BAJURA, NOVEMBER 29

Locals at Rudhi village of Swamikartik Khapar Rural Municipality, Bajura, have been facing acute food crisis for the past eight years. As many as 156 families are facing this problem.

Bir Bahadur Karki, a local, said they had been facing acute food shortage after dry landslides destroyed the irrigation channel eight years ago. He said villagers could not cultivate seasonal crops for want of irrigation facilities and rain and they were compelled to buy rice from the Kolti Depot. Karki added that youths of the village were compelled to go to India to earn their livelihood.

The dry landslides had swept away the only irrigation channel leaving the fields dry in the village.

Chief District Officer Gopal Adhikari said that the locals at Rudhi village had been facing acute shortage of food. He also added that most of the locals of the village were suffering from malnutrition. Adhikari said that most of the families had migrated to India due to food crisis.

Locals also said that the state had paid no attention to the villagers' problems.

The village is three days walking distance from the district headquarters Martadi.

Archana Karki, a local woman, said the villagers could not feed their children and they were compelled to sleep on empty stomachs.

She further said that many people in the village suffered from diseases and malnutrition due to lack of complete diet.

Health volunteer Bina Bhul said pregnant women of the village were also victims of malnutrition.

Chatur Bam, another local, said the villagers had reached the district headquarters demanding that they be provided some relief to address the problems of food crisis, but the government authorities did not heed their problems.

A version of this article appears in the print on November 30 2021, of The Himalayan Times.