Roads should not be built within the Khaptad area

KATHMANDU: AUGUST 24 – In the morning, there was news that a road was being built inside Khaptad National Park. The report said, “The federal government has agreed to do DPR and EIA, locals and conservationists are worried about the loss of biodiversity.

After reading the news, I began to think that those who made this decision must not have been there. Even if they have gone, they have arrived only to add the name of the place they have visited. Otherwise, the issue of building roads within the Khaptad National Park area should not be raised.

Let’s take a brief look at Khaptad first:

Khaptad is a religiously and naturally protected area in the hilly districts of the Far-Western Region. It is located at an altitude of 2,700 meters to 3,230 meters above sea level. This area is spread in Bajhang, Bajura, Achham and Doti districts. Covering an area of ​​225 square kilometres with lush green meadows, streams and grasslands, the Khaptad National Park is protected by the Nepal Army. It was established in 2043 BS.

Khaptad, which is covered with greenery, or grass or Lekali Buki flowers other times, is covered with thick white snow after the month of Poush (December/January). From Baisakh to Ashad (April/June), the fields are covered with colourful flowers. The main feature of the Khaptad region is the colourful flowers that bloom in the vast fields. Here you can experience a beautiful garden with trees on the edge of the flowering field. In this unique museum of nature, there are 135 kinds of flowers including 4 natives, 224 species of herbs, 567 species of plants and 270 species of birds. In Khaptad, where the sun shines in an instant and the rain falls in an instant, it looks good when the clouds cover the trees in the rain. That is why this area is an open museum of nature and a living garden.

In Khaptad, where the sun shines in an instant and the rain falls in an instant, it looks good when the clouds cover the trees in the rain. That is why this area is an open museum of nature and a living garden.

Apart from the beautiful Meadows, Thumka and Khaptad Lagoon (Daha), Khaptad Baba Ashram (where Khaptad Baba spent 50 years), Trivenighat (the confluence of two rivers Ganga and Jamuna are seen and Saraswati river is believed to flow secretly). Religious places like Sahasralinga, Ganeshsthan, Nagdhunga, Kedardhunga have made the Khaptad region very famous. Rich in natural, religious and cultural diversity, Khaptad has 22 large meadows and 53 tree trunks. Even though people visit the park from April to June, there is a special crowd at the Ganga Dussehra Fair.

There are various routes to reach Khaptad at the confluence of Bajura, Bajhang, Doti and Achham districts. But the easiest way is to go through Silgadhi, Baglek, Zigrana of Doti and Tamale Bazar, Chhanna, Lamatola of Bajhang.

The road from Kathmandu to Khaptad is mostly used for Doti and Silgadhi. To reach Silgadhi, one has to travel 9 hours by bus from Attaria, Kailali on the East-West Highway. The destination for Khaptad is found after a 3-hour straight uphill road from Siligadhi to Baglek via Zigrana checkpost. In recent years, hikers have been trekking from Khaptad in the far west to Rara Lake in Karnali.

Now let’s talk about the basic infrastructure required for Khaptad:

Despite being rich in natural, religious, cultural and biodiversity, Khaptad does not seem to have gained much importance due to lack of physical infrastructure and publicity. In fact, the biggest hurdle when travelling to Khaptad is the lack of basic necessities for tourists. It still seems necessary to develop many infrastructures here. These infrastructure developments should be understood as infrastructures that do not compromise the natural and ancient originality, such as good road access to all the four entry points of Khaptad.

Despite being rich in natural, religious, cultural and biodiversity, Khaptad does not seem to have gained much importance due to lack of physical infrastructure and publicity. In fact, the biggest hurdle when traveling to Khaptad is the lack of basic necessities for tourists.

Safe pedestrian or horse trails for headquarters and other locations, signposts on the way, water management on foot, fast-paced teahouses to stay overnight at key locations along the way, emergency fire extinguishers and lodging booths, and many more after reaching Khaptad headquarters. Tea house with food and accommodation for the people.

For now, going beyond this and building roads within the Khaptad region is likely to erase the natural beauty and original identity of the region. It is important for all stakeholders to pay attention to the danger of losing the real identity of Khaptad in the name of development and promotion.

If we start to meet the demand of the region by constructing roads on one side now, we may have to meet the demand of other regions in the future as well, which will increase the external encroachment in the Khaptad area and ultimately the original beauty and identity of Khaptad. There is no road in Khaptad National Park now, only the most necessary and basic infrastructures are needed while preserving its originality.

Khaptad – What is the purpose of that road when Khaptad does not exist in its original form? So in my experience, the decision to build a road within that area cannot be justified by any logic.

(Acharya is a civil engineer)