Freezing cold grips Manang and Mustang

POKHARA: The constant decrease in mercury level in Manang and Mustang has been forcing the locals to shift to lower areas to evade cold.

The Muktinath area in Mustang is now in the icy grip as the temperature plummeted to as low as –5°C.

Highland areas above Chame, the district headquarters of Manang, have recorded the temperature of -7°C.

Likewise, temperature in Jomsom, the district headquarters of Mustang, has reached -4°C in the morning and evening while the areas in the upper part has dropped to -5°C.

Water has started freezing in Pisang, Ghyaru, Ngawal, Bhraka, Tanki Manga and Khangsar of the Upper Manang, said Manang's Chief District Officer Ganja Bahadur MC.

Arrival of tourists in the district has also gone down with the increasing cold, informed local hoteliers.