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Bhojpur, a district in the eastern hilly region of Nepal, is famous for khukuri. The Bhojpure khukuri, an essential weapon, made in the district is known across the country and abroad.

However, the khukuri industry is facing existential challenges in recent times owing to lack of artisans and raw materials.

The shortage of skilled persons to prepare khukuri is likely to grow more because of the exodus of youths. The youths who used to get skills from the earlier generation are opting for foreign jobs and study at present, said Ghanashyam Bishwokarma, one who runs a furnace to prepare khukuri.

"The number of furnaces used to heat and beat metal to prepare the popular weapon, khukuri, has radically declined in the district," he added. 

The areas producing the weapon are- Kot, Dalgaon, Gogane, Khawa, Khairang, Taksar, Bokhim, Danwa, Timma, Dingla, Deurali, and Jarayotar in the district.

The entrepreneurs complained that the raw materials like coal and sal wood were in short supply while the skilled workforce was also in severe decline, thereby creating the existential crisis of Bhujpure khukuri.

Proprietor of Ranjita Khukuri Industry, Dinesh Gajmer, said, "It is difficult to find artisans, resulting in a slump in khukuri production. However, there is growing demand for the weapon. The workforce available at present are paid much for continuing the profession."

The Bhojpure khukuri is not only used as a weapon but as a gift and decoration.

Varieties of khukuris are produced in the district such as sirupate, banspate, chitlange, kothimuda, panwala, dharkhole and budune.

Hira Shrestha, who runs Urmila Furnace Industry, reminded, "When then King Mahendra visited Bhojpur in 2027BS, a local from Bokhim, Singha Bahadur BK, had gifted him a khukuri, which helped in huge publicity of this product."

In a local market, a khukuri is sold from Rs 800 to 1,800. The rural areas largely use budune and banspate types of khukuri. In addition to local use, this weapon is sold to Dharan, Udayapur, Sankhuwasabha and Kathmandu city as well.

The entrepreneurs have been demanding the governments for assisting in preservation of the khukuri industry.

Construction of the Lower Solukhola Hydropower Project has neared completion. The hydropower project of 82-megawatt capacity achieved 95 percent physical progress till date.

It is being built at Tingla in the district.

The construction of a power house, tunnel way and installation of turbine and generator, among others have been completed in the project promoted by Lower Solu Hydropower Company. Company manager Dharmendra Gotame said the breakthrough of the penstock tunnel would be made in near future.

"We are planning to launch the commercial production of hydropower coming July," he shared.

Even the transmission line has seen 80 percent progress. The project was launched since September 2016 with the investment of Rs 16 billion provided as loan by the European Bank (International Funding Agency) including FMO. The project's completion has been aimed before September 2025.

It is a reservoir-based project. The reservoir has been set up at Salme area of Solukhumbu. The water is supplied through a tunnel way to the powerhouse set up at Bhadaure of Tingla, located some 6-km away from Salme.

The estimated cost of the project would increase because of geographical difficulty and a long tunnel way.

There are 700 workers in the project. Even the locals have got jobs.

With the completion of the project, the national transmission line would receive 23MW power in winter, while 82WM power in the rainy season.

The high mountain regions of Dolakha, including Kalinchowk, Shailung, Cherdung, and Kharidhunga, where snowfall typically begins in early October, are turning black. Snow has not fallen in these mountains for the past four years, and there is no forecast of snowfall in the upper regions or winter rain in the lower regions, even as February approaches.

Farmers in Dolakha’s highlands, who rely on snowmelt for irrigation after planting potatoes, are growing increasingly anxious. The lack of winter rain threatens to reduce potato yields. Dolakha, a district that encompasses both mountains and hills, is home to Gaurishankar Mountain, which rises from an altitude of 762 meters to 7,134 meters above sea level. Once covered in white, it is now darkening. The district has 40 mountains, both large and small.

Climate change has not only affected the Himalayas but also human life and wildlife. Farmers, particularly those engaged in large-scale potato cultivation across 3,200 hectares in Dolakha’s nine local levels, are struggling due to the absence of snow. Shailung Rural Municipality is the district’s largest producer of potatoes.

“January has ended, but there is still no rain. What can we do? We planted fewer potatoes, and now they are on the verge of drying up due to a lack of moisture,” lamented Bishal Shrestha, a farmer from Shailung. “Fertile lands can sustain some growth, but without rain, even those will suffer, and potato production will decline.” Most farmers in Shailung rely on potato farming as their primary livelihood.  

The absence of snowfall by the end of Magh has heightened concerns among Dolakha’s farmers. Locals are disheartened by the decreasing rainfall. In the past, the upper hills of Dolakha were blanketed in snow during winter, but now even the Himalayas remain barren, with their once-white peaks turning black.

The highlands of Dolakha, which were once cold at this time of year, are experiencing unusual warmth. In Charikot, the district headquarters, temperatures have already risen. Glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, and locals have been experiencing the direct effects of climate change for years. “When it snows, farming becomes easier, and production increases. Crops like potatoes, wheat, and millet thrive with snow, eliminating the need for separate irrigation,” said Shrestha.

Snowfall, which was once visible from November to February, has dwindled in recent years, with locals witnessing firsthand the consequences of climate change. The timing of snowfall has become unpredictable, and concerns are mounting over its impact on tourism.

Hotel entrepreneur Hari Oli noted that snowfall once brought a surge of tourists to Dolakha. “Three to four years ago, a significant number of visitors came to play in the snow in December. Hotels in Charikot and Kalinchowk used to be fully booked. Now, with no snow, tourism has plummeted,” he said.

Climate change is affecting not just the Himalayas but also farmers, businesses, wildlife, flowers, red-bellied trees, human life, and birds. Rain and snow no longer follow seasonal patterns, and even forest flowers are blooming out of season. The once-vibrant slopes are now dry, and the region’s natural beauty is fading.

The gradual decline of snowfall poses a long-term threat to native crops, flora, fauna, and birds, while also negatively impacting the tourism sector. Climate change—driven by human activities such as excessive resource exploitation, high energy consumption, and industrialization, as well as natural disasters like fires, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions—has disrupted every aspect of life. However, if human-induced environmental damage is curbed, the effects of climate change may still be mitigated.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division has said that there will be no rainfall in Kathmandu Valley for the next three days.

The country is currently under the influence of a westerly low-pressure system and hence the weather will remain partly to generally cloudy in Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Karnali Provinces today. The weather will remain clear in the rest of the country.

In addition, there is fog in some places in the Tarai of the country.

According to the division, the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly parts of the country this afternoon while the rest of the country will remain clear.

There is a possibility of light snowfall in some places in the high hilly and mountainous parts of Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and in one or two places in the high hilly and mountainous parts of Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces.

Tonight, the weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly parts and clear in the rest of the country. There is a possibility of light snowfall in one or two places in the high hilly and mountainous parts of Koshi, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces.

Meanwhile, according to the department's meteorologist Binu Maharjan, there is no possibility of rain in the Kathmandu Valley for the next three days, but the weather will be partly cloudy.

The minimum temperature in Kathmandu this morning was 8.6 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature will remain between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius.