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A new species of bird was spotted in Ghodaghodi Bird Sanctuary of Kailali. The Sanctuary is located in Ghodaghodi Wetlands, which is listed in the World Ramsar List.

The new discovery was made during a bird census held at the Sanctuary from May 20 to 26. Oriental Dollarbird locally known as Lalchuche Theuwa was found for the first time in the Sanctuary.

Also known by its scientific name of Eurystomus orientalis, Lalchuche Theuwa migrates to Nepal from India and Bangladesh during the summer season. A pair of Lalchuche Theuwa was spotted in the Bethani area of Ghodaghodi, said Hirulal Dagoura, facilitator at Bird Conservation Nepal.

With the addition of this new species, the number of birds found in Ghodaghodi Wetlands has reached 381.

The bird census has been carried out in coordination with the Division Forest Office and the Bird Conservation Nepal with the objective of updating on the species, number and condition of summer migratory birds.

The weather is partly to mostly cloudy in hilly areas including Koshi and Sudurpaschim Provinces, and mostly clear in the rest of the country today.

This is due to the partial effect of local winds, westerly winds as well as the low-pressure system around Bihar in India, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Later this afternoon, the weather will be partly to mostly cloudy in the hilly parts of the country including Koshi region and mostly clear in the rest of the country. There is a possibility of light rain with thunder and lightning in some places of the Koshi region.

Tonight, the weather will remain partly to mostly cloudy in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and clear in the remaining parts of the country. There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at some places in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and one or two places in the hilly regions of Lumbini.

In the next 24 hours, there is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning in some places of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and one or two places in the hilly parts of Lumbini province.

Meanwhile, the temperature in Kathmandu Valley continues to rise with the temperature today expected to be between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius at the maximum.

On Tuesday, the temperature was 28.5 degrees Celsius and increased to 33.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

Four persons died when a Bolero jeep met with an accident near Ratanangla in Surkhet on Thursday.

The District Police Office, Surkhet said that the jeep was heading towards Kalikot from Surkhet when the tragedy occurred at Takuri Mode in Birendranagar-14 along the Surkhet-Dailekh road section at 2 am today.

Police said that the jeep fell some 100 meters down the road.

Further investigation into the incident is underway.  

Aarughat is a very ancient market town in Gorkha. Located 42 kilometers north of the Gorkha district headquarters, on the famous Manaslu trekking trail, the residents of Aarughat have evidence that the market was established there 328 years ago.

At one time, Aarughat was a larger commercial center than even the district headquarters itself. However, this bustling market started losing its charm after talks began about building the 1,200-megawatt Budhi Gandaki Hydroelectric Project.

Aarughat has a historical identity as it lies on the main trail that people from Gorkha and western hill districts used to take to reach the capital before the highway opened. Being comparatively larger than other markets on the trail from Pokhara to Kathmandu, Aarughat had a vast reputation for centuries. 

For a long time, it was renowned as the main market for the Tsum-Nubri region, which comprises over half of Gorkha district, as well as Dharche, Bhimsenthan, and Aarughat rural municipalities. The market did not lose its charm even after the Prithvi Highway, which links Pokhara with Kathmandu, was built as it was seated on the trekking trail to the famous Manaslu Circuit Trail.

Aarughat, which developed into a bustling market on the land gifted by the rulers to boatmen who helped people cross the mighty Budhi Gandaki River, has now started to wear a deserted look. When talks of building the mega reservoir project started in the 2010s, people started leaving this bustling place. The 2015 earthquakes, which floored many houses in the market, expedited the migration of people from Aarughat.

Ganesh Kumar Shrestha, a local, said most of the people from Aarughat have moved to Kathmandu. According to Shrestha, the rate of people abandoning Aarughat shot up drastically in the last five years after they received compensation for their land and houses from the project. “The well-off people already had land and houses in Kathmandu and other cities and were gradually abandoning Aarughat. The distribution of compensation expedited migration,” Shrestha added.

According to Krishna Pokharel, a local grocer, the houses of the Aarughat market used to be packed earlier. But now it looks as empty as a sheep-shed after the herd has moved on in winter.

Until a decade ago, Aarughat was a bustling market area. Businesses had occupied almost all the houses in the village. Even those who had houses in Kathmandu and Pokhara had not abandoned Aarughat. “There used to be a crowd of people going to Gorkha, Kathmandu, Pokhara, and towards the highlands every day. There would be a rush of employees and parents taking their children to schools,” Pokharel said. “But when talks of the Budhi Gandaki project started, people gradually started abandoning Aarughat. The 2015 earthquakes further compounded woes for this market.”

Now the old main market street of Aarughat has padlocks on the doors of houses on both sides. Weeds have grown over the yards of some houses, the plaster is peeling off others, and some look dilapidated. With no maintenance, the yards and porticos are overgrown like grazing meadows.

Buddha Prasad Shrestha, chairperson of Ward-9 of Aarughat Rural Municipality, said only about 50 percent of the 400 households are in Aarughat now. “It is said that Newar traders, who came from Kathmandu around 400 years ago, started their businesses in Aarughat, which was inhabited by boatmen. There are records that show this market existed 200 years ago,” Chairperson Shrestha said. “The market started expanding after people from Dharche and the Tsum-Nubri region started settling here after the 1990s.”

According to Chairperson Shrestha, the market is getting deserted because of the 2015 earthquakes and the Budhi Gandaki project. “Only those who can’t go elsewhere remain in Aarughat now,” he said. “The old main market area below the area police office is now largely deserted.”