Severe cold intensifies life in Solukhumbu

KATHMANDU: As the extreme cold increases, daily life in Solukhumbu’s Himalayan district, including the district headquarters, Salleri, is becoming increasingly difficult.

The temperature in Salleri dropped to minus one degree Celsius on Saturday morning, according to the local weather station.

Weather station staff member Nawaraj Parajuli confirmed that temperatures in Salleri have been in the negative for several days. With the drop in temperature, locals have begun gathering around fires for warmth, said Nirkumar Nepali, a resident of Salleri. “It’s so cold that staying indoors is unbearable, so in the mornings and evenings, we all gather in one place to warm ourselves by the fire,” he said.

For the past three days, there has been no sunshine in the area, and the cold has severely affected children, the elderly, and the disabled. “Children’s education has been disrupted, and the elderly are facing increased problems,” Nepali added.

The cold has also led to an increase in patient numbers at the Faplu District Hospital, where all beds have been occupied by patients with respiratory and circulatory diseases.

Dr. Prashant Shah, the hospital’s chief, noted that the emergency room is overcrowded and some patients are being treated on the floor due to a lack of beds. “The number of patients has risen sharply due to the cold,” Dr. Shah said.

The effects of the cold are even more severe in the Khumbu region. The minimum temperature there has recently dropped below minus 15 degrees Celsius. Schools have been closed due to the freezing temperatures, according to Toyakumar Shrestha of Lukla.

With most schools closed, children are spending their time warming themselves by the fire, said Lakpa Sherpa, a teacher at PKE Secondary School in Lodging. Many local businesspeople, particularly in the tourism industry, have left the region to escape the cold.

A large portion of the local population, about 70%, has already left Khumbu, with many heading to Kathmandu or places like Buddha Gaya in India, said Damu Sherpa, a local. Lukla’s Amrit Magar also reported that the Khumbu region, usually bustling with tourists during the peak season, is now deserted, with the airport, hotels, and sightseeing areas all empty.

In addition to the drop in tourism, the region is also facing a water supply crisis. The extreme cold has caused pipes to freeze, disrupting the water supply to the Everest region.

Even during the day, when the sun shines, water remains frozen, leaving many parts of Khumbu without drinking water, according to local Maya Sherpa.

Temperatures in the area have dropped to as low as minus 17 degrees Celsius. The freezing conditions are also hindering construction work and daily activities, with rural areas seeing fewer people out and about.

Local residents have said that they leave water pipes open to prevent them from freezing overnight, as frozen water does not thaw until the sun comes out.