MANANG: As winter tightens its grip, the mountainous district of Manang is experiencing bone-chilling temperatures, with the mercury dipping to a staggering minus 18 degrees Celsius in the second week of December.
Chief District Officer Subas Kumar Lamichhane reported that the average morning temperature ranges from minus eight to 10 degrees Celsius, plummeting further to around minus 18 degrees Celsius at night. Chame and its surrounding areas recorded temperatures ranging from minus 16 to 18 degrees.
The severe cold has frozen tap and river water, covered roads in snow, and limited traffic, creating challenges in managing drinking water. The adverse conditions have impacted daily life, leading to the closure of infrastructure development projects.
Chame Rural Municipality issued a notice urging a halt to the supply of construction materials, including cement, due to the intensifying cold. Jaya Bista, chief of the infrastructure office in Manang, stated, ‘There is increasing cold prompting the halt of the transport of construction materials.’
In response to the frigid conditions, local residents are leaving their villages temporarily to escape the extreme cold. School closures and the shutdown of educational institutions have facilitated this temporary migration, with Lamjung, Kathmandu, and Pokhara becoming preferred locations for respite.
Acknowledging the situation, CDO Lamichhane noted that two police beats in Narpabhumi Rural Municipality have been relocated to Chame, the district headquarters, where they continue to provide essential services.
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