Mustang, Dec 6: Daily life in upper Mustang has been increasingly affected as temperatures continue to fall.
According to Karma Namgel Gurung, Chair of Ward No. 2 in Lomanthang, temperatures have dropped to minus 15 degrees Celsius in the mornings and evenings. The extreme cold has caused irrigation canals, water taps, and other water sources to freeze during these hours, forcing residents to melt snow using fuel to obtain water.
Most residents have already migrated to lower regions to escape the intensifying cold ahead of winter. While in previous years the entire population typically relocated before winter, this year more than 300 residents have remained in the settlement.
Local representative Dhukke Bista informed that development activities in the region have come to a halt as a result of the severe cold.
Similarly, in Lomanthang—one of the key settlements of upper Mustang—many locals have moved to warmer areas, said local tourism entrepreneur Ram Gurung. Lomanthang has around two dozen hotels catering to tourists, but most of them are currently closed due to the harsh weather.
Despite the challenging conditions, police units in upper Mustang will not be merged with those in the lower belt, as the Korola checkpoint and the customs office on the Nepal-China border remain operational, said Police Inspector Santosh Basyal.
According to him, police units stationed in Lomanthang, Chosar, and Chonup under Lomanthang Rural Municipality, and in Charang, Ghami, and Surkhang under Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality, will continue operating at their respective locations throughout the winter. “Only in cases of heavy snowfall or extreme conditions do we bring the units down. We have no plan to relocate them at the moment,” he added. #weather #nepal #mustang
