National
Rivers freeze in Manang chill
Rivers and streams in the mountain district of Manang have started freezing due to excessive cold.Aash Gurung
Rivers and streams in the mountain district of Manang have started freezing due to excessive cold.
The Thado stream has turned all white as the water has become a huge mass of ice while the Marshyangdi river too has started freezing in the upper region, locals said.
While most of Manang residents have migrated to lower areas, some people are still staying in Chame, the district headquarters.
Khari Maya Gurung of Chame said they get water by melting snow. “Water has ceased to flow out of taps. People cannot come out of their house. The marketplace is shut and doors closed,” she told the Post.
Chame Rural Municipality Chairman Lokendra Ghale said he remains at his office despite the odds. “Winter comes every year but it’s been harsh this year,” he said.
Temperatures in the Manang villages have plummeted to minus 16 degrees Celsius, according to Babulal Tiruwa, conservation officer at the Annapurna Area Conservation Project. He said villages like Thorangphedi and Khasang have witnessed lowest temperatures of minus 20 degrees.
On Monday morning, temperatures dropped 12 degrees below zero in Manang. “We have no option but to lie under a blanket day and night,” said Chief District Officer Hari Prasad Pant. According to him, the administration office issued two citizenship certificates and received an application for passport on Monday.