Category - News

Gobinda Prasad Pokharel

Last week I visited Madi, Chiwan as part of my official work.  I am attracted by a village in Ayodhyamarga in Ward No. 8 of Madi. There is a village called Phulbari Tole in that ward. The village is actually transforming. Unique things are being implemented and practised here.

The community there is working tirelessly to transform their place into a model village under the leadership of the Phulbari Mothers’ Group. As you walk through the lanes, you will notice beautifully laid stones inscribed with the names ‘Ram’ and ‘Sita’ and almost every home is greeted by a lush, vibrant garden.

What makes this village truly special is its commitment to environmental by reducing plastic waste. These very stones carry eco-friendly messages.

With technical support from the National Trust for Nature Conservation, the community has established a local industry using two specialized machines to produce Duna-Tapari (traditional leaf plates and bowls). This activity is run directly by the Phulbari Mothers’ Group and local residents, aims to completely phase out the use of plastic.

The group consists of 32 women members who collect fallen Sal leaves from the nearby Buffer Zone Community Forest. They dry these leaves and process them through machines to create biodegradable plates. This campaign is an example of how environment protection can go hand-in-hand with economic empowerment, allowing local women to generate an income right from their homes.

The small factory has the capacity to produce over 300 leaf plates a day, which are sold for anywhere between 1 to 5 rupees depending on the size. Unlike plastic, which plagues the environment, these Sal leaf products decompose naturally and pose no threat to nature.

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The ongoing issue of the monkey menace in Nepal has sparked debate among policymakers and stakeholders on conflict mitigation.

Some advocate for budget allocation as a solution, thinking funding will reduce the problem. Others suggest alternative farming practices, while some argue that vasectomy procedures for male monkeys could be more effective.

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Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the 81 MW Budhigandaki Hydropower Project claims that there is no any fish in the project area. This has raised concerns among the experts.

The EIA report which was approved by the Ministry of Energy and awaiting approval from the Ministry of Forests and Environment of Nepal is in debate and has created skepticism.

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Gobinda Prasad Pokharel

On May 16th, two young brothers, 13-year-old Grish Pahadi and 3-year-old Grishma Pahadi, tragically lost their lives due to snake bites in Dudhauli Municipality-1 Kurthauli of Sindhuli. The snake bit Grish on his left finger and Grishma on his left leg while they were sleeping in their cement block house with a tiled roof.

With the beginning of April, the cases of snakebite have started to increase in Terai and central hilly areas of Nepal. Shukraraj Tropical Hospital in Kathmandu has also seen an increase in snakebite patients over the past month. According to the hospital’s director, Dr. Manisha Rawal, the number of patients is gradually increasing from 1-2 per day to 3–4 per day. On Monday alone, three snakebite patients were being treated at the hospital. Dr. Rawal informed me that patients come from districts surrounding Kathmandu such as Kavre, Bhaktapur, Nuwakot, Dhading, and Gorkha.

Snakebite cases in Nepal are most common from April to October, and experts predict that the number will continue to rise with the onset of summer. Snake researcher Kamal Devkota explains that there are many reasons for the increase in snake bites during these months. Snakes come out when the ground heats up during the summer when it rains during monsoon season and water enters in the holes.  Additionally, this is also the time for planting crops, and snakes come out for breeding in April or May.

Most snakebite cases in Nepal occur in the Terai region. A study lead by Professor Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, rector of the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, found that out of every 100,000 people in Terai, 261 are bitten by snakes each year, and 22 of them die. Snake bites are most common in rural areas and among farmers and poor people. Studies have shown that snake bites are more likely to occur when sleeping outside the house, going to fields or forests, or sleeping on the floor inside the house.

According to Dr. Sharma’s study, approximately 3,000 people die from snake bites each year in Nepal, with an estimated 37,661 cases occurring annually in 23 districts of Terai. The World Health Organization had previously stated that 20,000 cases of snakebite occur in Nepal each year, with 1,000 deaths resulting from them.

There are currently 84 species of snakes in Nepal, with about 21 being poisonous. Among them, Cobra, Karait, Roussell’s Viper, King Cobra, and Coral Snake (Karkat Naag) are the most venomous.

Read more on the originally published article in Ekantipur on 6th June of 2023.

This story is about a Man-Eater tigress that have been rescued in the western part of Nepal in Kanchanpur district. This tigress has killed a 42 years old female while she was cutting fodder near a local canal. The woman was dragged by the tiger at the time of cutting grass. Her body was found in a swampy place on the next day of the attack.

National Park office deployed four elephants in search of the tiger with wildlife technician in order to dart the Man eater. Previously the tiger has also killed a man in Indian Side according to the officials.

The Story of Maharani Tigress was published in Front Page of Kantipur Daily n 24th April of 2024 with my byline

The tiger was later captured and it was taken to the Central Zoo of Nepal. The 5 years old tigress will be kept with a male tiger in the zoo. The male tiger was given name Maharaja, The king. As she will be in the captivity with Maharaja, she was given name Maharani, the Queen.

I wrote this story and was published in Ekantipur online on 23rd April of 2023. Later a print version was published on the 24th April in Kantipur Daily.

The details of the story is in the link :
https://ekantipur.com/news/2023/04/23/168225756197388677.html