MUSTANG, AUGUST 10
Lete and Kobang in Mustang district, once famous for apples and products made of apple, such as dried apples, apple jam, and brandy (Marpha), among others, no longer grow apples.
Locals, who had depended on apple farming in both localities situated at around 2,500 metres above sea level, have been left with no other option than to seek alternative to apple farming.
Much to the astonishment of locals, until a decade and half ago, apples used to be grown commercially on land up to 3,000 metres above the sea level.
These days, apples are cultivated in the highland above that elevation.
In Lete and Kobang, fruits like pears, walnut and apricot were put in place as an alternative to apple farming, informed Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Mustang Chief Prakash Bastakoti. He said that apple was grown in Lomanthang (3,800 metres) and its surrounding areas lately.
Locals said apple farming was flourishing in Muktinath and Chusang areas in the district known for producing fragrant, juicy and crispy apples. Proprietor of Hotel Grand Sambala in Muktinatha, Suraj Gurung, said more and more farmers in those areas were fascinated by commercial apple farming of late.
Residents in the high hills said they could see a change in rainfall pattern these days. The settlement here would see rainfall rarely in the past, but this rainfall is not an occasional phenomenon for them. With the start of rainfall here, age-old structures made of clay are at risk of collapse. People residing around the Nilgiri Peak in Mustang said the area would not see rainfall annually, but now the pattern has changed and it has been frequent, weakening the clay-made structures.
Settlements on the lap of the Nilgiri are facing the consequences of the change in rainfall pattern.
Lupra, Marpha, Jomsom, Chhairu, Thini and Thyang feature traditional houses with clay roof tiles. It seems such roof tiles are not enough to resist rainfall as they are gradually crumbling with rainfall becoming frequent.
Such structures are made for special purposes to challenge the chilling cold in the high alpine settlement. They work as indigenous air-conditioning system to keep houses warm and protect people from the consequences of biting cold. They still remember using shovels to clear off the snow from their roof.
Climate in the high lands is almost all the time cold and houses with clay roof keep them less affected. Locals said they saw challenges in keeping the indigenous architecture intact. The scale of incidents of rainfall-caused disasters has gone up while changing climate system has its direct impact on agriculture production.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 11, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
