Phalyak, Dharkajung, and Pakling villages in Varagung Muktichhetra Rural Municipality are known as agricultural hubs. Among the 19 villages in the municipality, these areas are the leading producers of apples and grains. Farmers here grow fresh fruits and vegetables—including apples, papaya, potatoes, beans, corn, barley, and others—on fertile land, generating a good income.
However, local farmers in Phalyak and Dharkajung are now facing a growing irrigation crisis. Rising temperatures caused by climate change and the absence of snowfall during favorable periods have led to the gradual drying up of water sources. This has become a serious concern for the residents of Varagung Muktichhetra-5.
Ringjin Namgel Gurung, Chairperson of Varagung Muktichhetra Rural Municipality, said the lack of snowfall in Mustang over the past two years has dried up irrigation sources, posing significant challenges for local farmers. “Rain alone does not solve the irrigation problem here. For sufficient irrigation, snowfall must occur at the right time,” he said. “Due to increased carbon emissions, the springs are drying up, and the lack of irrigation in farmland is becoming a serious threat.”
Chairperson Gurung emphasized the need to identify new water sources to address the challenges brought on by the climate crisis. “In the past, 100 percent of the cultivable land used to be irrigated. Now, it’s hard to irrigate even 10 percent,” he said, noting a sharp decline in available water resources.
Surendra Gurung, Ward Chairperson of Varagung Muktichhetra-5, said that the Lumbuk River, which typically swells during June, July, and August, has begun to dry up. “All 100 households in Phalyak and Dharkajung rely on agriculture. But without irrigation, agriculture cannot survive,” he said. “The Lumbuk River was our main source of irrigation, but now it’s become unreliable. It should have had more water during this season, but it is instead shrinking.”
On Saturday, a team comprising local farmers, village leaders, the rural municipality chairperson and Vice-chairperson, and ward officials visited the source of the Lumbuk River to assess the situation. Vice-chairperson Dicky Gurung reported that all three sources near the Lumbuk waterfall are diminishing. “There has been no snowfall in Mustang for three consecutive years, and the Lumbuk River’s source has decreased by more than two-thirds compared to the past,” she said.
Local farmer Konchok Gurung from Dharkajung said he took the people’s representatives to inspect the spring after noticing a drastic drop in water flow. “Compared to previous years, the spring has significantly dried up, making irrigation extremely difficult,” he said. “If this continues, the community may be forced to relocate within a few years.”
Raju Gurung, a resident of Phalyak, echoed the concerns. “The Lumbuk River had been our lifeline, solving the irrigation problem for both villages. But now, as the spring dries up, the entire agricultural system is under threat,” he said.
In the past, a single farmer in these villages could irrigate 25 to 30 plots of land. Now, even four or five fields are difficult to manage. Locals believe that adequate snowfall during winter would restore the water level of the Lumbuk River through snowmelt. But the surrounding high mountains, once a dependable source of snow, are now barren.
As a symbolic gesture and act of hope, villagers from Phalyak and Dharkajung reached the Lumbuk Cave on Saturday and performed religious rituals, praying for the restoration of the water source that sustains their agricultural livelihood.
