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The effect of monsoon wind is still continuous in the country.

The low-pressure belt of monsoon is slightly towards the northern part of its average location, according to the Weather Forecasting Division.

The Division informed that some parts of Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces have witnessed light to moderate rainfall, while one or two places of the rest of the provinces are witnessing light to moderate rainfall along with thunder and lightning.

There will be general weather change across the country in the afternoon. But, few places in Gandaki and Lumbini provinces and one to two places of rest of the provinces will have heavy rainfall.

The traditional festival of Gaijatra or the ‘cow festival’ is being observed in three cities of Kathmandu Valley and some other places in the country amidst much fun, gaiety, humor, satire, and entertainment.

The festival, beginning on the first day of the waning moon in the month of Bhadra (Bhadra Pratiprada) as per the lunar calendar, lasts for a week.

During this time-honored tradition, people of all ages in the guise of cows and lunatics go around the city, wearing odd costumes to commemorate those who died during the past one year.

The bereaved families offer fruits, bread, beaten rice, curd, and money to those participating in the procession including the cows.

This festival is believed to have started during the time of King Pratap Malla, who, in a bid to console his queen, grieved at the death of her son in a smallpox epidemic and ordered his people to organize humor and satire programs in various comic postures.

This tradition continued in the form of the Gaijatra festival during which people also vent out their feelings towards social and political anomalies, human follies and other contemporary affairs through comic skits, cartoons, and the like.

The government has announced a public holiday in Kathmandu Valley on this day. Apart from the Valley, the festival is also observed in Banepa, Dhulikhel, Trishuli, Dolakha, Khotang, Bhojpur, Chainpur, Ilam, Dharan, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bahrabise, Hetauda and Pokhara.

Many ponds having cultural and ecological significance have dried up, and many more are on the verge of extinction due to human encroachment in Pokhara.

“Cattle and birds would drink from these ponds. Buffalo would cool off in the mud. At night, jackals and other wildlife would drink from the ponds,” Gangadhar Timilsina (81) of Pokhara-7 recalled. “Times have changed. Such sights have become a thing of the past in Pokhara’s urban areas.”

There used to be a pond and a tap near the resting place at Nareshwar in Malepatan of Pokhara-5. The resting place and tap is still there, but the pond has disappeared. The pond completely dried up in 2009, according to Dhan Bahadur Nepali, former chairperson of Pokahra Ward-5 Office. “Now people have stopped rearing cows and buffalo, and the ponds that our ancestors built have fallen into disuse,” he said.

The area in Pokhara-7, which now houses the regional office of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), used to be called Pokhari Patan (literally pasture land with a lake). The large pond has disappeared, and a new artificial pond has been built in the area. It has a cemented wall and three layers of iron bars, making it inaccessible even to humans, let alone animals, with its gate always padlocked.

Most ponds in Pokhara’s urban areas, which used to be rich in aquatic life, have disappeared. Some ponds with religious and cultural significance exist in name only. Some have shrunk and now have cemented walls to prevent encroachment. Locals say most of the public resting places, taps and ponds in Pokhara have vanished due to rapid construction activities in recent years. Conservation workers estimate that more than 100 ponds have disappeared from urban areas of Pokhara.

In rural areas, though, a number of ponds are still in good shape, especially those used for irrigation. Farmers rely on these ponds and springs to plant rice. For irrigating fields and watering animals, ancestors used to build multipurpose ponds near homes and villages. Sadly, many of these ponds have now disappeared due to encroachment, lack of conservation or regular use.

While ponds in other areas of Pokhara have seen massive encroachments, the one in Kaskikot in Pokhara-24 has ponds dating back to the era of Shah kings, according to Thakur Prasad Tripathi of the area. The large pond (Thuli Pokhari) in Kaskikot, also known as Kashyap Tal, covers an area of 30 ropani (about 1.5 hectares). Thakur Prasad Tripathi, a social worker, says the lake dates back to the Sen dynasty.

Farmers in Kaskikot have been using water from four ponds, including Thuli Pokhari, Maula Pokhari, Khadgam Pokhari and Sani Pokhari for irrigation. Water from these ponds is used to irrigate about 2,000 ropanis (100 hectares) of paddy fields, according to Indra Bahadur GC, a farmer.

Local people, however, say all ponds located in Kaskikot are gradually drying up. “Khadgam Pokhari started drying up after a large tree inside the pond rotted and fell,” Madhav Lal Sharma of the area said.

Indra Bahadur GC, secretary of Pokhara Ward-24 Office, said that Thuli Pokhari, the largest irrigation source in Kaskikot, is also undergoing repairs as it started drying up. Locals say expansion of the road above Thuli Pokhari caused the pond to dry up. “Construction of cemented walls around the pond for beautification and the use of earthmovers also damaged water sources,” locals added. 

Pokhara Metropolitan City allocated Rs 2.5m for the conservation of Thuli Pokhari in the fiscal 2022-23 while it has set aside Rs 1.5m for 2023-24. 

Cultural significance

Ponds have cultural significance. Our ancestors, being environmentally conscious, would plant banyan, pipal and sami trees and nurture them. They would then build resting places around these trees using stones and soil. There was a tradition of building public taps and digging ponds near these resting places. Both Hindu and Buddhist followers would connect these environmental and ecological works with religion. 

Former principal of Barahi Secondary School, Gangadhar Timilsina, said our ancestors used to do these environmentally important works for earning merit. “Back then, people had a religious mindset. There was a belief that after building a resting place and planting banyan and pipal trees, a pond should be built,” Timilsina explained. “There would be a tap near the resting place.”

Some villages in Kaski have been completely abandoned after people migrated elsewhere. With villages deserted, no one is left behind to maintain structures like ponds. In urban areas, increased population density due to in-migration has led to encroachment on ponds and resting places. Not only ponds, even Phewa Lake is facing encroachment and siltation problems. No different is the condition of other lakes. 

Metro lacks data on ponds

Pokhara metropolis lacks data on the number of ponds in existence and the number of ponds that have vanished. It doesn’t ‘seem to have maintained any data’ on the number of ponds within its jurisdiction, according to Nirmal Man Singh Bhandari, head of the Environment Department of Pokhara Metropolitan City.

A study conducted by an NGO named Sudhrid Nepal indicates that 129 ponds still exist in Pokhara Metropolitan City. Out of these 129 ponds, a sample survey of 21 ponds found that only four ponds have water throughout the year. Januka Thapa, a member of the study team, said Khude Pokhari in Pokhara-5, Machha Pokhari in Pokhara-13, Bhagwati Pokhari in Pokhara-14, and Thuli Pokhari in Pokhara-16 have water round the year.

Ecological importance

Lakes, ponds and wells are ecologically important resources. Dipendra Joshi, an expert on disaster and climate adaptation, said that ponds play a crucial role in balancing the ecosystem as they support amphibians and aquatic life. “Ponds are equally important for birds, wildlife and plants. The use of pond water for irrigation also increases food productivity,” Dr Joshi said. “As habitats for birds, amphibians and aquatic life, ponds contribute to the food chain. They play a significant role in the livelihood of the local people.”

The Ministry of Health and Population has said that Nepal falls under the risk of infection of monkeypox (mpox).

According to Ministry Spokesperson Dr Prakash Budhathoki, the infection is spreading rapidly in neighboring India and in this context, Nepal too is vulnerable to it.

Last year, one 60-year-old foreigner (female) was diagnosed with the mpox virus in Nepal.

The Ministry has already consulted with the experts concerned regarding preparations required for its prevention.

Budhathoki said that health desks based along the air and border transits and the federal, provincial and local levels have been instructed to remain vigilant to the infection risk and take measures accordingly. 

The Ministry has designated hospitals and doctors in all seven provinces for the prevention and management of the infection.

Since the past few days, the African country Congo is battling with Clade 1b. This variant of mpox is considered to be deadly. Since January this year, it has killed 548 people.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a health emergency over the spread of the virus.

Mpox spreads through direct contact with the infected person or animal, skin-to-skin contact with mpox rash or scabs from an infected, contact with fluid and saliva from the body of an infected, clothing, towels, beddings or objects used by the infected.

Fever, skin rash and bumps in between one and three days of the infection which appears in the face, palm and feet as well, headache, muscle ache, bone ache, chills, and swollen lymph nodes are the symptoms of mpox. It may lead to the loss of eyesight, pneumonia, brain fever, miscarriage (among pregnant) and even death.

The Ministry has hoped for a high level of cooperation from the civic- level in terms of adopting health protocols to prevent the risk which is, as the Ministry said, possible, if the civic are ready for that.