President of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) Rajesh Kumar Agrawal declared last week that the economy was in a deep recession. But others cite record high remittances and foreign exchange reserves to say there is no cause for alarm. &nbsp;
Whom to believe? Both sides are right. The external sector of the economy is sound, but jobs are down and so is domestic demand and economic activities are. There is no domestic and foreign investment.
“Looking at our macroeconomic indicators, we most certainly aren’t heading towards a recession,” says Ishwori Prasad Bhandari of the National Statistics Office. “We are, however, experiencing a slow growth rate."
Unlike what many had predicted last year, Nepal has not gone down like Sri Lanka. Foreign reserves have climbed to $11.85 billion, enough to cover imports for more than 10 months. Nepalis sent home Rs116.2 billion in just the last month, a record and 26% up from the same month in 2022. And that is just through official channels.&nbsp;
After nearly 34 months, the current account deficit is on firmer ground. And the Asian Development Bank this week projected that the economic growth rate this year will bounce back to 4.3% from 1.9% % last year.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/state-of-the-state">State of the state</a>, Kunda Dixit
The inflation rate also dropped to 7.52% in July, down from 8.26% at the same time last year mainly because of lower fuel prices and lower inflation in India.&nbsp;
There are no figures for unemployment, but since about 1 million Nepalis left for overseas jobs and work-study in 2022-23, the picture is not rosy.
On the import side, demand declined first because of the pandemic and later government-imposed ban on luxury goods. Imports three years ago were down to Rs1.54 trillion only for it to bounce back a year later by nearly 25% once the restrictions were removed.
The decline in demand can also be credited to a slowdown in construction and infrastructure projects. Much of the reconstruction after the 2015 earthquake is complete, and so is new infrastructure for new local and provincial governments. This has led to a decline in demand for cement and other building materials.
The growth rate of bank loans has shrunk to 4.6% which many saw as a reluctance of industries to invest. But higher interest rates in the past have not necessarily resulted in economic growth, production, or jobs.
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/state-sponsored-economic-crisis-ikcxxmnp">State-sponsored economic crisis</a>, Ramesh Kumar
Due to the rapid growth of credit, the ratio of credit to the private sector has exceeded 91% of Nepal’s GDP, which is the highest in South Asia. Some experts credit this for the natural slump.
“After seeing an increase of 26% a year, it is only natural for the loan growth rate to decline,” says former banker Parshuram Kunwar Chhetri. “Credit growth can fluctuate when the economy does, it does not always increase at the same pace.”
Loans are starting to see an increase. Last month the figure stood at Rs44.15 billion which is double the amount in the same period last year.
“The economy went into decline, but did not collapse,” concludes Chhetri. “But the Central Bank could lower interest rates, relax the limit of Rs10.2 million imposed on the stock market and increase capital expenditure to boost the morale of the private sector.”
Former Finance Secretary Rameshore Khanal argues that just because some shops have closed down it does not mean that the economy is on the verge of collapse. “A lull in market and consumption have changed leading to some businesses experiencing difficulties. But other businesses have sprung up. This is a natural trend.”&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/till-debt-do-us-part">Till debt do us part</a>, Ramesh Kumar
Indeed, much business has shifted to digital platforms since the Covid pandemic. Just last month, mobile banking accounted for Rs243 billion, up from Rs73 billion two years ago.
“If it was a real recession, people would stop buying home appliances but here during the NADA auto show this year, there was a record high transaction worth Rs20 billion,” says Khanal.
So why are businesses trying to make it look like we are facing the Great Depression?
Experts say businesses are exaggerating the recession narrative to influence policy so they can get away with not paying high interest rates on loans taken earlier.&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/institutionalised-inequality">Institutionalised inequality</a>, Editorial
“This problem arose in the first place due to the flow of cheap loans,” explains Shivraj Adhikari of Tribhuvan University. “And what we have now is the business community trying to create a policy trap by demanding concessions on their unpaid loans.”
But this is not to say that all is hunky dory. Much of the remittances are spent on unproductive sectors when they should have gone into job creation, renewable businesses, and manufacturing. Nepal also needs to increase its capital expenditure.
Says Nepal Rastra Bank’s Prakash Kumar Shrestha: “There are structural problems from the past and we will need major reforms to speed up the economy. Business as usual and only relying on the real estate and stock market for growth will not be enough.”
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/cost-of-living-in-a-big-city">Cost of living in a big city</a>, Ramesh Kumar

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News

Business as unusual

A recently released political prisoner from <a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/bhutan" target="_blank">Bhutan</a> has revealed ghastly conditions that political imprisoners in Bhutan are subjected to including food shortages and inadequate medical care, urging foreign countries to press for the immediate release of those held in violation of their human rights.
Madhukar Monger was released in August 2023 after serving 29 years. At least 36 others including a woman are in Bhutan jails, convicted of political offenses following unfair trials that frequently relied on confessions coerced under torture. 
 
“Bhutan’s government has sought to cultivate its global image by espousing ‘gross national happiness,’ but its treatment of political prisoners tells a different story,” says <a href="https://www.hrw.org/about/people/meenakshi-ganguly" target="_blank">Meenakshi Ganguly</a>, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck should exercise compassion and his sole authority to grant amnesty to these unjustly held prisoners and release them.” 
 
Most of Bhutan’s political prisoners belong to the country’s marginalised Nepali-speaking community known as Lhotshampa and were convicted because of prohibited political activity between 1990 and 2008.&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/bhutan-king-must-free-political-prisoners">Bhutan king must free political prisoners</a>, Nepali Times
Some 90,000 of them were forced to leave the country as refugees. A majority of them ended up in refugee camps across eastern Nepal before they were eventually resettled in eight different countries with the United States taking a bulk of them.
Monger, now 57, fled Bhutan with his family in 1990 but returned to campaign on behalf of the banned Bhutan People’s Party. He was arrested and tortured by the army in February 1994. And at 26, he was sentenced to 31 years for “anti-government activities,” following a trial in which he had no defense lawyer. He was released a year early after paying a fine of $250.
Monger was held in a section of Chemgang prison near Thimpu, known as the “anti” block, short for “anti-national.” He said the authorities refer to the political prisoners as “rajbandi” and the guards address them as “traitors.”
<a href="https://www.nab.gov.bt/assets/uploads/docs/acts/2014/Prison_Act_of_Bhutan,_2009eng3rd.pdf" target="_blank">Bhutanese law</a> defines a “political prisoner” as “any person convicted for conspiring, attempting, soliciting, abetting or committing offenses against the Tsa-Wa-Sum (king, country, and people).”&nbsp;
Many are serving life sentences without parole, and they are all denied contact with their families or the outside world, in violation of international standards. Bhutanese authorities have long denied the existence of these prisoners.
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/political-prisoners-languish-in-bhutan-s-jails">Political prisoners languish in Bhutan’s jails</a>, Devendra Bhattarai
Monger describes the conditions for political prisoners as having declined drastically in recent years. He told Human Rights Watch that the authorities cut the monthly rice ration from 20kgs to 12, wheat flour from 6kgs to 1.5 and lentils from 3kgs to 2.
Prisoners do receive a small weekly allowance of fresh meat and vegetables but they were compelled to sell a portion to police and guards in order to buy medicine and clothes which the authorities did not provide.&nbsp;
Monger further adds that at the time of his release, at least four prisoners in the “anti” block had serious health problems, including one who received back surgery twice for a condition that the prisoners believe resulted from torture, and three who are regularly hospitalised for chronic conditions.
The neglect has gotten worse since the Covid-19 pandemic, Monger says. Prisoners have not received new bedding or clothing since the coronavirus outbreak, and Chemgang is cold much of the year. Families do not get to visit then. Phone calls and letters too are prohibited.&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/gross-national-reconciliation-in-bhutan">Gross National Reconciliation in Bhutan</a>, Suraj Budathoki
Following a Human Rights Watch <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/13/bhutan-free-long-term-political-prisoners" target="_blank">report</a> in March identifying 37 political prisoners, most of them held at Chemgang but also at other prisons, government officials assured prisoners regularly that they would be “released soon,” according to Monger. However, none aside from Monger is known to have been released. 
 
Under <a href="https://www.judiciary.gov.bt/storage/files/1/Sentencing%20Guideline%20for%20the%20Judiciary%20of%20Bhutan%202022.pdf" target="_blank">Bhutanese law</a>, a person serving a life sentence can only be released if the king grants an amnesty. In 2022, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck <a href="http://www.bhutannewsnetwork.com/2022/04/six-political-prisoners-released/" target="_blank">granted amnesty </a>to one political prisoner serving a life term. In contrast, his father King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1999 <a href="https://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1999/12/28/king-pardons-bhutan-prodemocracy-leader-after-10-years-in-prison&amp;post_id=15081" target="_blank">granted amnesty</a> to 40 political prisoners, including some serving <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa14/002/1994/en/" target="_blank">life sentences</a>. 
 
Monger is currently in a refugee camp in Nepal while his family has moved to the United States under a resettlement program for Bhutanese refugees. Governments of Nepal and the United States with the assistance of the United Nations Refugee Agency must assist him to rejoin his family. 
 
“At least 36 people remain in prison for their alleged political activities seeking democratic choice, which Bhutan’s multiparty constitution has recognised since 2008,” says Meenakshi Ganguly. “The Bhutanese authorities should release these prisoners now and reunite them with their families.”
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/real-refugees-want-to-go-back-to-bhutan">Real refugees want to go back to Bhutan</a>, Sujata Dhungana

No country for dissent

In April 2011, Himal Khabar published a list of 51 bills and 10 treaties and agreements registered in the Parliament Secretariat, questioning the effectiveness of the Speaker in Parliament. The Speaker was Subhas Chandra Nembang.&nbsp; The report concluded that the Constituent Assembly and the Legislative Parliament were not constructive as Speaker Nembang had not been able to hold CA members accountable for their wrongdoings.&nbsp; Nembang, to whom the magazine reached out routinely for comment, did not refute the report, or even address it in public. &nbsp; In his 42-year-long political career, Subhas Chandra Nembang was known for his politics of consensus, cooperation, and communication. His personal philosophy of tolerance and accommodation extended not only to politics but also to the media.&nbsp; The UML vice-chair and former Speaker of the House passed away early Tuesday morning due to a heart attack at his Baluwatar residence. He was 71.&nbsp; In an interview about state restructuring, Nembang said in 2009, “It is wisest to analyse Nepal’s circumstances objectively and protect our achievements. Those who are uncompromising in their positions may soon find themselves having missed the forest for the trees.”&nbsp; Many were critical of Nembang’s moderate politics. But over time, his analyses of Nepal’s politics would mostly come to be on the mark. &nbsp; Nembang had the ability to present disagreeable topics in a dignified manner, something that has become uncommon in Nepal’s political leadership. It would not be wrong to call him a gentleman of Nepal's politics. &nbsp; He was among a rare breed of Nepali politicians who understood the dynamics between politics and the press, expressing his respect towards media freedom even when journalists were critical of him. &nbsp; When called on the phone for a quote, he would respond with, “It is much better to speak in person.” &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230912160912_df1d51cc05a1dcba55b1a4eaa9aac9389af9af6fdd00133c10b1d5511b8aaf00.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230912160912_df1d51cc05a1dcba55b1a4eaa9aac9389af9af6fdd00133c10b1d5511b8aaf00" data-rendition-name="original" width="3594" height="2396" loading="lazy" alt="2015 constitution promulgation"> </figure>  Over the years, during meetings at his office in the Parliament building in Baneswor, the Speaker’s residence in Baluwatar, Singha Darbar, the UML party office in Balkhu or his Pioneer Law Associates, the gist of his conversation would always be the same: “Himal, Pahad, Tarai need to unite. There is no alternative to consensus.”&nbsp; Nembang was a shrewd communicator, often telling media personnel during conversations: “Quote me on this, and attribute the rest to ‘sources’”.&nbsp; Nembang was born in 1953 in Ilam’s Suntalabari village. He was politically active in the UML since his student days in 1971 at the Ilam Multipurpose Campus when he was elected chairman of the All Nepal National Free Students Union.&nbsp; Nembang, whose father was a district judge, followed his footsteps into law. As a lawyer, he was general secretary of the Nepal Bar Association in 1987. He was also a faculty at the Kathmandu Law Campus.&nbsp; He was first elected to parliament from Ilam’s second constituency in 1991, and a second time in 1999. He also served as the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in communist Prime Minister Manmohan Adhikari’s government.&nbsp; Nembang served as the Speaker of the House in 2006 and as chair of the Constituent Assembly in both 2008 and 2014. He was also the Speaker in 2015. With his constitutional and legal background, he is also credited with contributing significantly to the promulgation of Nepal’s 2015 Constitution. He became the UML vice-chair in 2018. In November 2022, he was once again elected to parliament from Ilam’s second constituency. He was subsequently the UML nominee for Nepal’s President but lost to coalition presidential candidate Ram Chandra Paudel during the presidential election in March.&nbsp; During his four decades in politics, Nembang cultivated an image of an easy-going, approachable leader, and was seen as a non-confrontational politician who often took the initiative to resolve deadlocks in disputes within the UML, while also crossing ideological lines to mediate among Nepal’s feuding political parties.&nbsp; In an age of cynical, kleptocratic and regressive politics, Nepal will miss Nembang’s gentle ways.&nbsp;

The gentleman of Nepal's politics is gone

Last year, 775,000 Nepalis left for employment abroad, and another 100,000 students flew out to study overseas. Nearly a million young Nepalis left in 2021-22, and that figure does not even include those who went to India.&nbsp; This is the largest mass exodus of young Nepalis in the country’s history. No country can sustain such a sustained haemorrhage.&nbsp; There are few Nepalis left in villages, and those in cities seem to be mostly waiting for documents to leave. Every day, 3,000 Nepalis leave on student visas from Kathmandu airport. The 2021 census put the country’s absentee population at 2.1 million, and that appears to be a gross underestimate. “The youth are not keen to stay at home, and their parents do not want them to stay here either,” says sociologist Ganesh Gurung. “It seems as if the entire nation is on the move.” Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/migration-not-a-wish-but-necessity-for-nepalis">Migration not a wish, but necessity for Nepalis</a>, Shristi Karki <div class="embed-block"><iframe src='https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/14955345/embed' title='Interactive or visual content' class='flourish-embed-iframe' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' style='width:100%;height:600px;' sandbox='allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation'></iframe><div style='width:100%!;margin-top:4px!important;text-align:right!important;'><a class='flourish-credit' href='https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/14955345/?utm_source=embed&utm_campaign=visualisation/14955345' target='_top' style='text-decoration:none!important'><img alt='Made with Flourish' src='https://public.flourish.studio/resources/made_with_flourish.svg' style='width:105px!important;height:16px!important;border:none!important;margin:0!important;'> </a></div></div> An increasing number of Nepalis are leaving to study while working: primarily in Australia, Japan, Europe, and North America. Those who leave face bureaucratic hassles trying to get no-objection certificates, and when they come back they get the run around trying to obtain an equivalency for foreign degrees so they can work here. Last month, six young Nepalis from Rasuwa left their studies, jobs, and businesses to seek employment in Croatia. “With luck, I can get a PR (Permanent Residency) in some other European country, Croatia is just a stepping stone,” said Bhuvan Neupane, one of the six. Elsewhere in Nuwakot’s Bidur village, Binod Poudel is hoping to go abroad and has handed his passport to a foreign employment agent. “All my friends have left Nepal,” he says. “What am I supposed to do here?” Aakriti Timilsina is a high school graduate, and has given up on college in Nepal and is preparing to study in either Canada or Australia by working part-time there. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-hard-working-students-overseas">Nepal’s hard working students overseas</a>, Sonia Awale <div class="embed-block"><iframe title="Studying Abroad " aria-label="Map" id="datawrapper-chart-0JsdR" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/0JsdR/4/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="900" height="483" data-external="1"></iframe></div> A recent study by the online platform Studyportals revealed that Nepali students make up 14.3% of international students across the world. Sociologist Dinesh Prasain notes that a lack of employment and meaningful earnings are the primary reasons for the young to leave. Basic items have become unaffordable even in fixed-income households. But there are other push factors as well: peer pressure, falling living standards, and a growing hopelessness that the future will be better because of corruption and political disarray.&nbsp; At the end of the Maoist insurgency in 2006, there was expectation that stability would yield a peace dividend. But Nepali politics remains in the stranglehold of tried, tested and failed leaders. Volatile and populist behaviour of new elected leaders has disappointed many young people, while some parties resort to religion and bigotry.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/inconvenient-truths">Inconvenient truths</a>, Editorial  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230908040920_e0cbd240a58b106e912ff5929f838821076ca23de511298525fc5a6fb19da0d1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230908040920_e0cbd240a58b106e912ff5929f838821076ca23de511298525fc5a6fb19da0d1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Page 1"> </figure>  Young Nepalis enthusiastically voted for alternative candidates in the 2022 local and federal polls, but mayors Harka Sampang and Balen Shah have been more adept at posting inflammatory comments on social media than actually delivering on election promises. This week Shah made outright threats to burn down Singha Darbar because the car carrying his wife was stopped for speeding. The post got millions of shares and likes before he took it down. Many also took the outburst as a sign that the Kathmandu mayor offers no real hope of reform. A series of corruption scandals from fake refugees, the Baluwatar land scam, gold smuggling and politicians trying to protect each other by transferring police investigators has added to the public disillusionment. “Nepali society has lost faith in politics and the leadership to make things better,” explains sociologist Dinesh Prasain. “Nepali parents &nbsp;would rather their children go somewhere better, and youngsters do not want to remain in what they see as a sinking ship.” Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/guest-editorial/false-equivalence-in-nepal-academia">False equivalence in Nepal academia</a>, Aastha Dahal <div class="embed-block"><iframe title="No-Objection Certificate for students" aria-label="Column Chart" id="datawrapper-chart-c67xC" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/c67xC/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="450" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}(); </script></div> Nepalis are lining up to fight in foreign armies, and even recruited themselves into both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war because of the promise of earnings and citizenship. This movement is helping keep Nepal’s economy afloat. Remittances contributed significantly to lowering Nepal’s poverty rate to below 17%, but over the long-term the cost of losing such a large proportion of the working age population is incalculable.&nbsp; Some 65% of Nepal’s total population is in the 15-64 age group, and Nepal is losing this demographic advantage. The country has only one-and-a-half decades left to take advantage of an active youth workforce. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/in-a-federal-kleptocratic-republic-of-nepal">In a Federal Kleptocratic Republic of Nepal</a>, Shristi Karki <div class="embed-block"> <iframe title="Population by age group" aria-label="Split Bars" id="datawrapper-chart-3L11U" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3L11U/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="600" height="595" data-external="1"></iframe></div> Sociologist Dinesh Prasain describes the exit of young Nepalis as a moral crisis: “It is a failure of the political leadership. A country without its youth has lost its soul.” Meanwhile, Nepal’s politicians are just mouthing platitudes. Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat last week urged young Nepalis to “change their mindset”, even arguing that Nepali students should be barred from studying abroad. Economist Pushkar Bajracharya says that there has to be a step-by-step strategy to create opportunities for Nepalis at home in order to prevent a brain and brawn drain: “If out-migration continues to grow as this pace, we are not only looking at a socio-economic crisis but also a threat to our sovereignty.”&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/high-risk-remittance">High-risk remittance</a>, Upasana Khadka

Push factors driving Nepalis out

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will be nominating its South East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) Director at its 76th session starting 30 October in New Delhi.&nbsp;
Nepal’s candidate Shambu Prasad Acharya has emerged as a clear favourite among international public health practitioners. But vying for the same position is Saima Wazed, a psychologist and the daughter of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;
Many see this as a context between a professional with decades of experience in health against a political appointee. &nbsp;
The global health community is keeping a close watch, especially given that the region has a high disease burden and is a hotspot for both new and emerging infections as well as chronic illnesses.
Former UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF Kul Chandra Gautam believes Acharya is the more qualified candidate, and not just because he is a fellow Nepali.&nbsp;
“The most important qualities for an incoming WHO regional director are a strong background in public health, a deep understanding of global and regional health challenges with the ability to prioritise them,” Gautam told Nepali Times.&nbsp;
“Sambhu Acharya has a strong track record and high credibility in dealings with global health leaders, academics, funding agencies, and national decision-makers, a proven ability to advocate for health as a key component of sustainable development, and a good understanding of WHO's strengths and weaknesses,” he added.
Acharya has a PhD in public health and has over three decades of experience in Nepal, Bangladesh, and other countries. He was instrumental in developing health systems at the local, national, and regional levels in maternity and child health, family planning, population, infectious and non-communicable diseases.
He also led World Bank-funded health and population programs in Bangladesh and helped establish the WHO Asia-Pacific Health Economics Network.&nbsp;
“For a region that has a quarter of the global population, selecting the right candidate is imperative, and Dr Acharya is the best candidate for the position,” says Bishow Parajuli, a former UN Resident Coordinator as well as UNDP and WFP representative in many countries.&nbsp;
Acharya himself told us that if elected, his top priority would be to improve health and well-being approaches by guiding countries toward a fundamental shift in health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and planetary health, by addressing their root causes.&nbsp;
“This region is home to 45% of all TB cases, but my priorities also include non-communicable diseases like diabetes and cancer,” he said, adding that he would also bolster real-time surveillance and mobilising new resources for the development of diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines, while combating antimicrobial resistance.
Acharya was born to a farming family in rural western Nepal where he saw firsthand the lack of basic health and essential services. Even as a boy, he had made up his mind to someday improve healthcare at the national, regional, and global levels.
Acharya is committed to accelerating universal health coverage with strong, inclusive primary health care by innovating and digitising the system for equity and solidarity in the region. He also wants to enhance education so that diseases can be mitigated or prevented altogether.
On the other hand, Wazed's educational background is in mental health. Since 2019, she has been an adviser to WHO’s director general on mental health and autism. She is a Canadian citizen, and has worked as a school psychologist in Florida.
“She is undoubtedly a bright, articulate, and versatile personality,” says Gautam. “However, her qualifications are somewhat limited when it comes to serving as a public health leader of global or regional stature.”
In the lead-up to the 153rd Executive Board meeting that follows the 76th World Health Assembly, 53 public health experts from around the world have issued a statement demanding more transparency and scrutiny regarding regional director elections.
‘Considering the challenges faced by WHO and the need for effective health multilateralism, regional office leaders have a critical task of persuading national political leaders to prioritize public health evidence and resolve differences at regional levels,’ the statement says. ‘To fulfil this role effectively, Regional Directors must possess the necessary technical and managerial competencies and exhibit political astuteness in navigating health diplomacy.’
Parajuli, who has also served the UN in Dhaka, says Wazed’s candidacy has also disadvantaged other qualified candidates from Bangladesh. He fears that experience may be overshadowed by politics.&nbsp;
Nepal’s international lobbying effort will be important for Acharya’s candidacy. Candidates for WHO elections are proposed by member states and then nominated by the Executive Board. The World Health Assembly then votes by secret ballot to elect the Director-General.
Says Parajuli: “Member states must select qualified candidates capable of delivering results. This should be the guiding principle.”&nbsp;

Who’s WHO?

Dalits were still strictly prohibited from entering the places of worship, but in 2001 they were defying the ban in Baitadi district in Nepal’s western mountains. They tried to forcibly enter a temple, and were beaten back by people who considered themselves of a superior caste. One of those agitating was 20-year-old Saraswati Nepali, and ever since it has been a lifelong struggle till her receiving the US Department of State’s Global Anti-Racism Champions Award in Washington DC last month from Antony Blinken (pictured). “It was a surprise and an honour,” says Nepali, now 42. “It also made me realise that discrimination is present all over the world, be it ethnic, racial, or caste-based. It is our duty to keep on fighting for justice and equality.” The irony is that not many people have heard of Saraswati Nepali within Nepal and her relentless activism.&nbsp; In 2017, Nepali was a UML deputy mayor candidate from Dashrathchand Municipality. Despite getting 3,100 votes, she lost to Meena Chand of the Nepali Congress. “I lost because of my last name,” recalls Nepali. “Baitadi people &nbsp;were not ready to see a Dalit woman as deputy mayor. People were concerned that temples would be inaugurated by a Dalit if I won. Not one to give up, Nepali stood again for mayor in 2022. She lost again but got more votes than the previous time. “The locals accepted me as a leader but not my leadership,” she admits.&nbsp; Nepali was born the youngest child to a Dalit family in Baitadi in the isolated far-western mountains of Nepal, one of Nepal’s most under-served districts and one where caste-based discrimination is still deeply entrenched.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230906140936_e889b05f022ddbf848a2858954dac9fba009318d46aef4a5f3cd9f4478b835b7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230906140936_e889b05f022ddbf848a2858954dac9fba009318d46aef4a5f3cd9f4478b835b7" data-rendition-name="original" width="3264" height="2279" loading="lazy" alt="Saraswati Nepali"> </figure>  Growing up with discrimination at every step, rebellion was not a choice for Saraswati Nepali but the only way to survive. The social ostracisation she faced from a young age left a lasting impression and ignited a passion for activism that would later define her life. Her father Nanda died when she was only six months old, but her three older brothers became her guardians and encouraged her to pursue education. She was eight when she started her formal education. At night, she used to tag along with her youngest brother Prakash who used to paint slogans against caste-based discrimination on walls and other surfaces in the village. At 15, she met Dalit activists like Puran Singh Dayal who had initiated a movement to enter eateries that prohibited Dalits. Back then, Dalits had to drink tea outdoors and wash the glass themselves.&nbsp; By 22, Nepali was already affiliated with the National Dalit Network and Dalit Development Society. Having witnessed and sometimes experienced first-hand the worst of caste-based discrimination including bonded labour, landlessness, and Dalits being forced to scavenge on carcasses of animals, Nepali took her activism to the streets. Under Nepali’s initiation, Baitadi outlawed bonded labour in 2007, a year before Kathmandu did so nationally. &nbsp; “She is a rebel with a cause that her own country has not recognised yet,” says fellow activist Puran Singh Dayal, remembering Nepali joining him at the temple agitation more than two decades ago.&nbsp; Nepali had previously also won the Darnal Award for Social Justice in 2018. The US State Department said in its citation: ‘Saraswati has played a crucial role in Dalit social justice movements to acquire land rights, gain access to education, and obtain equal justice from the courts.’ But there is only so much activism can do, matters of discrimination and inequality like many other problems in Nepal are political in nature and need political solutions. Which is why Nepali has chosen electoral politics.&nbsp; “All my life, I have been on streets shouting, now I want to be in a decision-making position,” says Nepali. “If given the chance I can bring about social reform.” Nepali hasn’t given up on Baitadi which she calls her ‘janmabhumi’, (birthplace), her ‘gyanbhumi’ (the land where she was educated) and her ‘karmabhumi’ (her place of work).&nbsp; “One day, I will surely win the hearts and minds of voters,” says the ever-positive activist. “I will then use political power to eradicate our country of social ills.”&nbsp; Translated by Pinki Sris Rana from the Nepali original published on himalkhabar.com

Saraswati casts net wide for justice

Even though heat waves, floods and wildfires are ravaging the planet, it is actually suspended particles in the air that pose the most serious immediate risk to human health, reducing average life spans across the world. Moves to control carbon emissions by switching to renewable energy will help in also reducing pollution thereby improving public health and allowing billions of people around the world to live longer. The <a href="https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AQLI_2023_Report-Global_Embargoed.pdf" target="_blank">latest data from the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI)</a> issued by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago shows that fine soot particles in the air that are less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in diameter are the most dangerous. <a href="https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Nepal-FactSheet-2023_Embargoed.pdf" target="_blank">Nepal is among countries most affected</a> by particulate air pollution from its own vehicular emissions and open fires, and is downwind in winter from the <a href="https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/India-FactSheet-2023_Embargoed.pdf" target="_blank">most polluted parts of north India</a>. The <a href="https://uchicago.app.box.com/s/swo06s7b5fvfmn0v4h5eisi37w6a5c6g" target="_blank">report reveals</a> that particulate pollution carries the greatest external risk to human health, with the impact on life expectancy comparable to that of smoking, more than 3 times that of alcohol use and unsafe water, and more than 5 times that of traffic accidents.&nbsp; However, the risk is not spread equally across the world. Six countries in the world are at much greater risk than others and most of them are in Nepal’s neighbourhood.&nbsp; “Three-quarters of air pollution’s impact on global life expectancy occurs in just six countries, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria and Indonesia, where people lose one to more than six years off their lives because of the air they breathe,” says Michael Greenstone, Professor in Economics at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230829050856_334052e47db863afb0a8d17fe97e67321fd808c7079610bd7e9fa3f97d39933b.png" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230829050856_334052e47db863afb0a8d17fe97e67321fd808c7079610bd7e9fa3f97d39933b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1688" height="632" loading="lazy" alt="Air pollutuon"> </figure>  Even though awareness about the danger of pollution is growing, slow changes in state energy policy have not led to meaningful action. The pollution is also being <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/open-air" target="_blank">transported across national boundaries</a>, which means regional cooperation to improve air quality is as important. The first priority is to provide citizens with real-time open air quality data, yet only 6.8% of the Asia knows how dirty their air is. Knowledge about pollution can create public pressure on governments to act. As it is only one-third of the countries in Asia have air quality standards, the basic building block for policies, the AQLI report says. Investment in air quality infrastructure also does not match where air pollution is having its greatest toll on human life.&nbsp; “Timely, reliable, open air quality data in particular can be the backbone of civil society and government clean air efforts—providing the information that people and governments lack and that allows for more informed policy decisions,” says <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mW7YmSSnes&amp;t=50s" target="_blank">Christa Hasenkopf,</a> the director of AQLI and air quality programs at EPIC. “Fortunately, we see an immense opportunity to play a role in reversing this by better targeting—and increasing—our funding dollars to collaboratively build the infrastructure that is missing today.” <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6mW7YmSSnes?si=qCHCmCfqcMXerxiI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> The release of the AQLI report comes just ahead of the UN’s <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/clean-air-day" target="_blank">International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies</a>. While much of multilateral and bilateral development assistance goes to control of diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, the resources for pollution control are much less even though many more people die or are affected by dirty air. The report singles out South Asia, especially its densely-populated northern areas as suffering the deadliest impact of pollution. More than a quarter of the global population in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan are the most affected, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/breathing-can-kill-you" target="_blank">losing five years of their lives on average.</a>&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230829050852_2853466cd4b12be5cc853762f736bb5b264a752d22354797f35c24f2cd6a1f5b.png" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20230829050852_2853466cd4b12be5cc853762f736bb5b264a752d22354797f35c24f2cd6a1f5b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1842" height="1118" loading="lazy" alt="Air pollution"> </figure>  Although China had some of the worst air quality 20 years ago, the <a href="https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/China-FactSheet-2023_Embargoed.pdf" target="_blank">report cites its remarkable success</a> in reducing pollution by 42.3% since 2013, when it declared a ‘war against pollution’. The &nbsp;average Chinese citizen can now expect to live 2.2 years longer.&nbsp; Even industrialised countries have high air pollution levels. <a href="https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/US-FactSheet-2023_Embargoed.pdf" target="_blank">Americans are exposed</a> to 65% less particulate pollution than in 1970 before the passage of the Clean Air Act, yet 96% percent of the country still doesn’t meet the WHO’s new guideline of 5 µg/m³. In 2021, California was the most polluted state, not because of vehicular pollution but wildfires.&nbsp; <a href="https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Europe-FactSheet-2023_Embargoed.pdf" target="_blank">Europeans </a>were exposed to 23% less pollution than in 1998, improving their life expectancy.&nbsp; But even then, most European cities do not meet the WHO’s new guideline. Eastern Europeans are living 7.2 months less than people in the west due to dirtier air.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023082906080_567310490ad8fe6685e219794356eb128ffd3fb2f722e7c8b419cef0a0744b4e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="2023082906080_567310490ad8fe6685e219794356eb128ffd3fb2f722e7c8b419cef0a0744b4e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1417" height="496" loading="lazy" alt="Air pollution"> </figure>  Full report here: <a href="https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AQLI_2023_Report-Global_Embargoed.pdf" target="_blank">https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AQLI_2023_Report-Global_Embargoed.pdf</a>

Cleaner Air = Longer Lives

Badri Acharya is currently at the helm of the public health office in Pokhara, but worked in the field leading and delivering essential public health provisions in the isolated Manang district during the Covid-19 pandemic and the extensive devastation triggered by 2021 climate-induced flash floods.&nbsp; “I walked for two days with our medical team to reach the remote village, Naar, up to the mountain, and did Covid-19 vaccinations,” Acharya explains. He described the perilous journey, during which he navigated through active landslides and steep slopes. “We walked that path with courage, relying on tree roots to avoid falling into deep crevasses,” he adds. Manang is known for its Himalayan terrain and the livelihood of locals, which is primarily based on indigenous knowledge. During the Covid-19 pandemic, places like Manang, Mustang, and Humla, became locked and isolated, where access to basic necessities was already nearly out of reach for villages like Naar and Fu. However, these places managed to provide jabs smoothly during the high influx of Covid cases, showcasing the dedication of healthcare workers. “It was because of micro planning and coordinated efforts from every stakeholder,” Acharya adds.&nbsp; The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized it as “<a href="https://www.who.int/about/accountability/results/who-results-report-2020-2021/an-unwavering-voice-for-vaccine-equity">exemplary efforts in ensuring vaccine equity</a>...which helped protect communities that might otherwise have been overlooked.” In 2021, the infection rate was going upward, and there was a limited vaccine supply, Still, places like Manang and Mustang were able to carry out immunsations without disruption, thanks to a well-coordinated implementation plan of vaccination from the federal to provincial to local levels.&nbsp; According to<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhiyan-gautam-59082a142/"> Dr Abhiyan Gautam</a>, the head of the Child Health and Immunization Service Section at the<a href="http://dohs.gov.np/"> Department of Health Services</a>, it was an uphill battle to combat the pandemic situation, especially for a country like Nepal where resources are limited, and distribution is challenging due to difficult road connectivity.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230828130824_dafff20c8c3076963eeba11e122f447f945339a91054625b01e8a6d0d12eb73f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20230828130824_dafff20c8c3076963eeba11e122f447f945339a91054625b01e8a6d0d12eb73f" data-rendition-name="original" width="630" height="473" loading="lazy" alt="IPS NT"> <figcaption>Dr Abhiyan Gautam, the head of the Child Health and Immunization Service Section at the Department of Health Services. Photo: TANKA DHAKAL</figcaption> </figure>  “Vaccine supply is always a major issue in geographically challenging areas, and with Covid, there was added pressure to vaccinate all eligible individuals,” Gautam says. “Thanks to back-and-forth discussions on policy, continuous guidance from experts, and dedication from healthcare workers on the ground, we were able to overcome challenges.” There were existing challenges, including the lack of a cold chain to safely store vaccines and vaccine carriers to reach villages in the mountain region. In the midst of the pandemic, mountain districts like Manang and Mustang faced <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/gandaki-province/2021/06/15/floods-wreak-havoc-in-several-settlements-in-manang">flash floods in 2021</a> that swept away roads, bridges, and houses. Public health expert Gautam says, “At that time, it was difficult to transport vaccines. Health workers used ropes to transfer vaccines from one place to another.” Acharya, who was the head of the Public Health Office in Manang for two years from November 2020 to March 2022, recalls the distress he experienced and how he and his team navigated that pressured situation. “Already difficult situation worsened due to the flash flood,” he recalls, “There was no electricity for a week, and solar power also didn’t work for an extended period. We sought help to bring ice packs from Pokhara to preserve the vaccine.” Physical distancing and other Covid-related precautions were impossible during the flood, adding the risk of infection spread and other public health concerns. “We didn’t halt the vaccination drive and pursued an equity-based approach to vaccine rollout,” Acharya explains, “The situation in Manang and Kathmandu differed; treatment access was available in Kathmandu but not feasible in Manang, so we emphasised preventive measures, focusing on vaccination for all eligible individuals.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230828130828_71664f8d04032235fde3cce28f715d4f9d18c58cc616808be4249f0f9907ce6e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230828130828_71664f8d04032235fde3cce28f715d4f9d18c58cc616808be4249f0f9907ce6e" data-rendition-name="original" width="630" height="354" loading="lazy" alt="IPS NT"> <figcaption>Residents of Manang's Meta village with their Covid-19 vaccination card. Photo: BADRI ACHARYA</figcaption> </figure>  Initially, there was no formal authority from the federal level, but the provincial authority provided enough vaccines to cover all eligible individuals. “Only a few thousand individuals were eligible for the vaccine, yet we provided jabs to all village residents,” Acharya recalls, “A later federal-level decision was made to ensure vaccine equity in remote areas, which greatly aided us.” According to the 2020 census, Manang is the least populated district in Nepal, with 5,658 people, while Mustang is the second least populated, with a population of 14,000. In the first week of August 2021, Manang became the first district to vaccinate all individuals aged 18 or above (4,198), followed by Mustang, which administered jabs to 9,300 eligible residents at that time. As of July 2023, the Family Welfare Division of the Department of Health Service states, “The Government of Nepal vaccinated 83.9% with the first dose and 83.4% with the full/second dose for the total population.”&nbsp; “Nepal achieved the milestone of vaccinating 70% of the total population with the full dose on July 20, 2022, thanks to the exemplary work carried out by the unexpected frontrunners, Manang and Mustang,” says Gautam.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230828130828_876dbed04c1abe6d7924db9a2d81e406e03dbb896dafe38a4bb7f2ad08ced1a9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20230828130828_876dbed04c1abe6d7924db9a2d81e406e03dbb896dafe38a4bb7f2ad08ced1a9" data-rendition-name="original" width="630" height="473" loading="lazy" alt="IPS NT"> <figcaption>Badri Acharya (second from right) with his team heading to Meta village at NaarFu, Manang. Photo courtesy: BADRI ACHARYA</figcaption> </figure>  Both Gautam and Acharya, who invested long hours heading vaccination efforts during the pandemic era, emphasise that the battle is not yet over, but they harbour less concern about the situation now and hold hope for the future. “The health institution itself was destroyed by the flood in some villages. However, the health workers did not give up,” Acharya recalls. “We provided encouragement. Health workers take pride in being part of this endeavour and remain prepared to act whenever required.” Detailed micro-planning and the dedication of healthcare workers to serve the public good are the factors that enabled success in hard-to-reach areas of the upper mountains. Adds Gautam: “We are now better equipped to store vaccines, with ultra and supra cold chain facilities. We feel more prepared than ever to confront a pandemic-like situation in the future. The Covid-19 pandemic tested and enhanced our ability to combat widespread infections.” <a href="https://www.ipsnews.net/2023/08/nepals-covid-19-immunization-campaign-unlikely-frontrunner">Republished</a> under an arrangement with Inter Press Service (IPS).This story was supported by the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Internews.

At the frontlines of Nepal's Covid vaccine drive

Probably the best thing to happen to Nepal’s economy lately is India’s refusal to buy more electricity. It could eventually force the government to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/challenge-of-the-millennium">expedite transmission infrastructure</a> and increase domestic demand. Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is losing billions in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-precious-electricity-going-waste">spilled power </a>this monsoon because it cannot evacuate power. Some private producers have actually stopped generating altogether. Installed hydropower capacity is touching 3,000MW this monsoon, and projects for a further 3,300MW are under construction. But domestic consumption is stuck at 1,700MW. Nepal could export electricity, but India has agreed to buy only 452MW from projects with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/geopolitics-of-nepal-s-rivers">no Chinese involvement</a>. Even if the full quota was exported, Nepal would only earn NPR20 billion, whereas the trade deficit with India is at NPR840 billion and growing. In fact, Nepal imported NPR20 billion worth of power from India last year to cover its dry season deficit.&nbsp; “At the current rate, if we do not put up transmission lines in time, by 2025 we will be losing electricity worth 120 million every day in winter and Rs170 million during the monsoon,” warned Kathmandu University engineering professor Bishal Silwal at at a recent seminar.&nbsp; NEA blames delays in substations and transmission lines on <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/high-tension-in-sindhuli,1297">locals blocking construction</a>. Kathmandu Valley therefore faces frequent power outages due to tripping even there is enough power in the grid. “The problem right now is not of supply but infrastructure,” former NEA head Hitendra Shakya explained at the seminar. “It is a result of poor planning.”&nbsp; There is also lack of coordination between various agencies of government to encourage domestic consumption with tax rebates for industries, battery-powered vehicles and household appliances. An average Nepali consumes 325kWh of electricity, much lower than the global per capita of 3,180kWh. Former energy secretary Dwarika Nath Dhungel, who is the author of a new compendium on the political economy of hydropower, says: “Exporting electricity should be the last thing on our list. We might be generating surplus but we still import power from India during winter, let’s first try to use the surplus to replace that import.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230825050844_432c12cd7043c2c38c9ef9dab2df1d12416c734c0f8dc4e46af5f14a6419e30f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230825050844_432c12cd7043c2c38c9ef9dab2df1d12416c734c0f8dc4e46af5f14a6419e30f" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="3073" loading="lazy" alt="Page 1"> <figcaption>Photo: BIKRAM RAI/NEPALI TIMES ARCHIVE</figcaption> </figure>  Indeed, while some 95% of Nepal’s population is said to have access to electricity, districts like Bajhang, Dolpa, Bajura, Jumla and Mugu are not yet connected to the grid. Nepal’s wetter eastern half has most of the hydropower generation capacity, while the more arid west does not have enough. Surplus power could also jumpstart Nepal’s struggling industries, the tourism sector and agriculture. This in turn would create jobs so Nepalis are not <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-in-the-russian-army-want-to-quit">forced to migrate abroad</a>. “Hydroelectricity should be a crucial element of our national development strategy so we make its maximum use domestically and for employment. Only then should we be exporting power,” says Dhungel. NEA can earn more from selling power domestically. Private industries are paying up to NPR11 per unit whereas the average price of electricity sold to India is just NPR4.33 per unit. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/securing-nepal-s-electric-future">Using electricity</a> to slash Nepal’s petroleum import bill by just 10% would save the country at least NPR30 billion a year, and be a faster way to decrease the trade deficit with India. Improving public health by cutting pollution would be a bonus. Nepal’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-india-power-play">balance of power with its two neighbours</a> is also getting skewed with a tilt towards India, as New Delhi leans on politicians here to systematically cancel Chinese investments in hydropower. Experts say India’s real interest is in regulating Nepal’s rivers to ensure future water supply rather than electricity. “Politicians spout non-stop nonsense about how they will make the country rich by exporting electricity when water is our strategic commodity,” says Dhungel. “They are trading our water resources to stay in power by keeping a certain neighbour happy. One has to wonder if Singha Darbar is making decisions or the Delhi Darbar.” Successive governments of K P Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba and now Pushpa Kamala Dahal have all awarded one hydropower project after another to Indian state companies which are now building projects that will generate a combined total of 4,000MW. More Indian projects are in the pipeline. With the rise of China and India as global players and the new Sino-US cold war, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-geopolitics-of-nepal-s-water-and-electricity">Nepal has become a geo-strategic hotspot</a>. But it is now also a climate hotspot, and shrinking glaciers will affect electricity generation and the hydrology of Himalayan rivers.&nbsp; Dwarika Nath Dhungel sums it up: “We can’t change our neighbours but we can understand their aspirations better so that we have leverage when dealing with them. But first, we have to become stronger by making the best use of our own resources domestically.”

Sonia Awale

Balance of Power

Monday is Nag Panchami, a day dedicated to the mythical serpents that were once said to inhabit the lake that was Kathmandu Valley. But although snakes are worshipped, they are also threatened because of public perception that they are dangerous. Asbin Raj Ojha is out to change that. Growing up in Vorletar, Lamjung close to nature, he was curious about wildlife and as a hobby tried to find out more about the slithering reptiles. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/hisss">Most snakes in the mountains are non-venomous</a>, even so Ojha was struck by how people felt threatened by them and would kill the animals even when they were harmless. His fascination with snakes grew as he watched YouTube videos of conservationists effortlessly catching and handling even dangerous snakes on the National Geographic channel. He started being called to rescue non-venomous grass snakes from people’s houses. By the time he was a teenager, Ojha’s family moved to Rajahar in Nawalpur and his obsession with snakes travelled with him. But the snakes of the plains were more dangerous, and on his own he studied their habitat and habits and ways to identify different species.&nbsp; Two years ago, he got a call about a King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) on the loose in Nawalpur. News about his snake expertise had got around, and he successfully trapped the 4m long snake and relocated it back into the jungle.&nbsp; “Cobras are sacred, but they are also feared, and rescuing them was a milestone in my life, and increased my confidence in handling such &nbsp;majestic snake species,” recalls Ojha, 30, who later realised the danger he had put himself in by handling the snake without protective gear. Even 12mg of cobra venom will kill an adult human. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/save-snakes-to-save-nature">Save snakes to save nature</a>, Tulsi Rauniyar The video of the dramatic rescue went viral, and many more people found out about his work. But Ojha got to work doing more research about safety protocols in handling venomous snakes, and methods in handling non-poisonous ones without harming them using gloves, tongs, safety pads and hooks. After getting married, Ojha’s wife Anjali Thapaliya has also been infected, as it were, by his snake bug. She comes along on every rescue call, and together they have rescued 15 King Cobras from farms and households and translocated them to Chitwan National Park in coordination with the warden’s office.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230821150824_720b9afba2b2bfca972c77b1a8dfe76fad73d3f070ea6dfeb87c53dc99b5db5e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230821150824_720b9afba2b2bfca972c77b1a8dfe76fad73d3f070ea6dfeb87c53dc99b5db5e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="1440" loading="lazy" alt="Snake rescue"> <figcaption>Asbin Raj Ojha and Anjali Thapaliya.</figcaption> </figure>  But such is the fear of snakes that even non-venomous ones are killed or harmed before the couples reach the site. Some are burnt with kerosene or beaten with sticks. Ojha and Thapaliya are chemistry and environmental science majors respectively and are not trained vets, but they do what they can by trading injured snakes with traditional treatments like mustard oil or turmeric.&nbsp; Anjali Thapaliya was initially not too keen about snakes, but understood her husband’s passion for snakes. She supported him from afar. One day, while rescuing a venomous Krait snake which is 10 times more poisonous than a King Cobra, Ojha was bitten on his hand. Thankfully, he was wearing gloves but Thapaliya was worried sick and decided to accompany her husband to the rescue after that. “In the beginning, I used to look at the rescue from afar, but as I started working more with snakes, I developed a soft corner for them,” says Thapaliya, 29. “I’m really happy he is rescuing snakes but by doing so he is also saving lives, not just of snakes but of humans too.” Snakebites are widespread in the Nepal Tarai during the monsoon and can be lethal because antidotes are often not readily available at health posts. As many as 3,000 people are said to die every year from snake bites according to the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9795130/#:~:text=In%20Nepal%20around%2040,000%20individuals,people%20dying%20as%20a%20result.&amp;text=The%20problem%20is%20most%20common,rural%20areas%20of%20the%20Terai." target="_blank">National Institute of Health</a>. Lack of awareness about snakes and snake bites also end up harming snakes, which is why Ojha and Thapaliya have made it their mission to better educate communities by conducting classes to help reduce snake-human conflict. Says herpetologist Santosh Bhattarai: “Their work in King Cobra conservation is really praiseworthy and has directly contributed to reducing death of snakes as well as in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/snakebite-is-treatable-no-one-need-die-from-it">lethal snakebite cases</a>.” Ojha is a teacher by profession and is often interrupted in class to attend to an emergency rescue. But he has trained some young volunteers to also help in rescues.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230821150828_8afffe0e361a7d7d5c0d43eb78de55281db6fc072aff8f687b3ab92f59f81560.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230821150828_8afffe0e361a7d7d5c0d43eb78de55281db6fc072aff8f687b3ab92f59f81560" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="810" loading="lazy" alt="Snake rescue"> <figcaption>Photo: NATIONAL PARK OFFICIAL</figcaption> </figure>  Ojha says his team needs more support from the Forest Department to spread awareness and invest in snake translocation efforts. The team often faces legal and community issues while relocating snakes. &nbsp; “Sometimes people call us killers because they think we are releasing venomous snakes near their homes,” says Ojha, who wants the same priority in conserving snakes as the protection that tigers and rhinos get. Bishal Prasad Neupane is a zoology undergrad specialising on the amphibians and reptiles of Nepal.