Humla farmers concerned over delay in snowfall, blame climate change

Simkot (Humla), Jan 21: As election fervor slowly picks up in the nation, political activities have intensified from the local level to the digital sphere.

With nominations for the House of Representatives (HoR) elections scheduled for March 5 now complete, attention has shifted to political campaigning at both local and national levels.     

However, in Humla district, farmers have an additional concern.     

For farmers in Humla, regular atmospheric patterns matter for agriculture. Normally, the district experiences snowfall during winter, which supports winter crops and maintains soil moisture. This year, however, Humla has not received the expected snowfall, even as winter enters its later phase.     

Farmers who had been expecting snowfall since late November are now concerned about the possibility of drought. In previous years, Humla would already be wrapped in a white blanket of snowfall. Such sights were common in the district headquarters, Simkot, as well as in surrounding highland areas. This year, snowfall occurred only once in mid-October, and no snowfall has been recorded since then.     

Although temperatures have dropped and the sky has remained cloudy for several days, snowfall has not occurred.     

Pema Lama of Simkot Rural Municipality–3 said that snowfall usually take place in the months of Push and Magh (the period from mid-December to mid-February). These months are considered peak snowfall months in the district.     

“Our winter crops are likely to be affected due to the lack of snowfall,” said Gaugora Bohora of Simkot Rural Municipality–2. “We are concerned that agricultural production may decline.”     

Farmers say the hills and mountains in the district are still waiting for snowfall, which is essential for maintaining moisture levels and supporting crop growth.     

The effect of climate change has been seen in Humla also.     

Farmers here hoped that it would snow whenever clouds appeared in the sky, but after some time the clouds would dissipate from the sky, said Gorkha Rokaya of Durpa village, Kharpunath Rural Municipality-5.     

"In Humla, compared to ten years ago the snowfall has not occurred as expected in the past two to three years," he said, adding that during this month of Poush, the high-altitude areas of Simkot, Kharpunath, Namkha, Sarkegad, and Chankheli rural municipalities used to be white with snow cover, but in recent years, it is not the case.     

Farmers used to be elated with snowfall taking place in this month as it would be beneficial to the winter crops and recharge the water sources with plenty of water in the streams and rivers during the dry summer months.     

Rokaya explained that the elders in the village said 'the age of Kali' has come because it does not snow much these days.     

Farmers are concerned that the crops such as oat, wheat, and barley, which ripen in Jestha, would be affected because there was no snowfall for two months in Mangsir and Poush. Farmers worry that this year too there would be a delay in snowfall and rain as in last year, affecting their crops.     

"On one hand the cold is increasing while on the other hand farmers are concerned about frost damaging the crops, as there has been no snowfall even in the winter season," said Man Bahadur Aidi of Baraai village, Sarkegad Rural Municipality-6.     

Aidi explained that without the required snow and rain, the crops planted in the fields will not grow and even if they grow, they will die. There is worry among farmers that the crops planted in the fields will be wasted because snowfall has not occurred even though barley and oats were sown.     

He said that over the last some years in the district, even when it snowed, it was light snow and did not soak the ground much. Aidi explained that even the heavy rain had not occurred.     

According to him, the possibility of drought is high because, during the winter months, there is no snowfall during the winter this time, which means shortage of water for irrigation for summer crops in the fields.     

Farmers have become concerned due to the lack of snowfall in the highlands not only of the Himalayan district of Humla but also in Jumla, Mugu, Dolpa and Kalikot districts of Karnali Province.(RSS)