Karnali—Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Kalikot, and Jumla.
The snowfall that started on Friday night continued until Saturday morning. Life has become difficult due to the snowfall. It has finally snowed in Karnali only after the second week of Mangsir.
Due to the snowfall, all flights from Surkhet and Nepalgunj to all Himalayan districts of Karnali were canceled on Saturday, according to the Civil Aviation Office. At Simikot Airport in Humla, nearly one foot of snow has accumulated. Due to the snowfall, traffic services have been halted on nearly a dozen roads, including the Mid-Hill Highway, Gamgadhi-Nagma road, and the Simikot-Hilsa road.
Madan Rokaya from Simikot, Humla, said that locals are facing difficulty going outside their homes due to the snowfall. According to him, all footpaths from Namkha Rural Municipality to the district headquarters Simikot in Humla have been closed due to heavy snowfall. He informed that nearly three feet of snow has fallen on the Nara and Nyalung peaks at an altitude of about 5,000 meters. According to him, the snowfall continued until Saturday evening.
After the snowfall, residents of the Himalayan districts have hoped for ‘prosperity’. Farmers who had become worried as crops were beginning to be damaged due to the drought have found relief from Saturday’s snowfall and rain. Birkha Bahadur Rokaya from Murma Village in Mugu said that the snowfall has brought relief to crops that were starting to dry up due to the drought. “After snow falls, prosperity comes to the Himalayan settlements; years without snowfall bring famine to the Himalayan settlements,” he said. “Although late, the snow has fallen sufficiently now; there is an expectation of increased production of crops, apples, and other fruits.” He mentioned that after the snowfall, there have been problems for livestock to graze and to bring grass and fodder.
Due to the snowfall, Rara, the major tourist destination of Karnali, has turned white with snow. Dharmajeet Saund, a ranger at Rara National Park, said that nearly two feet of snow has fallen in Rara. After the snowfall, the trees around Rara Lake are covered in snow.
Chandra Nepali from Rawalbada, Soru-4, said that the current snowfall appears to benefit crops from the Jethasi season’s wheat and barley to the Kartike season’s crops like finger millet, buckwheat, foxtail millet, and even paddy. According to him, years with heavy snowfall bring prosperity as streams and river sources get more water. “In years with good snowfall, there is never a food grain shortage in the district,” he said. “This year, it seems the compulsion to buy rice from the food corporation will end.”
After the snowfall, farmers in the Himalayan districts have started placing clumps of snow collected from around near apple trees, according to Sunil Limbu, spokesperson for the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives. According to him, farmers have started placing snow clumps, believing the area around the apple trees will be irrigated. “The more snow comes, the more apples bear fruit,” he said. “Farmers are freed from the hassle of irrigation, and it seems the incidence of pests and diseases in apples will also be less this year.”
Due to the snowfall, traffic on the Rukum East-Baglung road section under the Mid-Hill Highway has been disrupted. The highway is closed due to snowfall in the Patihalne and surrounding areas. Due to the snowfall, traffic has been halted after heavy snowfall at Satmod along the Gamgadhi-Nagma road in Mugu, and thick snow has accumulated in most parts of the Simikot-Hilsa road in Humla, according to Chief District Officer Tekkumar Regmi of Humla. He informed that air services will only resume after the snow at Simikot Airport is cleared once the snowfall stops.
