Manang district struggles against multiple problems

By Yadu Prasad Bhatt,Manang, Sept. 28: There’s an airport but no planes, a hospital but no medicines, patients but no ambulance, roads but no vehicles, apples but no market, mountains but no snow, lakes but no tourists, land but no people and corpses but no hearse.

It may sound unbelievable, but these are the painful realities of Manang, one of the two trans-Himalayan districts.  The situation becomes even more difficult during the time of disasters. 

During every monsoon, in time of floods, landslides or heavy rains, it is security forces who end up acting as ambulances and lifesavers.

Manang does have an airport at Humde in Ngisyang, but it has been non-operational for years. About a decade and a half ago, a few charter flights landed there, but now it remains completely shut, with only traces left as proof. The flights stopped operating from the airport due to lack of passengers in this Himalayan region.

There is no shortage of hospitals or health centres, but the free medicines provided by the government rarely reach Manang. Though the posts exist, doctors are reluctant 

to serve in remote areas. 

The district has just one working ambulance which is located in Naso Rural Municipality. The district hospital’s ambulance has been out of service for years and remains unrepaired, forcing patients to be transported manually. During the time of health emergencies, the locals are forced to charter helicopter to reach hospitals. 

Except for Narpa Bhumi Rural Municipality, the district is connected by roads. However, public transport doesn’t operate on these roads. 

On April 20, then Chief District Officer Matrika Acharya initiated bus services, but with the onset of the monsoon it stopped operating. Locals must now wait until winter to use public transport.

Manang produces varieties of apples, including Fuji, Gala, Golden, and Red Delicious. A single tree has yielded up to 45 kilograms of fruit. 

According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, apple farming has expanded to more than 13,000 hectares annually. Agro Manang Pvt. Ltd., based in Ngisyang-1, Bhratang, has leased 735 ropanis of land for commercial apple farming. 

Harvesting apples takes one to one and a half months. This year’s production is projected to exceed 450 metric tonnes, but there is no reliable market, Agro Manang chairman Somraj Gurung said.

Dozens of mountains rise in Manang, but due to climate change, the snow-capped mountains have turned into bare rocks, said Konjo Tenzing Lama, chair of Narpa Bhumi Rural Municipality. 

Around three dozen lakes also lie here, with Tilicho Lake being the highest. But tourist numbers have dropped recently. Road networks have reduced trekking visitors and only short-stay tourists come to visit the district. 

“The number of trekkers heading to high-altitude lakes is falling,” said Dhak Bahadur Bhujel, chief of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) office in Manang.

Manang covers 2,246 sq. km, but its population is just 6,536. This shows clearly that there is land, but no people. 

As urbanisation spreads across the country, this Himalayan district has become increasingly depopulated. Farming has declined, and only a small number of people continue to rely on agriculture for their livelihood.

Even managing dead bodies during disasters is a challenge. Manang has no hearse, and neither private nor public vehicles agree to transport dead bodies, fearing “bad luck” or losing passengers. Recently, the Disaster Management Committee decided that all four rural municipalities would each contribute Rs. 500,000 to buy a hearse. 

Naso Rural Municipality chair Dhan Bahadur Gurung said the vehicle would be operated by security forces, who already serve as the district’s lifeline during crises.