Snow, rain add to cold woes in western areas

KATHMANDU, JAN 12 -
People confined indoors; traffic, flights disrupted
Public activities, businesses and transport services in the western parts of the country have taken a major hit as the onslaught of passing cold front was coupled with rain, snow and hailstorms on Saturday.

Extreme weather conditions forced people to stay indoors, while transportation, including flight service, in districts like Humla, Kalikot and Mugu was halted.

Snowfall since morning affected the daily life in the mid-western mountain district of Humla. Snow as high as one feet blanketed Simikot, the district headquarters, impeding the movement of the people and triggering flight cancellations. Temperature in more than a dozen villages in Humla dropped nearly 20 degree Celsius below the freezing point. Similarly, hailstorm lashed Limi, a Nepal-China border village, breaking down the communication system.

Snowfall throughout the day paralysed daily life in all the 30 VDCs of Kalikot. Phoi Mahadev, Ranchuli, Jubitha, Rupsa, Chilkhaya and Odanku VDCs in the upper region of the district were severely affected.  

Traffic police officials in Manma, the district headquarters, said transport service along the Kalikot-Jumla road of Karnali Highway has come to a halt due to snow and rain.

Mugu witnessed the second snowfall of this season. Snowfall from the afternoon brought down the flight service from Nepalgunj and Surkhet. Motor transport along the Nagma-Ghamgadi road was also hit.

The Western Tarai districts of Bardiya and Banke also recorded rainfall, causing significant drop in the day temperature.

Rain and snow also hampered the daily life in various Far-Western districts.

Schools in Pandusen and Dhamkane of Bajura were closed because of extreme cold weather. Continuous rain and snow have also broke down the telecommunication facility in the district. In Baitadi, scores of passengers travelling on public transport were stranded after heavy snowfall blocked the roads.

Kailali, Kanchanpur and Dadeldhura districts were partially affected by cold weather. Meteorologists say the inclement weather caused by Western Disturbance accompanied by the effect of rainfall favouring activity all the way from the Arabian Sea will start improving from Sunday.

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