Bajura, April 13

Due to food crisis triggered by prolonged drought, most of the young men from five districts of Karnali and two districts of Seti have left for India for employment.

Since most of the men have left the districts in the search of job, there are only women, children and old people in Bajura and Bajhang of Seti and five districts of Karnali zone. Most of the arable land in Bajura, Bajhang, Dolpa, Humla, Mugu, Jumla and Kalikot has turned barren due to prolonged drought, which has led to acute shortage food.

Himali Rural Municipality chair Govind Bahadur Malla said that villages in four local levels of northern part of the district did not have any males. “Rural folks are facing a hard time making their ends meet,” said Malla, adding that males were compelled to go to India to earn their living.

Most of the young men from two rural municipalities in Humla’s Shreenagar, majority of the villagers in Mugu’s Shreekot, and drought-hit places of Jumla, Kalikot and Bajhang have left for India in the search of jobs. Owing to food crisis, even schoolboys have discontinued their studies and moved to India. “In many villages, all the family members have migrated to India to make their ends meet,” a local said.

Nanda Bahadur Bhandari, a local of Humla’s Tajamaila Rural Municiplaity-1 who is in India for work, said that only women, elderly and children were left in the village.

Teacher Man Bahadur Rokaya at Sappata of Swamikartik Rural Municiplaity-1, Bajura, said that the village did not even have men to attend funeral processions.