MANANG, Jan 25: The temperature in the mountainous district of Manang is decreasing daily. With the arrival of January, the temperature here has dropped to minus 22 degrees. The temperature here reaches minus 12 during the afternoon. Although the snowfall is less, the cold has increased significantly.

According to Chief District Officer (CDO) Subash Kumar Lamichhane, the temperature has been decreasing in Manang since January. He said that although the snowfall is less, the temperature here is dipping sharply. He said that due to this, people's life here is becoming difficult.

CDO Lamichhane said, "Water has frozen in the streams due to the cold. The river is completely frozen. Even though there is less snow, the cold here does not let the gas burn. Vehicular traffic is minimal. Drinking water is hard to come by."

CDO Lamichhane also mentioned that the construction of infrastructure here has been stopped since November due to the increasing cold. He said that the residents of the upper areas of Manang have now gone to other places outside to escape the cold. He said that at present, apart from the security agencies and the health sector, it has been difficult to provide other services. He said, "Now, except the security agencies and general services, other services are closed."

As soon as the first snowfall occurred, the educational institutions here were closed. After the closure of educational institutions, most of the locals have gone outside the district to escape the winter. According to the District Administration Office, the local residents are continuing to migrate to Lamjung, Kathmandu, Pokhara and other places.

Head of Infrastructure Office Manang Jay Bishta said, "The cold is extreme. Therefore, the cementing work has stopped. We are working on the evaluation and testing of the plan. We are working by prioritizing other office-related work."

The cement work used in the construction of the development has been completely stopped. Bista said that due to the cold weather, there will be problems in the setting and hardening process of the construction related to cement, so the related work has been stopped.

Similarly, CDO Lamichhane said that the two police stations in Narpabhumi Rural Municipality have been moved to the headquarters after the locals have moved down since November due to the cold. According to him, a temporary office has been established at the headquarters of Chame Rural Municipality-3 Koto for the urgent work of Narpabhumi.

Dhak Bahadur Bhujel, head of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) unit office in Manang, said that the arrival of tourists is low due to the cold weather. He said that even though the arrival of tourists is less than in the season, they,  however , continue to come.

He said, “There is some amount of snow on the roads. Tourists are coming and going towards Thorangla Bhanjyang, Tilicho Lake and enjoying playing in the snow.” He said that tourists are advised to travel by keeping in mind the weather information as well as the risks that may occur on the road.

Sonam Lama, a farmer from Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-5 Bhraka, said that most of the villagers have moved downward. But he said that he will wait for the house and stay here to observe the neighborhood.

He said, "It is easy to save the mother yak and other young yaks to feed in the cold. However, it is difficult to protect a child in the cold. Large animals can find water and grass by themselves. Children cannot. They should be taken care of in winter.”

 
• Manang
 
• cold