Gamgadhi, May 3
Foggy weather conditions have been persisting in Mugu district for the past three weeks, hitting life hard.
Thanks to poor visibility resulting from this haze, flights have remained stalled for five days.
On Tuesday afternoon, a veil of darkness enveloped Mugu district headquarters Gamgadhi and the vicinity. Buchya Chaulagain (73) says: This had never happened before in my lifetime. With natural phenomenon like this, living will be difficult now.
An increasing number of people, already reeling from famine resulting from prolonged drought, are complaining of eyesore and difficulties in breathing. Drought and wildfires are believed to have caused this haze.
Gyandutta Bhatta, a trader, says government agencies, including the Mugu district forest office, have not bothered to extinguish wildfires that are destroying huge swathes of forestland.
Mahendra Bham of Goma Air says haze has stalled flights to and from Talcha Airport for five days, stranding passengers.
Due to prolonged drought, sources of water have dried up, forcing people to trek for hours to fetch a pitcher-ful of water.
The district’s farm yield has gone down by 50 per cent due to the drought, according to the Mugu district agriculture office.
Caught in a situation like this, Mugu people like Chaulagain have reasons to be a bit pessimistic.
