Kabita Bohara of Nyuna village and her family of eight have been surviving on beans ever since they ran out of rice grains.

“We had our last meal of rice two days ago. We have since then been eating only beans,” said Kabita. “I thought I would borrow some rice from our neighbours but they too have run out of the grain.”

Continuous snowfall in Saipal Rural Municipality of Bajhang since December has disrupted all road connectivity, halting the supply of food and essentials to the local unit.

The villagers say they have run out of rice stock bought from the Food Management Company depot. A new stock of supplies is yet to reach the villages due to the road disruption.

Rural roads connecting villages in Saipal are covered in five feet of snow. The residents of Kada, Dhuli, Nyuna, Baludi and Kaya villages in wards 3, 4 and 5 of the rural municipality have been completely cut off from the rest of the district.

Wards 1 and 2 of the rural municipality, where food supplies are transported on mules, are covered in six feet of snow, bringing all transportation means to a halt.

“We collected Rs 500,000 from the villagers back in October to bring in rice. We paid the contractor in advance so that we could have the rice grains transported to us before the winter season began,” said Umesh Bohara, a resident of Nyuna. “But the contractor has been unable to deliver. It is going to be a while before transportation resumes. The villagers are left with very little rice grain, which will not last for long.”

Bam Bahadur Bohara, a teacher at Kada Secondary School, says villages in northern Saipal are also reporting a shortage of food grains.

“The local shops have run out of rice grains and other essentials. Fresh supply of food products is not possible due to continuous snowfall in the region,” said Bam Bahadur. “If the supply does not resume soon, people will starve to death here.”

According to Ran Bohara, another local resident, Saipal residents are worried about a possible shortage of food products if the snowfall continues.

The adverse weather condition has driven up the price of rice grains in remote villages, says Gorakh Bohara, a local trader. According to him, the villagers are paying twice the amount for Mota rice.

“In Kada village, some local shops were selling mota rice at Rs 10,000 per quintal while the price stood at Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 in Dhuli, Baloudi and Nyuna villages. But right now, these shops have also run out of stock,” Gorakh told the Post.

Mota rice is priced at Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,500 per quintal at the Food Management Company depot.

“The company had earlier opened a temporary sales centre in Saipal Rural Municipality to distribute food items. But the centre could not stock up on rice given the closure of Jaya Prithvi Highway due to unseasonal floods in November last year,” said Rajendra Dhami, the chairman of Saipal Rural Municipality.

“The main highway was closed due to floods at that time and it has remained closed due to snowfall since December,” said Dhami. “The supply of rice grains meant for the villages is stuck at Syanda of Talkot Rural Municipality and Dhalauna of Saipal Rural Municipality. We have written to the District Administration Office and the Food Management Company to transport the rice grains by helicopter but have yet to receive a response.”

Due to its high mountainous altitude, agriculture is next to impossible in the Saipal region, which means the local people rely on imports for all their household needs. The people of Saipal Rural Municipality have repeatedly sent delegations to the chief minister of Sudurpaschim Province and the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies of the federal government to operate a permanent food depot in the villages but to no avail.

According to the villagers, they have received numerous assurances from the authorities but a permanent depot is yet to come into operation.

The disruption in road connectivity has also led to a shortage of essential medicines at the health facilities in wards 3, 4 and 5 in the northern region of Saipal Rural Municipality. The stock of essential medicines meant for the health posts is stuck in Dhalaun.

“It is very difficult to reach the district headquarters for medical assistance. The villagers are suffering from flu-like symptoms, cold and asthma because of the cold,” said Bimala Bohara, a local resident. “But the health posts do not have the necessary medicines.”

The incessant snowfall has also affected livestock reared by the locals.

“Sheep and goats are dying because of the cold and a lack of food. More than 300 sheep have died in the absence of pasture to graze on,” said Matbir Rokaya, a shepherd.

Life has come to a standstill in the villages of the rural municipality with government offices shuttered and schools closed.

“The schools in the area have also been unable to reopen since December, when it began snowing. All communication networks are down due to snowfall,” said Gopal Bohara, ward chairman of Saipal-1.