Kathmandu rendezvous

Published On: November 4, 2017 12:18 AM NPT By: Hemant Arjyal


On his previous visit, thanks to the laxity on the part of immigration officers, his passport was given to a lady in front

The reason Kathmandu has mild winter has to do with its proximity to the tropics. In general, thanks to the mass of concrete/bricks that get added to the urban environment every year, winters are getting milder. We are naturally more concerned with smoke and dust. As such, effect of aircraft exhaust in upper atmosphere is far beyond our comprehension. But in the long run it has serious implications for world weather.      

Poor visibility affects the functioning of airports and Kathmandu is greatly affected during winter months. It is not just the fog but the mixture of dust and smoke (smog) that causes such troubles here. Basically, fog is nothing but a condition in which tiny water droplets are suspended in the air. Interestingly, 1cu m (1m3) of fog holds about half a cubic cm (0.5cm3) of water. Dirty fog is created when droplets cling to suspended particles. Thin fog usually dissipates soon after the sun comes out. What we get in Kathmandu is the ‘valley fog’ as cold, dense air settles in the lower parts of the valley and condenses. Normally, air gets cooler with altitude but it is the other way around in a situation termed temperature inversion when cold air (which is heavier) gets trapped by warmer air (lighter) on top. 

Valley fog usually takes weeks to dissipate and it becomes doubly troublesome for places like Kathmandu with high level of pollutants in the air. The haze (tuwalo) is the result of extremely tiny suspended dry particle in the air, giving it a sort of opalescent appearance. You may wonder where the ‘mist’ fits. When surface visibility gets above 1km even in overcast condition, then it is usually termed mist. In short it is mist in wet condition and haze/tuwalo in dry. 
            
Problems abound 
But winter is not the only period Kathmandu airport is affected. It is always in the news due to cracks on the runway, and long holdups not only in the air but also on the ground. Holdup in an aircraft, be it in the air or on the ground, is not a pleasant experience. Waiting, while onboard, with engine not running, is particularly horrendous. At least while flying the scenery is constantly changing while the cabin remains relatively cool. No such option is available on ground with propeller standing still. 

What is the point of spending tons of money on BBC and CNN tv ads when the ground reality is so pathetic? 
 

Not long ago a Nepal Airlines (RA) Captain fretted in social media about having to wait for an hour in the cockpit with full load of passengers before a flight to Hong Kong. He did not specify the reason but it was probably due to in-bound traffic than the weather. As regards one such experience recently, our Pokhara departure was scheduled for 0830. Nothing to worry about. Then it got pushed to 0840, sand-witched between two flights that were “boarding” and “delayed”. 
The flight was progressively pushed to 0900 and finally to 0930. When the time came to board, the shuttle bus mysteriously took more than 10 minutes to cover half a km or so to the aircraft. Once on board we were made to sit for another half an hour before the door was shut with aircraft finally moving, to our utter relief. We wonder why the bus was made to creep slower than a snail and why were we put on board when it was still not ready to depart.   

Departure hell 
There is no need to go into detail about overcrowding and disorder inside the “departure hell”. I was told about the ladies toilets: of the four toilets, the door shutter of one had come off its hinges; one of the remaining three had a squatting pan; while the two remaining commodes were in such a bad state no one dared to use them. This speaks volumes about lack of seriousness in taking care of most basic of facilities that everyone needs. It seems like these are ritually left to the whims of caretakers and no supervisor ever monitors them. Is there any point in spending tons of dollars for television ads in BBC/CNN when the ground reality is so pathetic? Put bluntly, we should let everyone know in advance about our inadequacies so that visitors know what they should avoid using at our airports. Our politicians should be aiming for smart toilets than smart cities, for a change! 

This time we had a friend back from my engineering college days in Bangalore and who has been settled in US for past 42 years. He was here with his wife. He never seems to get enough of the Himalayas. On his previous visit, thanks to the laxity on the part of immigration officers, his passport was given to a lady in front. He lost two precious days of his Kathmandu rendezvous in acquiring a new passport and tickets, as his Indian visa was also lost. That aside, another of his rendezvous with US friends, who were already in Kathmandu, was ruined when RA flight departed Bombay hours before the time shown on his ticket, leaving him stranded. They said RA was early because of the winter schedule! Strangely, he loves coming to Nepal in spite of these bitter experiences.

This time it was Pokhara for his first-ever face to face with Machapuchare. Despite being totally gloomy and covered up at five, when we went up to Sarnagkot, the sun came out, and the mountain obliged and opened up to showcase its awesome grandeur. He was happy that the immigration section was now totally revamped, and like any other airport, attending to one person at a time. His wife politely hoped to see similar improvements at departure and arrival lounges when they next come to Nepal. 

harjyal@yahoo.com


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