[ad_1]
Kathmandu [Nepal]April 8 (ANI): Villagers living near the Nepal-China border in Mugu district have been plunged into poverty after trade with Beijing was disrupted, the Kathmandu Post reported.
In early 2020, borders closed and hundreds of families in the northwest corner of Nepal were pushed to the brink of poverty.
Read also | Pakistan: Tribes attack police station where relatives died in prison in Sindh province.
According to the Kathmandu Post, residents of the remote Mugu district on the border with China point to Beijing’s erratic trade policies as one of the main reasons for their poor quality of life.
About 45 percent of locals in the rural municipality live in extreme poverty, said Tshiring Kyapne Lama, chairman of Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality.
“The number of people living below the poverty line increased from 38 percent to 45 percent in one year,” Lama said.
Wood Valley’s rapid population growth has put pressure on local natural resources. According to the “Kathmandu Post”, the production of medicinal materials has declined due to over-logging.
In the past, Tibet donated materials worth 3.5 million rupees to Mugu Kamalong Township in Mugu every year.
“That stopped too,” said Chhewa Gyalzen Tamang of Daura Serog village. “In the past three years, there has been no support.” He said that Tibet’s infrastructure is booming. “But we’re still in poor shape.”
Locals say it is easier to travel to Tibet than to the regional headquarters of Gangadi. Tibet takes two days with the goods, or one day without the goods. Meanwhile, it takes three days to walk from their village to Gamgadhi, according to the Kathmandu Post.
“The quality of life is much better on the northern border,” Tamang said.
Many villages in Mugu do not yet have access to roads. With no motorized roads to transport ingredients, locals have to pay exorbitant prices for food.
In the village, a 25kg bag of rice costs 7,500 rupees. That’s 300 rupees for a kilo of rice. Inflation has exacerbated their plight, according to the Kathmandu Post.
“Life is very difficult for poor people like us,” said Gala Tsitamang of Mugu village.
“The Nepalese government has been talking about building a cross-border railway, but it will be enough if they build a road that connects us with the rest of the country,” said Lama, chairman of the Mugum Karamarang Rural Municipality.
According to the Kathmandu Post, locals lamented that election promises on building roads were kept only in party manifestos.
The 332km road from Surhet to the Nepal-China border via Nagma and Gamgadhi, and the 85km Gamgadhi-Nakchenangla road are considered proud projects of the Karnari province.
But progress has been frustrating. Only 17 kilometers of track have been opened on the Gamgadhi-Nakchenangla road so far. According to the Kathmandu Post, the Rs 800 crore road project was started more than a decade ago and was due to be completed within five years.
“Because people are banned from going to Tibet, cross-border trade has stopped and many people have been impoverished,” Lama said.
According to the latest census report, the population of Mugu District will increase from 55,286 in 2011 to 64,549 in 2021.
But in other remote areas, the opposite is true. Emigration has emptied the hills, and Delepin is overpopulated.
Many people moved to Jumla. They return once a year to collect wild caterpillar fungus, a species known as Himalayan Viagra, revered for its supposed aphrodisiac properties, according to the Kathmandu Post.
“Forest fires, drought, haphazard collection of herbs, lack of protection and climate change have affected herbal production,” said Pranil Devkota, information officer at the Mugu Forest Division Office.
The villagers have relied on food imports from Tibet for generations; but according to the Kathmandu Post, the closure of the border for the past three years has made life difficult for them.
“We have been struggling with our daily meals after the supply in Tibet was cut off,” said Sonam Tamang, a local resident. “We had to walk for two and a half days to get to the nearest market to buy rice.” (Ani)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
share now
[ad_2]
Source link