Dense fog affects life of Kailali, Kanchanpur

January 9, 2003
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ATTARIYA (Kailali), Jan. 9: The general life in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts, in far west Nepal, has been affected by dense fog since the past 15 days.

Frost has badly affected vegetable cultivation in those districts. Shiva Bahadur Kunwar, a farmer of Bauniya in Kailali, said that the frost had destroyed all of his mustard plants. The frost has destroyed mostly vegetables like tomato, potato and cauliflower.

According to Ram Mahato of the Agriculture Development Office of Kailali, potato is being cultivated on about 2,000 hectares of land in the district. Likewise, tomato is cultivated on about 15,000 hectares and cauliflower on about 3,000 hectares.

The markets of Chisapani, Tikapur, Lamki, Attariya and Dhangadi of Kailali and Jhalari, Daiji, Mahendranagar and Gaddachauki of Kanchanpur have been closed for days due to the cold. Sellers, who go from door to door and footpath vendors, are staying indoors due to the chill. Tourist arrivals from India to Mahendranagar have also declined.

The fog has hampered RNAC’s flights from Kathmandu and Nepalgunj to Kailali and Mahendranagar from the past one week, said Kul Prasad Ojha, Chief of RNAC Dhangadi Office. The weekly air service to Bajhang every Saturday was also stopped last week. As a result, both civil servants and the people have been held up at Dhangadi due to lack of flights.

Travel, by road between adjoining hilly Bajhang and Baitadi districts, has also become very risky due to the dense fog. However, bus services between Dhangadi and Mahendranagar have been running smoothly.

Civil servants are not attending offices while most of the schools have been closed. According to the doctors of Mahakali Zonal Hospital, the number of children and old people coming to the hospital for treatment of headaches, pains on the hands and legs and fainting has been increasing in recent times.