The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) likes to pick fights and has been at odds with Sagarmatha National Park after it, the Namche local government and Lukla businesses banned commercial helicopter flights to the base of Everest from 1 January. 
The restriction has a lot to do with local political and business rivalries, and was hastily announced before the tourism and mountaineering industry could find alternatives. But there is no denying that the constant throb of choppers over the national park’s wilderness was also starting to put visitors off.
The park had issued a letter in December to only allow rescue and emergency flights above Lukla from the new year, but reversed this decision earlier this week, allowing commercial flights to land with its permission. 
The dispute, however is far from over. The park's reversal angered Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, with locals staging protests at helipads and landing zones. 

CAAN had challenged the national park’s decision in a strongly-worded statement, citing its exclusive authority over aviation-related issues. It egged on helicopter operators to keep flying. 
Flying above Lukla has pitted businesses in Lukla and Namche against each other since the 1970s, when helicopters started ferrying trekkers and cargo, depriving Lukla operators of their trade. 
Flying large, noisy aircraft to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patar just for sightseeing was getting out of hand. It does not just ruin the tranquility of the region below the world’s highest mountain, but disturbs wildlife and deprives local communities who depend on portering of their jobs.
Mountain regions across the world have strict guidelines on commercial aviation over protected areas. There have also been studies into the risks posed by aircraft on wildlife behaviour in Alaska, Norway, and Canada.
A <a href="https://catalog.northslopescience.org/dataset/766359ff-18ff-4ccf-aef3-8af228158d5f/resource/079ee112-cd69-4ca8-8963-1ffd9f684fcb/download/anderson_2007_abr.helicopter.disturbance.biblio.pdf" target="_blank">2007 study</a> by Alaska-based environmental consulting firm ABR Inc for the US Army found that polar bears fled up to 64km away when a helicopter flew 100m above ground level, abandoning cubs and returning to search for their young only after three days had passed. 
Caribou reindeers and moose showed similar behaviour. A study conducted on snow geese saw the birds diverting their flight path 1.2km away when a helicopter flew nearby. 
There are no studies yet on the sky and endangered musk deer, snow leopards, red pandas, and bears, which inhabit the Sagarmatha National Park. The Khumbu is also the migratory route of bar-headed geese and other birds which have adapted their lungs to fly over the Himalaya.
It is therefore well within the purview of national park authorities to control activities that contribute to biodiversity loss. The unrestricted flights have also reportedly contributed to wildlife poaching, especially for the musk deer prized for their pouches. 
There is no military or park oversight of helicopters landing or overflying the region. Air traffic control also does not exist, and pilots are required to keep a visual lookout for other choppers.
Vibrations from helicopter rotors can also trigger avalanches on mountain slopes already unstable due to permafrost loss, warming and climate breakdown. 
To be sure, Nepali helicopter pilots are world renowned for their daring rescues at high altitudes. But operators have become just as infamous for fake rescue operations in which they collude with guides and hospitals in the city to scam insurance companies. 
There is debate about exactly how beneficial sightseeing ‘heli-tourism’ is to Nepal’s mountain communities whose livelihood depends upon visitors to the Everest region. Trekkers can now cut short their stay and get choppers to ferry loads, impacting local businesses. 
A survey showed that if an Airbus H123 helicopter flown by a Nepali pilot over Khumbu charges Rs145,000 per hour, only 19.5% of that amount goes to the national economy, the rest pocketed by select travel agencies, helicopter operators and the manufacturers.
Trekking-based adventure tourism has more and multi-faceted benefits than heli-tourism in the Himalaya because it pumps money directly into the local economy.
All this is not to say that helicopter flights must be completely stopped. There should have been negotiations between those for and against helicopters, and a compromise could have been easily found to allow commercial chopper operators at least up to Syangboche. 
Also, rescue flights are of vital importance to residents of mountain communities as well as mountaineers and trekkers. Events of international significance, like the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres flying to Kala Patar can be important.
This comes to the key question of how to balance tourism income with the concern for the protection of natural and cultural heritage. We should follow accepted practice of flights over national parks elsehwer ein the world. 
CAAN has an authority over the sky, but Sagarmatha National Park has the final say over the protected natural habitat. 
Arjun Dhakal is the Managing Director of Social Economic, Environmental Institute (SEEPORT) and is an expert on natural resource and climate change policy issues.

original

674x448

610x380

500x500

400x266

400x240

400x203

301x200

1250x600

1084x550

thumbnail

viewImage

Nepal chops chopper flights to Everest

Nepal's <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/reviving-nepals-community-forestry-success-story">community forestry program</a> doubled tree cover to 45% in 30 years. Nature sanctuaries make up a quarter of the country's area. Two years ago, Nepal’s national parks marked five years with zero rhino poaching. Nepal is also the first <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/2-nepal-tiger-reserves-awarded">tiger range country</a> to nearly triple its population of the big cats. But new linear infrastructure projects will soon be crisscrossing national parks along the Tarai, disturbing the habitat and blocking <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-wild-elephants-are-also-on-the-move">wildlife migration</a> routes. Nearly 400km of the 1,028km East-West Highway slices through national parks in Parsa, Chitwan, Bardia and Banke districts. Transmission lines have been built through protected areas, more are planned. Irrigation canals such as Babai, Ranijamara and Sitka obstruct wildlife movement pathways. “Nepal is among the fastest growing countries in terms of infrastructure, but projects are also the least well planned,” says World Wildlife Fund Nepal (WWF-N) Country Director Ghana Gurung. Development vs <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/conservation-at-the-crossroads">conservation</a> has been a longstanding dilemma for countries like Nepal, but experts say it need not be. Around the world, planners are now building infrastructure with climate-smart and wildlife-friendly safeguards. With technical expertise and investment, there is no reason Nepal cannot do the same. In fact, the 30km Narayanghat-Mugling Highway features the first two of Nepal’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/underpasses-to-reduce-roadkill-in-nepal">wildlife underpasses</a> where the busy highway artery passes through an important animal migration corridor. Camera traps at underpasses showed deer, wild boar and other animals used them regularly, with half the wildlife movement occurring in winter when animals search for water The Narayanghat-Butwal highway, which is being upgraded, will have 40 wildlife crossings along the Daunne-Gaidakot section. Their location is being determined after monitoring wildlife movement in the area. The project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will also monitor how much the animals use the crossings. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/infrastructure-for-wildlife-in-nepal">The facilities</a> are necessary not just to prevent the fragmentation of wildlife habitats, but also to reduce roadkill of endangered species.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023032316030_c6b778a207c5a2fd618af03fc656535d3ab2f445a1618f573394169724e9fbd4.png" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="2023032316030_c6b778a207c5a2fd618af03fc656535d3ab2f445a1618f573394169724e9fbd4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1083" loading="lazy" alt="Map"></figure>  But there is contradiction between road engineers and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-conservationist-wins-whitley-award">conservationists</a>, with the former prioritising connectivity while the latter are blamed for one-dimensional advocacy for wildlife. Bridging this gap is the recently launched Asia’s Linear Infrastructure safeGuarding Nature (ALIGN) project which aims to protect protected areas from the impact of new infrastructure. Funded by USAID and implemented by WWF, the ALIGN project was launched at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal in December 2022 with an initial focus on three countries: Nepal for its rich biodiversity, Mongolia for its fragile protected areas, and India which is accelerating investment in infrastructure. ALIGN has three main objectives: refine and strengthen existing policies such that they align with international best practices, enhance partnerships to promote and support investment, and implement safeguards for linear infrastructure and capacity building. “As it stands we have a very weak policy framework but we must strengthen it to avoid the impacts of big infrastructure. Soon we will be reviewing them,” says Semina Kafle of the ALIGN project. She adds: “Our focus is on producing our own experts.But there is a big gap between how an engineer thinks versus a conservationist. So we have decided to go back to school and make the impact of linear infrastructure on climate and wildlife an integral part of engineering studies.” ALIGN is working with the Institute of Engineering (IOE) in Pulchok Campus to develop a syllabus for an elective for students of civil and electrical engineering, and urban planning. The team is also collaborating with American universities to bring engineering lecturers to the Institute. As the demand and interest for the course increases, the elective will be upgraded to a core course or even a Master’s program. “It is crucial that we equip our students with the latest technologies and construct linear infrastructure while also ensuring the safety of the wildlife,” says Shashidhar Joshi, dean of IOE.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023032316030_73628a3d88b550287dc7439f6fc6fe5b035d99943381590466a8df621fd58be6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="2023032316030_73628a3d88b550287dc7439f6fc6fe5b035d99943381590466a8df621fd58be6" data-rendition-name="original" width="2500" height="1667" loading="lazy" alt="Protecting protected areas from infrastructure NT 2"></figure>  He adds: “This is already practiced elsewhere in the world and we are integrating it now into our engineering studies to redefine infrastructure and planning." Poorly planned highway, power line, or railway alignments now <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet">threaten to undo Nepal's conservation success</a>. With poaching controlled to a large extent, protected areas are now getting overcrowded leading to more frequent contact between people and tigers, wild elephants and leopards. Wildlife crossings over or under highways or irrigation canals can make them safer for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/protecting-nepal-s-endangered-wild-cattle">endangered species</a>. Otherwise roadkill will be a problem on upgraded highways because of more vehicles and their speed. Safe routes for animals will also reduce <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/is-wildlife-conservation-a-victim-of-its-own-success-in-nepal">human-wildlife contact</a>. They provide drainage, preventing inundation especially as climate-induced weather extremes lead to more downpours and flash floods. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/human-animal-interface-in-nepal-wildlife-corridor">Wildlife friendly structures</a> across highways and irrigation canals are helpful, but they need to be maintained and monitored. An underpass in Barandabhar, a 29km-long forest corridor bisected by the East-West Highway in Chitwan is often cited as a notable wildlife crossing. But, says Sandesh Singh Hamal of the ALIGN Project, lack of upkeep has turned it into a garbage dump. He adds: “Who should be responsible for their maintenance? There should be no conflict regarding the jurisdiction, we cannot pass the buck from one agency to another.” The ALIGN project has a performance period until September 2025 during which it will also facilitate learning and sharing between the three focal countries. With Nepal embarking on mega projects like the East-West Railway, Nijgad Airport and the Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway, wildlife crossings need to be integrated into their planning. Says Ghana Gurung of WWF: “We will work with governments and try to bring engineers and conservationists together to ensure infrastructures do not disturb protected areas.”

Sonia Awale

Protecting protected areas from infrastructure

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111148/63721d4a9c7e80680e0bd4dejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="931"/><figcaption>Nepal has successfully doubled the number of its tiger population. Photo: WWF</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s success in protecting endangered wildlife and their habitats is unquestionably impressive. It leads the world in innovative policies that promote community participation in conservation, such as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/tree-mendous/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">community forestry</a>, conservation areas like Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), and national park buffer zones.Nepal’s forest cover has nearly doubled from 26% in 1992 to 45% in 2016. The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-many-rhinos-is-enough-rhinos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">population of rhinos</a> have increased from 100 in the 1960s to 752 in 2021, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tigers</a> from 121 in 2010 to about 240 last year. These successes have happened despite high human population density, which makes them even more astounding.We can attribute much of Nepal’s success to a ‘sandwich’ of innovative policies from above and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/villagers-step-up-to-protect-nepals-tigers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">community action</a> from below, which have made the country a role model for biodiversity conservation around the world.Protected area buffer zone policies enacted in the mid-1990s incorporated communities in globally unprecedented ways. They set aside 30-50% of park income to locals for conservation and livelihood activities and made provisions for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-can-up-forest-cover-to-45-by-2030/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">community forestry</a> in the buffer zone.But these policies would not have been effective without people’s support for protected areas and environmental conservation. Even before buffer zone policies took effect, people appreciated benefits from protected areas.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111148/63721d4d9c7e80680e0bd4dfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="701"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111148/63721d509c7e80680e0bd4e0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3506" height="2481"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In the mid-1990s, I surveyed communities in the buffer zone of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/human-animal-interface-in-nepal-wildlife-corridor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bardia National Park</a> about their perceptions. More than half of the people said the park benefited them in a multitude of ways. People described the area as beautiful, green, and good to see.They thought it was useful to conserve the forest and wildlife, that the protected area improved the climate and increased water for crops. They appreciated resources they could extract from the park, such as thatch, fuelwood, fruits, and vegetables.Today, people there are even more likely to perceive benefits. In a 2015 study, more than 90% of people felt the Park was important for a healthy environment and for future generations. Two-thirds said it was essential for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">conservation of wildlife</a>.But the buffer zone policies are not perfect.In the 1990s, when park-people programs first began in Nepal, the primary goal was to reduce locals’ dependency on parks by improving their livelihoods. To achieve this goal, buffer zone policies set aside half of the community funds for development and income generation activities. Development funds went to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepal-needs-wildlife-friendly-highways/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">physical infrastructure</a>, such as roads and buildings, and income generation funds went to trainings like vegetable farming and motorcycle repair.But these types of activities are not directly related to conservation. During my research in the 1990s, when buffer zone projects were first piloted, local residents around Bardia National Park questioned how sewing training for women and health posts were connected to conservation of the park.The project-sponsored health post was even perceived as detrimental because it competed with the local government health post. Thirty years later, while visiting <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwan-can-accommodate-more-tigers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chitwan National Park</a>’s buffer zone in January this year, I heard the same sentiments.People questioned why buffer zone money was going to development projects with no direct link to conservation instead of community forests and community-based anti-poaching units.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111148/63721d539c7e80680e0bd4e1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1441" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Around the world, alternative livelihoods are the go-to activity for communities when it comes to biodiversity conservation projects. However, the main benefit of livelihood activities is often improved community relations. There is little evidence that they are successful in terms of increasing people’s income or in decreasing pressure on protected areas. They can even cause more <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/hiding-their-head-in-the-sand/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">natural resource extraction</a>.And, unfortunately, the focus on increasing income has limited our appreciation of the ways that protected areas help communities. Increasingly, studies are showing that, contrary to the common belief that protected areas cause or exacerbate poverty, the benefits from protected areas actually translate into less poverty in Nepal and other places like Bolivia, Costa Rica and Thailand.The underlying problem for communities in protected areas is not poverty, but that they do not have sufficient opportunities to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nature-without-borders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">participate in conservation and management</a>. Focusing on providing ways for people to participate will improve livelihoods that complement conservation.Now, as Nepal modifies its buffer zone regulations, it has an opportunity to prioritise activities that strengthen the links between communities and conservation. This will create sustainable livelihoods in the broader sense of improved health, water, climate, and nature resources. Following are some recommendations that will strengthen the park-people relationship:<ol><li>Buffer zone funds should not be used for regular government activities but rather support conservation activities that directly help communities protect habitat and wildlife.</li></ol>This means prioritising <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/who-now-owns-nepals-forests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">community forests</a>, community-based anti-poaching units, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and support for forest and natural resource- dependent communities, who are often the poorest of the poor and the most marginalised. This may also help depoliticise buffer zone management committees, a common criticism of the current system.<ol start="2"><li>Support for forest and natural resource-dependent communities should prioritise the sustainability of traditional livelihood activities, especially for the most marginalised communities. Policies should support and enable the conditions to incorporate people’s traditional activities into the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/naturally-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">conservation of natural resources</a> and serve as a bridge for these communities to alternative livelihoods.</li></ol>For example, buffer zone funds could be used to create and support river stretch conservation user groups, just as they support community forest groups.<ol start="3"><li>Buffer zone policies should have mechanisms to incorporate local and traditional ecological knowledge into habitat and wildlife management. For example, water and grassland management are two increasingly critical issues in protected areas of Nepal, about which people with traditional and ecological knowledge, such as Tharu, Sonoha, Maje, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chitwans-bote-people-in-a-changing-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bote</a>, and Musahar know a great deal. They can provide invaluable insights and perspectives into pressing conservation needs.</li> <li>Buffer zone policies should be consistent with national policy guidelines and community forestry guidelines regarding inclusion and pro-poor activities. For example, community forestry policies require registration of both male and female head of households, 50% women participation on committees, and require that 35% of Community Forest User Group (CFUG) funds be allocated to pro-poor activities.</li></ol>Buffer zone policies should also have similar provisions. In addition, there should be equal representation of households in buffer zone management groups. For example, one household in each user group should have the same voting power as any other household in any other user group.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111148/63721d569c7e80680e0bd4e2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>This means user groups should represent the same number of people across the buffer zone. Currently, while a user group must have at least 15 households, some have up to 100, but each user group, regardless of size, has two delegates who choose user committees members.Our survival as a species depends on policies and communities everywhere in the world <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/between-existence-and-extinction-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">preserving our environment and its biological diversity</a>. Nepal leads the world in bringing communities and conservation together. It will be interesting to see where Nepal will lead the world next with its revised buffer zone policies.Teri D Allendorf, PhD, is the executive director of Community Conservation Inc. and an Honorary Fellow in Dept of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.

Protecting Nepal’s parks by saving buffer zones

<figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181148/636a96af9c7e80680e05dc81jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Tharu dancers parade in Sauraha on opening night. All photos: RANJAN RAMCHANDANI</figcaption></figure>It is an indication of just how dangerous the job of rangers is that during the four days that the <a href="https://rangercongress.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rangercongress.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1574609411955000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHiRPmnAHtQGpm6CXdF6m3z6OKBig">9th World Ranger Congress</a>was <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/chitwan-is-venue-for-world-ranger-congress/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/chitwan-is-venue-for-world-ranger-congress/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1574609411955000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFY0X896Jf1SNrHvKIFDuAHhJ9SwA">being held in Nepal last week</a>, up to five rangers may have been killed around the world.Opening the congress, outgoing International Ranger Federation president Sean Willmore asked for a minute’s silence for the 1,038 colleagues who had fallen in the line of duty over the past ten years – mostly in protected areas of Asia and Africa. More than half of them were killed by armed poachers, and the congress looked at ways to make the job safer for those at the frontlines of protecting natural resources and biodiversity. Ranger welfare means safety, but also health, psychological well-being, and job security. A worldwide survey of rangers conducted by the World Wildlife Fund released this week reveals that inadequate training and lack of basic equipment like shelter, uniforms and communication devices, puts rangers at risk, and makes them ill prepared for the dangers they face.  <figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181148/636a96b39c7e80680e05dc82jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Willmore asked at the congress: “Which would you like first, equipment and training, or drones? I’ll bet that most rangers would like a good pair of boots before they would like a drone.”The threats that protected areas face around the world were very real because  Australian and Brazilian rangers in Chitwan were constantly checking their phones for updates on wildfires destroying forests in their countries.  By last week, 1.6 million hectares of land in New South Wales had been ravaged by fires that scientists have attributed to the climate crisis.Brazilian ranger Felipe Avino said about his government’s policy that is destroying the Amazon:  “I just try not to think about it. Every day there is some new terrible news. If I thought about it I wouldn’t be able to function.”His colleague Marcelo Segalerba said that many are responding by preparing themselves for the challenges to come. Segalerba's group trained 600 rangers for the Amazon in 2005, in a program that pioneered the training of indigenous rangers in Latin America. It is now training rangers to protect the Brazilian savanna. <figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181148/636a96b69c7e80680e05dc83jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Nearly half the rangers attending the WRC were women, part of an effort to ensure that the ranger workforce, overwhelmingly male, is a more welcoming place for them. Putting women in positions of responsibility radically improves conservation work. In 2017, the Africa-based International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) trained the world’s first armed, all-female anti-poaching unit to work in Zimbabwe’s Lower Zambezi Valley. After training these women and giving them positions of responsibility, ranger-community relations improved and cases of corruption decreased. Conservation has become increasingly militarised, and IAPF’s Damien Mander says that ranger-poacher encounters often result in casualties on both sides. But in the two years since the creation of the armed, all-female anti-poaching unit, the unit has conducted 130 arrests without a single bullet being fired.  <figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181148/636a96ba9c7e80680e05dc84jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Participants emphasised the need for indigenous people to be rangers because their traditions and strong spiritual connection to the land are already protecting the earth. People living close to national parks often rely on agriculture or livestock for their livelihoods, both of which can be threatened by the wildlife that rangers work to protect. Krissie Clark, co-founder of the Tanzania-based PAMS Foundation says communities need to be engaged in conservation: “Goodwill and trust needs to be built up. If we want conservation, we have to support communities with what matters most to them. Then they will be better willing to tolerate the elephants.” Clark added that having national parks contribute financially to poor people’s lives is more of a challenge in places  that do not attract tourism. Pakistani ranger Rizwana Aziz agreed that anti-poaching work becomes much easier once rangers have good relations with the surrounding community. “They can be our eyes and our ears. So we need to find ways to build these relations, for a better and safer world.” <figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181148/636a96bd9c7e80680e05dc85jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>This the first time the World Ranger Congress is being held in Asia, and Nepal’s Chitwan National Park was chosen in recognition of Nepal’s conservation success in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1574609411955000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFevrWvhdycBCx97W3rc4IvikK34w">nearly doubling its tiger population since 2010</a>, and achieving <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2017/01/29/1000-days-of-the-rhino/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2017/01/29/1000-days-of-the-rhino/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1574609411955000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFrr5VuuT4dqVuW-4etbeKCjYlz8A">zero poaching of rhinos</a>. The congress is held every three years, and themes discussed this year included ranger welfare, women rangers, indigenous rangers, and ranger-community relations.Stuart Chapman of the World Wildlife Fund’s tiger conservation program told Nepali Times such gains are difficult to accomplish and take strong political commitment to make possible. NCP co-Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal extolled the conservation gains made by Chitwan National Park in his inaugural address to the congress, but he has also been pushing to expand the Kasara-Thori road that runs through the park into a <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/habitat-destrcution-of-tiger-in-Tarai,3423" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/habitat-destrcution-of-tiger-in-Tarai,3423&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1574609411955000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHVsAVZv3Kgs3Hhqa5VmAiy2R37zA">four-lane highway</a>. Conservationists say this would fragment the wildlife habitat, putting at risk both conservation and tourism.

World’s rangers face wide-ranging challenges

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110714118/6369034d9c7e80680e037cb3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933"/><figcaption>MEOW: A Clouded Leopard photographed inside a zoo in Gangtok, Sikkim recently. Pic:Yadav Ghimirey</figcaption></figure>An amateur photographer recently sighted a clouded leopard in Sunsari district in Nepal’s Tarai. You may ask, what is so special about that? Well, that was the first ever non camera-trap photograph of a wild <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clouded_leopard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clouded leopard</a> in the country.In Nepal, the word bagh (tiger) is used interchangeably to also describe leopards, but there is no specific name for the clouded leopard. Many Nepalis, including the village custodians of this endangered species of cat, do not even know it exists. Or that its existence is threatened.The clouded leopard is so called because of a unique cloud-like pattern in the fur that is very different from the tiger’s stripes, or the leopard’s spots. It is found in dense tropical, sub-tropical and temperate forests of south and south-east Asia. Unlike the tiger, for which there is a precise count, there are no more than 100 clouded leopards in Nepal’s forests.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How many tigers in Nepal</a>, Kunda DixitNepal's tiger census last year was based on statistical calculations based on pictures of tiger individuals identified by their stripe patterns in motion-sensor camera trap photos. This is difficult to do for clouded leopards, which are even more elusive than tigers.Even the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Studying-Cat-Scat,3559" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cat’s diet</a> is not well known, but may include monkeys, deer, squirrels, pheasants and partridges among its prey. Being one of the important predators in Nepal’s mid-hills, its role in controlling the population of monkeys and deer is vital.The clouded leopard was first documented in Nepal in the 1840s by British acting resident and naturalist, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=3246#.W2wcgdUzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brian Houghton Hodgson</a>. An absence of information for the following 150 years prompted many scientists to believe the species had become extinct in Nepal. Then, in 1988, a clouded leopard was caught by locals near Butwal, radio-collared and released back into the forest. After a week or so, the collar stopped sending signals. That leopard was lost, but the catch was at least proof the animal was not extinct in Nepal. There have been several sightings since then.Expeditions have tried to find the rare cat, including one to the Makalu-Barun National Park 10 years ago. I could not get any camera-trap photos on that trip but found two pelts in a village which pointed to their presence in the area. There have been no follow ups to this study so far.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110714118/636903509c7e80680e037cb4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="848"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In 2007, locals caught an adult clouded leopard while it was trying to kill a chicken in Dhamaura village of Chitwan. Three years later, regular monitoring in Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, resulted in the first camera trap picture of the species. Later, there were sightings in the Annapurna Conservation Area, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/planned-new-east-west-railroad-and-expressway-threaten-the-Chitwan-National-Park,1079" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chitwan National Park</a> and Langtang National Park.At least four leopards were counted in the lower Annapurna Conservation Area during our survey in 2017 (photo, above). Since most sightings were in conservation areas in the mountains, so far, the photograph in Sunsari in the Tarai is intriguing.While the sightings and photographs are important, what we do not see are the clouded leopards that have fallen to poachers and hunters, or those which have faded away due to habitat loss. In some areas the number of photos of wildlife poachers caught on camera traps outnumber the prey species of the clouded leopard, which should be a matter of serious concern.The clouded leopard has been given special protection in Nepal’s National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973. A person found to hunt or trade this species will be punished with a fine up to Rs1 million. But this is not stopping poachers, four clouded leopard pelts were found by Nepal Police in the past two months.The only way to protect this magnificent and rare cat is to prevent the loss of its forest habitat, and to spread conservation awareness in schools. It is imperative for local people know that this enigmatic species co-exists with us, sand that it is much more valuable alive than dead.Yadav Ghimirey is a conservation biologist at <a href="http://www.fonnepal.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friends of Nature</a> specialising in Nepal’s wild cat species.Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/The-comeback,836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The comeback cats</a>, Kashish Das Shrestha<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17514#.W2wbq9UzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal's year of the leopard</a>, Shahani Singh<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Studying-Cat-Scat,3559" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Studying Cat Scat</a>, Sonam Tashi Lama

Clouded future for the Clouded Leopard

The newly-formed Himalayan Art Council is set to launch Nepal’s National Art Protection Platform that seeks to preserve <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage">Nepal’s unique cultural heritage </a>using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/artificial-censorship"> AI-powered tools</a>. The Council seeks to safeguard <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places">Nepali art works</a> from neglect, theft and counterfeiting as well as preserve existing artwork and celebrate living masters by giving them a cultural space to continue the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival">sacred art traditions</a>. "We are introducing a new digital platform designed to preserve, verify and elevate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-new-generation-of-alternative-artists">Nepal’s art for generations to come,</a>” says a statement from the Council, adding that the digital platform will use AI told for authentication and blockchain to keep track of works of art. Artists can now be protected by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/ayo-ai?fbclid=IwAR1uwmTVq4gUB70ljfRezjzukD9ArWXPuMnUikopeQ8PoiZMjicToPSwhKE&amp;=1">AI tools</a> that detect forgeries, identify their work even when unsigned, and ensure they receive proper recognition and credit. The archives will be searchable with translated inscription and interactive guides. Says curator Meena Lama: “AI and blockchains are tools that give us the power to detect fakes and identify unsigned paintings and track every piece. With these tools we can restore trust, secure authorship and give artists the dignity they deserve.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53" data-rendition-name="original" width="1300" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum."> <figcaption>Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum.</figcaption> </figure>  The Council is also holding an exhibition of Nepali cultural masterpieces with 50 historical <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671">thangka and paubha </a>by past masters and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/between-the-sacred-and-everyday">contemporary works by current artists</a>. This curated collection is a living tribute to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">Himalayan culture</a> with economic depictions of deities, mandala and sacred narratives. The exhibition at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present">Patan Museum</a> also provides an opportunity to meet painters and custodians of art and culture. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/golden-deities">Golden deities</a>, Sewa Bhattarai ‘The exhibition is only the first step in a long journey to ensure that Nepali art is no just seen but fully understood, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Narratives-of-Faith-and-Memory-Remembering-the-Lost-Sculptures-of-Kathmandu-exhibition,987">protected and remembered</a>,’ the Council says. Artist Kailash K Shrestha of Artudio has spent decades promoting thankha and paubha traditions because of their beauty and devotional meaning. But he also says artists are underpaid, exploited and ignored. He adds, “AI and blockchain are not just buzzwords, they are powerful tools that can protect Nepal’s artists from fraud, verify authenticity and build a permanent record of provenance.” Traditional Art Exhibition Till 17 May Patan Museum

Digital protection for Nepal’s art

India and Pakistan are twins separated at birth. Tensions between them have been at a hair trigger ever since independence and has erupted into full scale conflict at least four times in the past 80 years.
The 22 April terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed 25 Indian tourists and a Nepali citizen, threatens to escalate tension between the two nuclear-armed nations. India has squarely blamed Pakistan for the attacks, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his military “operational freedom” to respond. Pakistan has said it has credible intelligence of an Indian military strike and its officials have promised a “full spectrum” response — a code for a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/thinking-the-thinkable">nuclear retaliation</a>.
For Nepal, the killing of its national in the Pahalgam attack comes as another stark reminder that in conflicts from Afghanistan to Iraq, from <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/how-to-agree-an-armistice-in-ukraine">Ukraine</a> to Israel, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/10-nepalis-from-one-town-fighting-in-ukraine">Nepalis are getting caught in the crossfire</a>. The last time full-scale fighting broke out between <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/peacemongers-at-india-pakistan-border">India and Pakistan</a> on Kargil in 1999, at least 22<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/india-s-trial-by-fire-for-soldiers-from-nepal?%27%5C%22="> Nepalis fighting for the Indian Army</a> were killed in action.
Three of Nepal’s immediate neighbours (China, India, Pakistan) have nuclear weapons, and they do not have good relations. With China supplying weapons, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/war-and-warming">missile technology</a> and other support to Pakistan, this triangular friction could set off a regional conflagration.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00573-0" target="_blank">Research at Rutgers University</a> has calculated that even a week-long tactical nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan would throw up so much smoke and debris into the atmosphere that it would block out the sun for years, and lead to a collapse of the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/grow-nourish-sustain-together-world-food-day">global food system</a>. This does not take into account the radioactive fallout that prevailing winds would blow up to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lives-on-the-line-in-the-himalaya">the Himalaya</a>, contaminating glaciers that are the sources of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-what-is-left-of-himalayan-rivers">Asia’s main rivers</a>.
The impact of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/climate-breakdown-linked-to-thame-flood">climate breakdown </a>on High Asia was already ringing alarm bells about its <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/himalayan-icecap-melting-faster-than-thought">shrinking ice cap</a> reducing the dry season flow of water downstream. Water was going to be the next strategic commodity, geopolitical experts warned, and the next wars in Asia would be over water.
That water war is already happening. India retaliated to the Kashmir attack by suspending the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/world/asia/india-pakistan-indus-waters-treaty.html" target="_blank">Indus Waters Treaty</a> of 1960 mediated by the World Bank that has withstood at least three wars between India and Pakistan. The treaty gives India control over the three eastern tributaries of the Indus (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beas_River" target="_blank">Beas</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_River" target="_blank">Ravi</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutlej" target="_blank">Sutlej</a>), while Pakistan got water from the Indus and two of its western tributaries (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_River" target="_blank">Indus</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenab_River" target="_blank">Chenab</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhelum_River" target="_blank">Jhelum</a>.
Pakistan was assured of 70% of the annual flow, and India could use a reasonable amount of water for<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15231"> irrigation and hydropower</a>. &nbsp;Within days of its threat, India stopped water flowing down to Pakistan from the Chenab river and is reportedly preparing to do the same on the Jhelum.
The sabre-rattling has reached a crescendo. Besides threats and counter-threats there are also symbolic drills, with the Indian Air Force practicing landing on an expressway in Uttar Pradesh by its Rafale, Su-30 and Jaguar fighter jets to demonstrate ‘operational readiness’. In response Pakistan test-fired its Abdali ballistic missile that can carry a nuclear warhead and has a range of 450km.&nbsp;
The danger is that with ultra-nationalist rhetoric and the beating the war drums by both sides, India’s government and Pakistan’s military may have to ‘do something’ to appease domestic public opinion. But any tactical strike, an artillery exchange, or territorial incursion could quickly escalate out of control.
Expecting an Indian retaliation for the Pahalgam killings, Pakistan is using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/interfaith-collaboration-for-nuclear-disarmament"> nuclear deterrence </a>and warning of “catastrophic consequences”. The two neighbours came close to a nuclear exchange in 2019 after an attack on the Indian military in Kashmir, and prompt international intervention led by the United States cooled tensions.&nbsp;
This time, the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/trump-shock-wave-hits-nepal">Trump administration</a> is too distracted and not as engaged. Pakistan has denied it was responsible for the terrorist attack and called on Washington to stop a possible Indian retaliation. India and Pakistan have stopped overflights by each other’s airlines, and some international carriers have even stopped flying over Pakistan fearing an air war.
Washington, Beijing, the UN and the EU have all urged restraint. Iran, which has good relations with both India and Pakistan has sent its foreign minister to urge both countries not to go into a tit-for-tat war. Iran has its own nuclear flashpoint to worry about with tensions in Israel, &nbsp;Yemen and Syria.
India and Pakistan both share similar problems of joblessness, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/why-nepal-s-poverty-rate-is-stuck">poverty </a>and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/climate-change-new-threat-to-nepal-s-rhinos">environmental threats</a>. Neither side needs the threat of a senseless war, and we in the neighbourhood do not need it either.&nbsp;
Kunda Dixit
This Editorial is brought to you by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/" target="_blank">Nepali Times</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://inpsjapan.com/en/" target="_blank">INPS Japan</a> and <a href="https://sgi-peace.org/" target="_blank">Soka Gakkai International</a>, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.

Nukes in the neighbourhood

Most Nepalis thought they had seen the last of it after <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/11-56-25-april-2015-wkc9q2an">the 25 April 7.8 magnitude </a>earthquake ten years ago. But the Himalaya had more surprises in store. On 12 May, another 7.3 magnitude tremor that some said was an aftershock, but was strong enough to itself be a major earthquake, struck Dolakha.&nbsp; Not many people had heard of Singati till then — a cluster of houses by the Tama Kosi River along a narrow gorge that is the roadhead to Rolwaling Valley.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_57b6e316656851f71eca56ca6f98d9bbcc820c1a00d62af3c990725b4361244d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250508110520_57b6e316656851f71eca56ca6f98d9bbcc820c1a00d62af3c990725b4361244d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_016534fb2b6a79957402281cda768efb83a146786377e39e11df3e251d37159e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250508110520_016534fb2b6a79957402281cda768efb83a146786377e39e11df3e251d37159e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> </figure>  It was here that dozens were killed on 25 April in the first earthquake. Hundreds of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Singati-rising-from-rubble-rebuilding,3703">Singati survivors</a> had lined up for food and relief supplies in the morning of 12 May when the second earthquake triggered a rock slide that buried a nearby camp. At least 50 people were killed. &nbsp; Three hours later, a US Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom helicopter landed in a nearby cornfield to pick up the wounded, and flew off. The aircraft lost contact with air traffic control in Kathmandu and its wreckage was located high on Kalinchok four days later. Six American servicemen, two Nepal Army soldiers, and five wounded civilians from Singati were killed. Today, Singati bears little physical scar of the multiple tragedies that struck the town ten years ago. Most <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/bungamati-builds-back">houses have been rebuilt</a> as urban-style concrete structures, and Singati has become an economic hub on the road leading up to several hydropower plants and a<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/off-the-beaten-trek-in-nepal"> popular trekking destination</a>.&nbsp; The town looks less like a village and more like a suburb of the Dolakha district headquarter of Charikot, 47km away.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_196f341d1df1403ba133e5dfeb837eec20d7cbcb4c8c56b17cc5598810de5df2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250508110520_196f341d1df1403ba133e5dfeb837eec20d7cbcb4c8c56b17cc5598810de5df2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110524_ae66c4a92430f67db51b5e11e017059eedfbac4cb18c8e073f2a50cca1fe904e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20250508110524_ae66c4a92430f67db51b5e11e017059eedfbac4cb18c8e073f2a50cca1fe904e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> </figure>  “The demand for construction material, cement, iron rods and bricks peaked after the earthquakes,” says Suresh Khadka, who owns a hardware business here and now supplies material to the 456MW Upper Tama Kosi hydropower project that is undergoing repairs after it was damaged by a landslide last year. The demand for cement boomed since most residents believe, not necessarily correctly, that <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/in-a-disastrous-state">cement houses are safer</a>. Although Khadka did well selling construction material after the earthquake, he worries that most new structures do not follow seismic-resistant building codes.&nbsp; The construction boom financed by bank loans has in turn forced many from Singati to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/making-overseas-migration-better">migrate overseas for work</a> so they can service their debt.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110524_50caa4530bd5ff9120cf7ab70a62173846d337ef448ff8bac339f3faa375a9e2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20250508110524_50caa4530bd5ff9120cf7ab70a62173846d337ef448ff8bac339f3faa375a9e2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> <figcaption>Suresh Khadka</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_ef8b7d3993fc3b5df852bbf952feb3fbabc96d6883b0d5eb74ee5c60f4123b83.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20250508110520_ef8b7d3993fc3b5df852bbf952feb3fbabc96d6883b0d5eb74ee5c60f4123b83" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> <figcaption>Phu Doma Sherpa (right)</figcaption> </figure>  “My family had no choice but to borrow money to rebuild our home since the government compensation was not enough, and ten years later we are still paying off the loan,” says Phu Doma Sherpa, 60. Because of the shortage of qualified masons and proper seismic engineering, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/structural-problems">many of the buildings are of questionable building standards </a>and the traditional architecture has been abandoned, admits Kul Bahadur Budathoki, deputy chair of the municipality. “But these buildings were more expensive than what the government grants could cover, many people here are heavily in debt and the men have <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/every-day-is-closer-to-pay-day">migrated to the Gulf to pay their loans</a>,” Budathoki says.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_32f89e97b7e757fc9286c0bbb671f48ea8d4468e9634fa646d7247c650ad8480.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20250508110520_32f89e97b7e757fc9286c0bbb671f48ea8d4468e9634fa646d7247c650ad8480" data-rendition-name="original" width="1501" height="1079" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> <figcaption>Kul Bahadur Budathoki</figcaption> </figure>  Singati is in a multi-hazard zone. The <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Singati,3091">12 May 2015 earthquake </a>could have led to the collapse of Nepal’s largest glacial lake, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/stairway-to-heaven">Tso Rolpa</a>, upstream. Due to global warming, the glacier has turned into an expanding lake 3.5km long, and its collapse would have unleashed a catastrophic Himalayan tsunami down the Tama Kosi Valley, with Singati directly in its path. Singati has literally risen from the ashes of 2015, with its residents beginning to recover from the trauma and financial toll. But it is not out of danger as <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/climate-breakdown-linked-to-thame-flood">climate breakdown </a>magnifies the risk from future earthquakes.

Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village

The streets of Patan are alive this month with lavender jacaranda trees under rain-washed skies as <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-red-god-rises-again-in-patan">the chariot of Rato Matsyendranath</a> is pulled across town. This is the festival of the rain god, and inevitably the heavens opened up and pre-monsoon showers pelted the chariot as it started being pulled in Pulchok last week. Thousands of devotees, onlookers and the chariot procession organisers thronged the streets on the first day last week. The rhythmic cymbals and drums exuded a vibrant energy as the enormous four wheels turned and the chariot lurched.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025051007050_81df97744db16f732a419dc1f1579d235ce3df37642b078f50b83bd4bd026688.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2025051007050_81df97744db16f732a419dc1f1579d235ce3df37642b078f50b83bd4bd026688" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1503" loading="lazy" alt="Divine chariot"> </figure>  The<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Red-rain-god,3141"> red rain god</a> has Hindu and Buddhist antecedents, alternatively called Bungadya and<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-gravity-defying-chariot-festival"> Karunamaya</a> — reflecting Kathmandu Valley’s syncretic mixture of the two religions.&nbsp; “Bungadya is a profoundly <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/12-full-opinion/marketing-the-intangible">intangible form of heritage</a>,” explains heritage expert Monalisa Maharjan. “It embodies traditional knowledge,<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/reviving-nepal-s-craft"> artisanal skills passed down through generations</a>. Local communities and specific families have specified roles in being custodians of the heritage, ensuring their survival over the centuries.” There are many legends and stories about this annual tradition. Lichhavi king Narendra Dev is supposed to have brought Rato Matsyendranath from Assam to Kathmandu Valley to convince Guru Gorakhnath to lift a spell that created a two-year drought in Kathmandu.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250510050520_347a9a398f8a9abc4a7fb4e2774fde8264cccbdce8bdab23851ab3f0e73c3e8a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250510050520_347a9a398f8a9abc4a7fb4e2774fde8264cccbdce8bdab23851ab3f0e73c3e8a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1503" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Divine chariot"> </figure>  Matsyendranath was Gorakhnath’s mentor, and upon seeing him, the serpents were released, unleashing the rains. The chariot festival honours the return of this life-giving rain. The deity is seen as an icon for thriving agriculture, t<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/before-the-next-monsoon">he arrival of monsoon</a> showers, and the welfare of the community. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-reign-of-the-god-of-rain">The reign of the god of rain</a>, Vidhu Prakash Kayastha Till this day, the Rato Matsyendranath festival is no ordinary celebration. Patan does not sleep for a month as the chariot is pulled through various neighbourhoods. It unfolds at a state level with the president (formerly the king) attending the climax of the Bhoto Jatra in Jawalakhel later this month.&nbsp; The intergenerational transmission of tradition is unique in the world, and the reason the festival is one of the most vibrant cultural expressions that thrives despite inroads of modernity. The other unique aspect is that it is a transnational festival, binding Patan with Guwahati in the Indian state of Assam.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025051005058_8bc685ada13045d863b28e3eed91c931da2b510714586af6fd7eb5d1e298a24a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="2025051005058_8bc685ada13045d863b28e3eed91c931da2b510714586af6fd7eb5d1e298a24a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1503" loading="lazy" alt="Divine chariot"> </figure>  “Unlike Nepal, where the deity commands grandeur and devotion, many in Assam are unaware of Rato Matsyendranath,” says Khagen Sharma of Gauhati University, which convened <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-assam-connection-revived">a symposium in February in Guwahati on the rain god</a>. Attending was a delegation led by Lalitpur Mayor Chiribabu Maharjan, organisers of the festival, and builders of the chariot. After the symposium, a committee was formed to explore and revive the tradition in Assam as well. Although the team had planned to visit Nepal this month, logistical challenges delayed the trip. Still, there are plans to build a Guru Matsyendranath statue in Assam to reestablish regular worship practices in the Guwahati shrine.&nbsp; The vines used to build the chariot in Patan are sourced from the jungles of Assam. But Sharma notes that in recent years unclear regulations have blocked the official import of the vines, although they are still brought to Nepal informally. The <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/makers-of-machhindranath,2204">chariot making</a> has also had a taste of modernisation in recent times. In the past, even a single nail or piece of steel was avoided. But over time, the wooden structure, particularly the shaft between the wheels, has been replaced with bronze. When that too proved unstable, metal clamps were introduced, which have become a pragmatic compromise.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250510050524_b2a819a5791612f14c81d30fc393dbd3f99f0c64b90a9110e8b0855d944bfa93.jpg" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20250510050524_b2a819a5791612f14c81d30fc393dbd3f99f0c64b90a9110e8b0855d944bfa93" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="998" loading="lazy" alt="Divine chariot"> </figure>  Another welcome change is the focus on safety. Builders climbing the chariot’s tower now wear harnesses and there are efforts in crowd control. The most visible change in recent years has been the involvement of Patan’s enthusiastic youth in the festival — the tradition is now passing to a new generation. Says Matsyendranath expert Vidhu Kayastha: “There is more energy, the young people in red t-shirts this year were very organised, these modern touches aren’t diluting our culture, they’re keeping it alive in new forms.” He adds, “We are <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/searching-for-a-homeland-away-from-home">reconnecting with our roots</a>, we have more resources, more awareness than ever before. We must not be swept away by western values that may not serve us, and in some ways, cause more harm than good. We must revive our own culture.”&nbsp;

protected-areas