Snowfall affects life in Jumla, Gorkha

By Netra Shahi/Gun Bahadur Roka,Jumla/Gorkha, Dec. 26: The increasing cold following Tuesday’s snowfall has affected normal life in Jumla.

 The temperature has dropped to below freezing, causing pain to locals.  Due to the cold, most people have been found keeping themselves warm by sitting in front of the fireplace or electric heaters.

Water in streams started freezing as mercury dropped. In several areas, including road sections and streams, water has begun to freeze. Locals are using hot water to melt the ice and continue with daily activities. In areas where water pipes have frozen, consumers have been facing difficulties, reported by locals.

Ranjana Bhandari, a resident of Guthichaur Rural Municipality-5, said that the cold has been severe for the past two days. 

Water flows in the streams only after the sun heats the area and hot water is required to melt the ice. Working in the open has become challenging due to the cold.

The elderly and children are especially affected by the cold. According to the Karnali Institute of Health Sciences, many people have been suffering from colds and coughs. 

Health professionals have advised keeping children warm and ensuring they are breastfed frequently to prevent pneumonia.

In addition, people in the villages are collecting firewood to make fires to keep them warm. There has been snowfall in the higher Himalayan regions of Jumla.

The District Police Office in Jumla has made a plan to provide the people with firewood after it snowed. Deputy Superintendent of Police Ksheddilal Kamat, said that in coordination with the District Forest Office, they were collecting firewood to distribute to the cold-affected locals. 

He said that they need to supply firewood in various public places, such as the main market area.

Similarly, snow has fallen in the Chum Valley in the northern part of Gorkha district. It has been snowing in areas surrounding the Chum and Nubri valleys since Tuesday morning, said Pemba Retta Lama of Syala-2 in Chumnubri Rural Municipality.

According to Nima Lama, the Chairman of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, snowfall has been reported in areas such as Samagaun, Samdo and Lho Syala. He said that normal life was affected after the heavy snowfall in those areas. 

The temperature has dropped significantly, making it difficult for people to go outside. “People are staying indoors, and even yaks and cows need to be kept in the sheds feeding them with dried grass and straw,” said Lama.

Meanwhile, farmers have become happy with the snowfall, as it will help them grow good crops. With snowfall on dry land, the temperature will drop, and the crop yields will be better. 

Snowfall has also invited a crisis of drinking water in some areas as the water sources as well as the water supplied through pipes froze after the snowfall.    “Elderly people and children are facing difficulties due to the cold. The lack of grass for livestock has also affected grazing,” Lama said.

The snowfall has also posed challenges for both domestic and international tourists travelling along the Manaslu trekking route. Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) office in Gorkha informed that tourists were unable to venture outside their hotels.

Samdo, the last village in northern Gorkha, is located at an altitude of 3,500 metres above sea level. While snowfall is not uncommon in the region, it has been continuous for the past two days, according to the Chairman of Chumnubri Rural Municipality.