POKHARA/ RUKUM, Dec 13: Mountainous regions across the country witnessed heavy snowfall on Wednesday. Dipping mercury due to the blizzard has affected lives in the region severely. Snowfall in the hilly and mountainous regions in the mid-west has disrupted normal life.
According to locals, VDCs in the north-western parts of Rukum, Rolpa and Jajarkot and the whole of Dolpa district have been affected by the heavy snowfall.
Around 1-2 feet snow has accumulated in the snow-hit areas.
Likewise, the first snowfall of this season has disrupted flights to and from Manang and Mustang. The squall that started at around 6 am brought heavy snow for over one hour in the highlands including Jomsom and Muktinath.
Upper Manang. (Photo: Binod Gurung)
According to Shiva Sharma, chief of Jomsom Airport, the snowfall began at around 6 am and continued for over an hour. “Sudden plunge in mercury due to the snowfall has brought life in this region to a grinding halt,” said Sharma. He further informed the snowfall was even heavier in the upper part of Jomsom. The temperature in the region has come down to minus 2 degree Celsius.
With the runway of the Jomsom Airport was covered in snow dust, Pokhara-Jomsom-Pokhara flights remain halted. Two scheduled flights of Tara Airlines and one of Nepal Airlines were canceled on Wednesday, according to Sharma. “No airlines could operate flights on this route due to the bad weather on Wednesday. Tourists scheduled to arrive from Pokhara and leaving Jomsom are waiting for the weather to improve,” said Sharma.
Santosh Sherchan, chief of Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) in Mustang, said, “Temperature has dropped sharply following the snowfall affecting movement of people in the region.”
Upper Manang. (Photo: Binod Gurung)
Similarly, snowfall occurred in Manang from Tuesday night. According to Binod Gurung, a hotelier in Upper Manang, they are facing drinking water problem after the snowfall. Nepal Airlines has informed that scheduled flights on the Pokhara-Manang route have been affected by the snowfall.
Flights at Simara Airport halted for two days
Meanwhile, flights to and from Simara Airport have been disrupted for two days due to the thick fog around the airport area. According to the airport administration, around half a dozen flights have been disrupted because of poor visibility. The disruption of flights has affected over 200 passengers daily. Over 1,500 meter visibility is required to land at Simara Airport, but there was only 500 meter visibility on Wednesday and 1,100 on Tuesday.
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