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A man has been sentenced to more than 52 years in jail raping his minor daughter.

The District Court Solukhumbu slapped 52 years and six months imprisonment on a man of Solududhkunda Municipality-35 for raping his daughter, who is less than 10 years old.

Nagendra Kumar Kalakheti, an official at the District Court Solukhumbu, said that the man of Gurung caste was sentenced to 52 years and six months in prison.

He has been sent to the District Prison in Salleri to serve his sentence.

More than 2,000 cattle died of lumpy skin disease in Madhes Province.

It is a huge toll on livestock, thereby impacting agriculture and income.

Statistics on such loss was made public during a program organized in Janakpur on Monday.

The Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives in the province informed that 1,118 cattle died in Siraha and two in Parsa.

Cow and ox are highest in number dying of the lumpy skin while buffaloes in least number- 6.

Meanwhile, in the province, 45,825 livestock have been vaccinated against the fatal disease, according to veterinarian Dr Ranjit Kumar Adhikari.

Sarlahi district has recorded the highest number of vaccination- among 12,325 cattle. However, vaccination has been awaited in Saptari, Siraha, Mahottari and Parsa districts.

Inaugurating the vaccination program at Gaushala of Janakpur on Monday, Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Govind Bahadur Neupane, said that the province government had sent each district with 8,000 doses of vaccine against lumpy skin.

Minister Neupane vowed government initiative for sustainable solution of this problem. The vaccination drive was a special campaign at present, he added. 

With the onset of monsoon, dengue fever is emerging as a major public health problem in the country. Data from the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division show that Eastern Nepal has witnessed the highest number of dengue cases as of July 26. Province-wise, Koshi has reported the highest number of cases—2,971—followed by Bagmati (767), Gandaki (347),  Sudurpaschim (318), Lumbini (168), Madhes (25) and Karnali (23 cases) as of July 26, per the EDCD, which put the total number of cases reported from 70 districts at 4,619.  

District-wise, Sunsari has the highest number of reported cases (2,737), followed by Dhading (483), Kaski (208), Darchula (190) Kathmandu (88), Sankhuwasabha (75), Myagdi (54), Kanchanpur (52), Rupandehi (45) and Jhapa (42). The township of Dharan in Sunsari had 2,353 people infected during the reporting period and eight of them have died, according to Umesh Mehata, chief at Dharan Sub-metropolitan City’s Health Division. These cases were from ward numbers 11, 15, 17 and 18 of the town.  

“Vessels containing water, drains, unmanaged pigsties, flower pots and plates containing water have become breeding grounds for the dengue-causing mosquitoes,” Mehata said.  

Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, chief at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital’s Clinical Research Unit, expressed concern that dengue infections could take epidemic proportions in Sunsari if control measures are not taken immediately.

Death and severity rates increase when a new serotype of the virus spreads in areas that have witnessed large-scale outbreaks from a different serotype, per experts.

A new serotype may be behind the rise in the number of dengue cases in Dharan, experts point out. We need to find out which serotype is spreading in the area, Dr Pun added.

Three districts in the Kathmandu Valley have reported a total of 88 dengue cases during the reporting period, per the EDCD.  

“In the valley, the number of patients visiting hospitals is quite few. Some pocket areas in the valley might  witness cases, but the possibility of mass spread of the disease is pretty low. As of now, things are under control,” said Pun.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease transmitted by female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Mild to high fever, severe muscle pain, rashes, severe headache and pain in the eyes are some of its symptoms.

Last year, more than 54,000 people got infected with dengue in Nepal; 88 of them died.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population has launched a campaign appealing to all public offices to conduct a cleanliness campaign on their office premises for at least 10 minutes every Friday at 10:30 am in a bid to curb infections. 

After years of dedicated effort, the Fishery Research Station, under the Nepal Agriculture Research Council, in Pokhara has concluded that commercial pearl farming is feasible in Nepal.

The station had initiated the project in 2017 as part of its mission to diversify aquaculture in the country. The research concluded last week. 

Pearls, natural gems produced by mussels, have captivated humanity worldwide for centuries. They are cherished for their use in decorative and jewelry purposes, and also have medicinal properties for curing diseases. For the research, the station utilized mussels found in the lakes of the Pokhara Valley.

Nepal, blessed with abundant water resources and a variety of mussel species, holds great potential for commercial pearl farming, according to Senior Scientist Dr Md Akbal Husen, the chief of the station, who led the research. As freshwater pearl culture is a new frontier in aquaculture, the Fishery Research Station in Pokhara took up the study, Dr Huse added.

Over 18 species of freshwater mussels worldwide have been used for pearl farming. 

Dr Husen emphasized that pearl farming can open up numerous opportunities for local farmers.

The research has demonstrated that freshwater pearl farming is viable in Nepal, as mussels can be integrated into fish ponds, he added. Pearl farming can be conducted in various water bodies such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, spanning from the Tarai to the mid-hills regions of Nepal. “This makes it an excellent opportunity for rural areas as people can start pearl farming with low investment and get high outputs,” he added.

One of the remarkable aspects of pearl culture is its environmental friendliness, as mussels act as natural water filters, contributing to the cleanliness of water bodies. This, in turn, supports intensive fish culture. Dr Husen highlighted that the simplicity of the methods and the less labor-intensive work involved make pearl farming a suitable profession for women, thereby creating more employment opportunities for rural women.

For the research, the station collected mussels from drainage canals and various lakes in Pokhara and kept them in tanks at the research station. Mussels were fed through natural phytoplankton development in the ponds, with occasional use of artificial feed. Compost, urea, and DAP were also frequently used in the tank to maintain the phytoplankton level.

According to Dr Husen, water bodies with a high volume of natural plankton, specifically phytoplankton, are the best for producing pearls. Dr Husen pointed out that areas like Begnas, Rupa, and other small lakes in the Lekhnath area and their surroundings contain the necessary conditions for successful commercial pearl farming.

How is pearl farming done? 

First, freshwater mussels are collected from water bodies rich in phytoplankton. They undergo pre-operative conditioning for 2-3 days, kept in crowded conditions in plastic tanks with tap water at a stocking density of one mussel per liter. Then, the pearl nucleus, a bead made from powder made from mussel shells into molds, is inserted into the mantle cavity of the mussels after carefully opening the two valves without causing any injury to the mussels. After the implantation, the mussels are returned to the water. It takes approximately a year for the bead to transform into a pearl inside the mussel’s cavity.

Freshwater pearl culture is rapidly emerging as a significant activity in the aquaculture sector. India, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Vietnam, and various other countries have successfully developed freshwater pearl cultivation technologies. In many South-East Asian countries, freshwater pearl culture has become a significant source of employment and income.

The successful development of freshwater pearl farming by the Fishery Research Station in Pokhara represents a significant step towards boosting the economy and empowering local farmers in Nepal. The achievement opens up new possibilities for sustainable aquaculture in the region, benefitting both the environment and the community.