MoALD starts process of drafting Agriculture Act

KATHMANDU, JULY 31

The first ever Agriculture Act of the country is under discussion at the moment.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD) has requested Nepal Law Commission to draft the law after receiving the permission to do so from the Cabinet, said Hari Bahadur KC, spokesperson for MoALD.

Till date, the agriculture sector of the country is being regulated by the National Agriculture Policy 2006, hence, the ministry has decided to introduce the new act and revise the policies based on the contemporary needs of the sector, he said.

“Based on this policy, the government is preparing a separate framework and directions as per the needs of the situation. However, now there will be a whole new set of laws to regulate the sector,” KC added.

Along with this, concerned stakeholders have also started discussions related to the act. Soon after the commission prepares the draft of the law, it will be discussed with the stakeholders to make it more precise, he added.

KC further said that a new act is needed to decentralise various practices involved in the agriculture sector.

According to him, the new act will comprise laws related with deciding commercial areas for agriculture and also rules related with land lease and agreements and procurement of agriculture goods, equipment, fertilisers, seeds and other items.

Similarly, the act will also include laws related to grants, subsidies, loans, loan interest, registration of farmers, traders and industries, agriculture and livestock insurance as well as regarding fixing minimum support price of crops.

Earlier, MoALD had formed a committee led by its Joint Secretary Narayan Regmi to prepare a draft for the new act. Meanwhile, a committee led by Spokesperson KC had been formed to revise and prepare a draft of the National Agriculture Policy.

As per KC, the revised policy will address the issues of identifying current priorities of the agriculture sector, priorities of farmers and other stakeholders as well as keeping records of the latest updates in the agriculture sector while the act will be a law to regulate this sector.

For a long time stakeholders including the Parliamentary committees had also been directing the agriculture ministry to introduce a new act by revising the current policy.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Nepal Airlines Corporation grounds all its Chinese aircraft

KATHMANDU, JULY 31

Citing operational loss, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has grounded all its six Chinese aircraft from today. Two aircraft had been already grounded earlier and the remaining four planes were also grounded from today, said Archana Khadka, spokesperson for NAC.

“From now on we will be operating our two Twin Otter aircraft for domestic flights,” she informed, adding, “We have submitted a letter to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) to do the needful with the four aircraft that were grounded today.”

The national flag carrier had received one MA60 and one Y12E aircraft on aid from the Chinese government while one MA60 and three Y12E were provided by the Nepal government to NAC. However, as all the six aircraft were not able to make any profit, the corporation’s board decided to ground all the aircraft, Khadka said.

“As the government has the entire ownership of those aircraft we have handed over the responsibility to MoCTCA,” she stated.

“We are now waiting for MoCT- CA’s decision on what to do with these aircraft.”

As per NAC, the insurance cost of the Chinese aircraft is 35 per cent high than other aircraft. Likewise, not all pilots can fly the Chinese aircraft due to which the corporation itself has to train pilots which is a very expensive affair.

Moreover, there is a lack of instructor pilots for these aircraft due to which instruction expenses for these aircraft are costlier than for other aircraft.

Meanwhile, the spare parts of these aircraft are also 75 per cent more expensive than those required in other aircraft and it takes almost two months for the company to deliver the spare parts to Nepal. As a result, the aircraft had remained grounded for a long period.

According to NAC, the corporation has already faced losses amounting to Rs 1.90 billion till last fiscal year. Thus, the national flag carrier cannot afford these aircraft anymore and now the government itself has to decide what to do with these aircraft, Khadka mentioned.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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History of Dalit movements in Nepal: Much has achieved, but discrimination still exists

Dalits are those communities that have been oppressed, and marginalised in the worst forms for millenniums in the name of caste, the major practice of social stratification in the Hindu society in South Asia. Also termed ‘Achhoots’ (meaning ‘untouchables) by the radical enforcers of the extremely rigid caste system, the Dalits are not included even in the traditional four Varnas and are referred to as ‘Panchamas’.

Dalits in South Asia

In an orientalist historical explanations, untouchability originated when Indo-Aryan community migrated to the Indian subcontinent in around 1,500 BCE and deemed the indigenous community inferior in terms of cultural and racial aspects. Manusmriti, an ancient Hindu legal text written around 1,250-1,000 BCE, incorporated the caste system as the basis of order and regularity ‘to preserve the purity of race and blood, ostracising the indigenous community into Achhoots.

India’s BR Ambedkar, however, declines to accept this multiracial notion of Aryans and non-Aryans and the purity. He defines caste as an artificial stratification of people into fixed and definite units. He presents the caste system not as a racial division but as a social division of people of the same race.

Dalits in Nepal

File image: A Dalit settlement in Terai

In Nepal, the earliest caste system is said to have come to practice in Khas Rajya (modern-day western Nepal) in the 12^th century when Brahmins from the then independent states in India came to the Sinja valley. Dor Bahadur Bista’s Fatalism and Development details how the caste system was introduced in Khas Rajya during the early medieval period.  Likewise, the caste system was introduced in Kathmandu Valley by King Jayasthiti Malla with the assistance of his five pandits in the 14^th century by introducing four Varnas and 64 Jaats.

In modern times, Prithvi Narayan Shah declared his unified territory as the country of four Varnas and 36 Jaats. Jung Bahadur Rana legitimised the caste system through the country’s first documented law, Muluki Ain (Civil Code) 1854, and also included non-Hindu groups in the caste system. The legal code documented the castes into four types:

• Taagadhari – the elite thread-wearing group (Bhramins and Chettris);
• Matwali – the alcohol-drinking group (further divided into Namaasiney or non-enslavable, and Maasiney or enslavable);
• Paani nachalney tara chhoichhito haalnu naparne (impure but touchable)
• Paani nachalney tara chhoichitto haalnu parne (impure and untouchable).

The word ‘Dalit’

The root of the word ‘Dalit’ is ‘Dalan’, which translates to oppression in Sanskrit, Nepali and Hindi languages. Hence, ‘Dalit’ means ‘oppressed’. Perhaps, the word was first used by the Indian reformer Jyotirao Phule. Although Mahatma Gandhi proposed and used the term ‘Harijan’ or ‘children of god’ in 1932, Ambedkar used and popularized the word ‘Dalit’ as a quasi-class term, referring to a class of people at the rock-bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy.

Social history of Dalits in Nepal

Whether one believes the colonial orientalist view or the countering view of Ambedkar, it is undeniable that the Dalits have been ostracised and oppressed for more than three millenniums since the Vedic age. When the caste system was introduced in Khas Rajya, it created a hierarchical and social difference among the people of the state. Similarly, while many historians see the division of the caste system based on people’s occupation as a reform, it also led to segregation and oppression. For example, people from the lowest caste in the Kathmandu valley in the medieval period were not allowed to have tiles on their roofs and had to show respect to the people of the higher caste.

Practising the caste system inflicted discrimination so much so that it would deny even the basic rights to the people from the lowest castes. Jung Bahadur Rana encouraged discrimination based on castes through the Muluki Ain, which was already in practice in the Nepali society. The punishments were set based on caste as the Brahmins were not given capital punishments while the people from the lowest castes would get severe ones. Similarly, marriage was made endogamic, i.e., within the same caste for the sake of purity.

The people labelled as impure were denied even the basic social, economic, cultural, intellectual, and political rights. They were not allowed to touch tap water used by people of a higher caste, could not enter temples, would be punished if they married from a higher caste. They had no participation in politics and education and were even prohibited to touch people and their belongings.

Dalit movements in Nepal

The history of Dalit movements in Nepal can be traced parallel to the country’s political history.

1.

Pre-Panchayat and Panchayat

The first wave of Dalit assertion in Nepal began in 1947 in a village called Thadaswara in Baglung district when Sarvajit Bishwakarma established an organisation called Vishwa Sarvajan Sangh to challenge the existing caste system and wore a ‘janai’ (the sacred thread) against the oppression. In the Kathmandu valley, the successful movement of the Pashupati Temple Entrance Campaign in 1954 is considered one of the first movements.

Many other organisations such as Tailor’s Union (1947), Nepal Samaj Sudhar Sangh (2947), Nepal Harijan Sangh (1947) were established before the democratic struggle against the Rana regime in 1951, while many other organisations were established for Dalit movements and upliftment during Nepal’s first tenure of democracy in 1950-60.

The Interim Government of Nepal Act (1951) was the first legal document to recognise people, including Dalits, as ‘citizens’ with civil and political rights. The autocratic Panchayat regime formulated the New Muluki Ain in 1963 and tried to abolish untouchability in the legal and social systems. During the Panchayat era, nine more organisations were established for the upliftment of Dalits.

2.

Post-Janaandolan I

As the country adopted the free market policy after the restoration of democracy in 1990, it also sought to provide welfare through private development partners such as national and international non-government organisations (I/NGOs). Many organisations emerged with slogans of Dalit emancipation. As the Dalit movement rose, the government formed the Dalit Commission in 2002 and brought many programmes such as scholarships and reservations. And, although such steps were not adequate to abolish caste-based discrimination, it certainly boosted the morale of Dalit rights activism. Dalits had an important role during the decade-long Maoist Insurgency (1996-2006) as thousands of Dalit men and women participated in the armed conflict while around 200 were killed.

3.

Post-Janaandolan II

The country headed to a more participatory federal system post the second People’s Movement in 2006. The issues of Dalits have been covered on the national agenda and the Dalit movement has gradually progressed although it is yet to be institutionalised.

The major achievement during the last decade has been the criminalisation of caste-based discrimination through the Caste-based Discrimination and Untouchability Crime Elimination and Punishment Act in 2011,  and the Constitution of Nepal (2015) endorsing the rights and opportunities for the Dalits for their upliftment. Moreover, the constitution recognised the National Dalit Commission as a constitutional body, and the National Dalit Commission Act 2017 was enacted to ensure opportunities for Dalits.

Similarly, the Nepali Parliament has reserved certain seats for Dalits and other excluded communities in the proportional representation system to ensure participation in the political spheres. As per the election laws, 13.8% of the PR seats in the House of Representatives, as well as the provincial assemblies, are allocated for Dalits while the seven provinces must select at least one Dalit representative each among eight seats allocated to them for the National Assembly. Moreover, at least one woman between two women members in each ward of a local government must be from the Dalit community to ensure participation.

The discrimination against Dalits is still a prevailing issue in Nepal as reports of discrimination, prejudice and even hate crimes emerge from time to time. In recent times, the news broke out about the killing of six people from the Dalit community in Rukum (West) as one of the victim tried to elope with a girl from a higher caste. The devastating news did not only shook the nation but brought out again the discourse on discrimination and oppression on the Dalits.

Todd grabs halfway lead in Memphis, Fowler two back

Brendon Todd used a red-hot putter to claim sole ownership of the lead at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis on Friday, sitting two strokes ahead of Rickie Fowler after the second round.

World number 51 Todd, who won two PGA Tour titles on consecutive starts last November, carded a bogey-free, five-under-par 65 at TPC Southwind for an 11-under halfway total.

The 35-year-old American, who converted an impressive 50-foot birdie putt over a slope at the par-three 14th, walked off the course feeling better than ever heading into the weekend.

“In my whole life, this is definitely the most confident I’ve ever felt with my golf game. It’s probably the most versatile I’ve ever been ball-striking-wise,” said Todd.

“I still don’t hit it far, but I feel like I’m able to shape shots a little bit. And my short game’s solid, so it just kind of comes down to how the putting is.”

Fowler, who holed three back-to-back birdies on the front nine, shot a double-bogey on 11, before recovering with a birdie-birdie finish for a three-under-par 67.

The 31-year-old has not finished in the top 10 since the Tour returned from its coronavirus hiatus, but told reporters that he feels he is “heading in the right direction.”

“My main goal is (to) go through some changes for the better. Sometimes you’ve got to take that step back to take two steps forward,” said Fowler. “I feel like we already made the step back, I feel like we’ve made a step forward. I’m looking for that next step.”

Defending champion Brooks Koepka and South Korean An Byeong-hun finished the day four strokes off the lead.

Koepka, who led by two shots after the first round, started on the back nine and reached the turn at two under for the round but made double-bogey at the par-four second where his tee shot found a fairway bunker and then needed three putts from 57 feet.

The four-times major winner, who struggled in his last three events, said his putter let him down on Friday during his one-over-par 71 but that he was not going to lose sleep with plenty of golf still to play.

“I felt like I did everything we were trying to do, just wasn’t working, wasn’t seeing the line,” said Koepka, who will defend his PGA Championship title next week.

“Even yesterday I said I didn’t feel quite comfortable over anything inside five feet and today it just felt kind of the same.

“I’ve got 36 holes to go, man, I ain’t worried.”

 

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PSG beat Lyon on penalty kicks to win League Cup final

SAINT-DENIS, FRANCE: French champion Paris Saint-Germain edged out Lyon on penalty kicks to win a tightly contested last edition of the League Cup on Friday and complete a domestic treble, denying Lyon its first trophy since the French Cup in 2012.

The match finished 0-0 and Lyon was a save away from winning it, leading 5-4 in the shootout.

But Neymar held his nerve well, slotting the ball into the bottom corner to draw PSG level and Lyon winger Bertrand Traoré’s subsequent penalty was saved by Keylor Navas.

Winger Pablo Sarabia confidently placed the next penalty past goalkeeper Anthony Lopes to give PSG the win to follow up on last Friday’s 1-0 win against Saint-Étienne in the French Cup.

Lyon won the League Cup in 2001, losing four other finals in the competition.

Although Lyon played better in extra time, defender Rafael was shown a red card moments from the end for a clumsy foul on PSG winger Ángel Di María on the edge of the penalty area.

PSG was missing star striker Kylian Mbappé, who is recovering from ankle ligament damage sustained playing against Saint-Étienne, and now has other injury worries.

Striker Mauro Icardi, right back Layvin Kurzawa and veteran captain Thiago all went off during the game with what appeared to be leg-muscle injuries.

The match kicked shortly after 9 p.m. local time in exhausting heat of around 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit).

An even contest saw chances for both sides before extra time, with Lyon goalkeeper Lopes making superb saves to keep out a long shot from midfielder Idrissa Gueye near the end of the first half and a point-blank header from Neymar in the 87th minute.

PSG goalie Navas was also sharp when it mattered, leaping to save a fine freekick from Maxwell Cornet in the 81st.

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Florida teen arrested as mastermind of Twitter hack

MIAMI: A Florida teen was identified Friday as the mastermind of a scheme earlier this month that commandeered Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls and scammed people around the globe out of more than $100,000 in Bitcoin. Two other men were also charged in the case.

Graham Ivan Clark, 17, was arrested Friday in Tampa, where the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office will prosecute him as adult. He faces 30 felony charges, according to a news release.

Two men accused of benefiting from the hack — Mason Sheppard, 19, of Bognor Regis, U.K., and Nima Fazeli, 22, of Orlando — were charged separately in California federal court.

In one of the most high-profile security breaches in recent years, bogus tweets were sent out on July 15 from the accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and a number of tech billionaires including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Celebrities Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, were also hacked.

The tweets offered to send $2,000 for every $1,000 sent to an anonymous Bitcoin address. The hack alarmed security experts because of the grave potential of such an intrusion for creating geopolitical mayhem with disinformation.

Court papers in the California cases say Fazeli and Sheppard brokered the sale of Twitter accounts stolen by a hacker who identified himself as “Kirk” and said he could “reset, swap and control any Twitter account at will” in exchange for cybercurrency payments, claiming to be a Twitter employee.

The documents do not specify Kirk’s real identity but say he is a teen being prosecuted in the Tampa area.

Twitter has said the hacker gained access to a company dashboard that manages accounts by using social engineering and spear-phishing smartphones to obtain credentials from “a small number” of Twitter employees “to gain access to our internal systems.” Spear-phishing uses email or other messaging to deceive people into sharing access credentials.

“There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence,” U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson for the Northern District of California said in a news release.

The evidence suggests, however, that those responsible did a poor job indeed of covering their tracks. The court documents released Friday show how federal agents tracked down the hackers through Bitcoin transactions and by obtaining records of their online chats.

Although the case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice, Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said his office is prosecuting Clark in state court because Florida law allows minors to be charged as adults in financial fraud cases when appropriate. He called Clark the leader of the hacking scam.

“This defendant lives here in Tampa, he committed the crime here, and he’ll be prosecuted here,” Warren said.

Security experts were not surprised that the alleged mastermind is a 17-year-old, given the relatively amateurish nature of both the operation and the way the hacker discussed the operation online with New York Times reporters afterward.

“This is a great case study showing how technology democratizes the ability to commit serious criminal acts,” said Jake Williams, founder of the cybersecurity firm Rendition Infosec. “There wasn’t a ton of development that went into this attack.”

Williams said the hackers were “extremely sloppy” in how they moved the Bitcoin around. It did not appear the three used any services that make cryptocurrency difficult to trace by “tumbling” transactions of multiple users, a technique akin to money laundering, he said.

He also said he was conflicted about whether Clark should be charged as an adult.

“He definitely deserves to pay (for jumping on the opportunity) but potentially serving decades in prison doesn’t seem like justice in this case,” Williams said.

The hack targeted 130 accounts with tweets being sent from 45 accounts, obtained access to the direct message inboxes of 36, and downloaded Twitter data from seven. Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders has said his inbox was among those accessed.

Court papers suggest Fazeli and Sheppard got involved in the scheme after Clark dangled the possibility of obtaining so-called OG Twitter handles, short account names that due to their brevity are highly prized and considered status symbols in a certain milieu. They said Sheppard purchased @anxious and Faceli wanted @foreign.

Internal Revenue Service investigators in Washington, D.C., identified two of the defendants by analyzing Bitcoin transactions on the blockchain — the universal ledger that records Bitcoin transactions — that they had sought to make anonymous, federal prosecutors said.

Marcus Hutchins, the 26-year-old British cybersecurity expert credited with helping stop the WannaCry computer virus in 2017, said the skillset involved in the actual hack was nothing special.

“I think people underestimate the level of experience needed to pull off these kinds of hacks. They may sound extremely sophisticated, but the techniques can be replicated by teens,” added Hutchins, who pleaded guilty last year to creating malware designed to steal banking information and just completed a year’s supervised release.

British cybersecurity analyst Graham Cluley said his guess was that the targeted Twitter employees got a message to call what they thought was an authorized help desk and were persuaded by the hacker to provide their credentials. It’s also possible the hackers got a call from the company’s legitimate help line by spoofing the number, he said.

Fazeli’s father said Friday he hasn’t been able to talk to his son since Thursday.

“I’m 100% sure my son is innocent,” Mohamad Fazeli said. “He’s a very good person, very honest, very smart and loyal.”

“We are as shocked as everybody else,” he said by phone. “I’m sure this is a mix up.”

Attempts to reach relatives of the other two weren’t immediately successful. Hillsborough County court records didn’t list an attorney for Clark, and federal court records didn’t list attorneys for Sheppard or Fazeli.

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Differently-abled, single women to enjoy social security allowance

KATHMANDU, JULY 31

The Ministry of Home Affairs has withdrawn its decision to discontinue social security allowance to differently-abled persons bearing blue card and single women below 60 years of age following intense criticism from all quarters.

After amendments to Social Security Act-2018 and Social Security Rules-2019, were published in the Nepal Gazette, MoHA had issued a circular to all local levels through Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, directing them to abide by the new rules with effect from final four-monthly tranche of the fiscal 2019-20.

A report of the MoHA punished yesterday said that single women of all age groups and differently-abled persons holding cards of any colour would continue to enjoy the social security allowance.

“A proposal submitted to a meeting of the Council of Ministers with regard to continuation of social security allowance has been approved.

Therefore, no beneficiary of social security allowance will be deprived of the facilities they have been enjoying,” read the report.

The government has mandated local levels to distribute social security allowance to the listed beneficiaries through banking channels.

Blue card is issued to persons with severe disability under ‘B’ category, as per Procedure for Distribution of Identification Card to Persons with Disabilities.

Severe disability is the condition of having to continuously take other people’s assistance to carry out individual daily activities and take part in social activities.

Blue card holders differently-abled persons and single women have been receiving a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,600, respectively.

Various parliamentary panels, National Human Rights Commission, the main opposition Nepali Congress, civil society and National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal had objected to the government’s decision to scrap the allowance to blue card holders differently-abled persons and single women below 60 years of age amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of the beneficiaries depend on social security allowance to support their medical care.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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KMC set to introduce local curriculum at schools

KATHMANDU, JULY 31

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has decided to introduce local curriculum for Grades I to VIII in all schools of Kathmandu.

With this decision, students of Grades I to VIII in Kathmandu will have to study a subject of 100 full marks. According to KMC, the new curriculum was aimed at making the children well acquainted with the local identity and culture of the historical and ancient city. As many as 92 community schools and 640 institutional schools are being operated inside the metropolis.

The new curriculum includes festivals being celebrated in the metropolis, various local rituals, cultures, arts, occupations, moral education, geographical condition, health and sanitation, languages and scripts.

Chunda Bajracharya, coordinator of curriculum committee formed by KMC said the curriculum would be taught in Nepali medium and was set to be approved by the Education Committee of the metropolis. “Once the curriculum is approved, the process of preparation of textbooks will begin,” she said. For Grades I to III, the course content will be exclusively practical. “However, 75 marks has been set aside for practical and 25 marks for theory for Grades IV and V. For Grades VI to VIII, practical and theory content will cover 50 marks, each,” said Bajracharya. Curriculum committee member Barun Prasad Baidya said the metropolis would provide training to the teachers regarding the teaching method.

“Though the curriculum is based in Nepali language, it can be taught either in Nepali or in English language as per necessity. KMC will publish multilingual teaching materials to facilitate teachers and students in teaching-learning activities,” he said.

KMC said various schools have welcomed the move to introduce local curriculum.

Natikaji Maharjan, principal of Gyanodaya Secondary School said it was a positive move on part of the KMC. He said the curriculum would provide students from across the country studying in Kathmandu with an opportunity to learn about the arts and culture of the historical city.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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‘Hidden reasons behind obstruction of Fast Track construction’

Kathmandu, 1 August : Chief of Army Staff  Purna Chandra Thapa has said that “hidden reasons” behind the problems seen in the construction of the Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway (Fast Track) should be uncovered.

Addressing a program organized at the Ministry of Defence earlier on Friday , he emphasized finding the causes behind the disputes arising in the course of road construction in the Khokana area at the earliest, as it has hampered the timely construction of the national pride project.

People’s News Monitoring Service

This is how civil engineers can contribute to landslide prevention in Nepal

Representative file image

According to government data, there were 3,246 landslide events between 1971 and 2016 in Nepal. Thousands of people lost their lives and many roads and bridges were damaged. In 2014, a major landslide occurred in a densely populated area (Jure of Sindhupalchok), around 80 km northeast of Kathmandu. With 156 human casualties, it was one of the deadliest landslides in Nepal’s history. A case study was carried out on this deadliest landslide, and the report shows the loss of soil or land was experienced by many respondents (79%) and it led to the most severe losses and damages in monetary terms. The average cost amounted to more than $26,000 per affected household. The Baisari landslide in Myagdi, triggered by the Gorkha earthquake, was also one of the deadliest landslides in Nepal and its total loss was calculated at Rs 42 million. This year alone, by July 15, 116 fatalities, 50 disappearances, and 138 injured cases have been reported in landslides across Nepal.

Civil engineering is all about construction, transportation, and development. While constructing roads for transportation, it is mandatory to have access by blasting or excavation. If there is no geological fault, and the slope is stable, the construction work will be sustainable for decades. Engineers must study aspects like slope, geological fault, hydrology, and slope saturation. This study should be done to assure safety during and after civil construction works.

Mainly, we can face a landslide while or after the construction of different civil structures in the hilly and Himalayan regions. If the construction is done in the faulty zone, the construction site is more vulnerable to landslides. For example, sometimes, while fixing and constructing a road alignment, a road passes some of these large-scale palaeo-landslides. The road sections are critical in that road alignment but more vulnerable in the southern slope of the Himalaya. If possible, the alignment has to be changed, but sometimes it needs to be constructed in the unstable slope by following some engineering measures. While blasting in the hilly and Himalayan regions, and while doing construction works in the unstable zone, we may encounter landslides in the future.

Road constructions on the way

Road construction in the hilly region is always a difficult task because of having clayey soil and steep topography. Also, it is difficult to construct a road across the Himalaya region, because of fragile and rugged topography. Unfortunately, our country’s topography forced us to resort to the construction of different highways in both topographies. When highways are constructed, people who used to live in the valleys and the Himalayas start living along those roads. However, people have forgotten the influence of mass movement that occurred in the past in places like Siddhababa, Krishnabhir, and Sindhupalchok, etc. The road from Beni to Larjung of Kaligandaki also has a critical slope and susceptible to landslide occurrence.

The major problem identified is the lack of physical information about soil characteristics, water table, pore-water pressure. This information is crucial for planning early warning systems in vulnerable areas. The lack of monitoring is also a greater problem. There is no monitoring system in the country. Moreover, the government body for monitoring is not quite effective. Many gabion walls were constructed earlier, and they are getting weaker nowadays and easily get destroyed by the moving mass in the monsoon. Instead, we must have a good practice of slope modification and construction of retaining walls with bio-engineering.

Landslide susceptibility assessments have been carried out in Nepal, using direct geomorphological mapping, heuristic, and statistical approaches. Some researchers have used various methods to quantify the hazards in terms of safety. Studies have also been carried out to determine the influence of the construction of a new and extensive network of rural roads that are being connected to the national highways, and are found to be at an even greater risk of landslides.

Landslide remedial measures are arranged in four practice groups, namely: drainage, retaining structures, modification of slope geometry, and internal slope reinforcement. For a reliable design of the remedial measures, an effective tool is ‘back analysis’ of failed slopes, while advanced numerical methods are nowadays frequently used to design safe and cost-effective landslide remedial measures. The selection of an appropriate remedial measure depends on engineering feasibility, economic feasibility, legal/regulatory conformity, social acceptability, and environmental acceptability.

Civil engineers and geotechnical engineers carry out different analyses for the prediction—vulnerable area detection—and detection of a landslide with the help of remote sensing. Recognition of potential landslide areas can have a positive impact on landslide management. Slope stability analysis is carried out to know the stability of the slopes. Clearing the current landslides and preventing the pending landslides are the works that engineers should focus on. Technically, preventing the landslide means the addition of resisting forces and removal of the driving forces.

Researches also propose installing a monitoring system in the areas and getting detailed information on geo-hazards in the area to overcome future risk. As done in the Niigata prefecture of Japan, survey stations should be established for accurate determination of ground surface. A proper warning system can be created by establishing those survey stations. At active or exposed areas, plantation of appropriate species should be done as they grow in a rocky base.

In the steeper areas, civil constructions are quite complex. So, bioengineering is also preferred in some cases. Moreover, the dead load of civil construction will not be added if bioengineering is chosen. Some other solutions can be geogrid (two-dimensional polymer material for erosion control that ensures supplement soil stress), expansive anchor bolt, check dam, netting, wattle fence, gabion check dam, and so on.

Dhakal is a civil engineering student at Kathmandu University.

Staffer gets infected, Banke district court closed

NEPALGUNJ, JULY 31

Government employees have been contracting novel coronavirus on a daily basis in Banke.

A staffer working at District Court Banke was detected with COVID-19 today. With the detection of the COVID-19 in one of its staffer, the court has closed down services from today. Issuing a notice, the court said it had shut down all services except essential ones.

Earlier, a few staffers working at the Inland Revenue office and Transport Management Office were diagnosed with the COVID-19. With the COVID-19 cases escalating, the Banke DAO has imposed a prohibitory order for three days starting from Sunday.

An emergency meeting of District Court Banke held today decided to close down service until August 4.

Issuing a notice today, the court said it would meet next on August 4 and take the decision keeping in view of the unfolding situation.

A meeting of the COVID-19 Crisis Management Banke met today and decided to impose the prohibitory order from Sunday. Banke CDO Ram Bahadur Kurumbang said they were forced to clamp down the prohibitory order as the COVID-19 cases were surging.

The spread of the COVID-19 in the community has made locals fearful at headquarters and other places. Banke government officials and health officials warn that the situation might go out of hands if precautions and safety measures were not taken.

With the government lifting the lockdown, people are crowding the market places. People are lining up at banks and other offices without maintaining social distance. This has increased the risk of the COVID-19 spread.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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‘Halt issuing licence to networking businesses’

KATHMANDU, JULY 31

The Industry, Commerce, Labour and Consumer Welfare Committee of the Parliament today directed the government to halt issuing licences to multi-level marketing businesses, popularly known as networking businesses.

The committee also directed the government to submit the details of companies that have acquired licences to operate multi-level marketing businesses, details of their promoters, different directives issued by the government to allow operation of such businesses, details of networking businesses and their owners who had cheated customers in the past and other related documents within three days.

The recent decision of the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection Management (DoCSCPM) to issue multi-level marketing business licence to various firms has been criticised by different quarters, especially consumer rights activists citing that such firms had massively cheated customers in the past and those acquiring licences for networking businesses were among those who were involved in cheating customers in the past.

Of late, the department had issued multi-level marketing business licences to firms, including iboss Global International, Nature Herbs International, New Bibek Enterprises, Healthy Living Nepal, Care Matters International, Uturn International and Global Orients Nepal.

Consumer rights activist Madhav Timalsina said that those acquiring new licences were among those who had cheated customers in the past.

“The same old people have been found to be taking licences in the name of direct sales of commodities.

As we have a bitter experience of such networking businesses in the past, the government should be careful while issuing such licences.

Moreover, licences should be issued only after bringing in necessary policies to regulate such business,” he mentioned.

Different firms including Herbo International, Unity Life International, Crystal Vision International and Best World Business Link, among others were found cheating customers of billions of rupees in the name of networking business. Moreover, customers of these firms, including that of Unity Life, are yet to receive compensation from the government.

However, the department has been defending its decision to issue such licences citing that licences were issued under the Direct Sales Commodity Act.

Meanwhile, the House panel has also formed a subcommittee under the coordination of lawmaker Som Prasad Pandey to conduct a study on the networking business and recommend effective policies to regulate it.

The committee comprises lawmakers Krishna Kumar Shrestha, Amrita Agrahari, Prakash Rasaili and Sarita Giri as members. The committee has been given 15 days to carry out the study and submit its report.

The House panel today had summoned Commerce Secretary Baikuntha Aryal and DoCSCPM’s Director General Netra Prasad Subedi for discussions.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Covid-19 risk looms larger in Kathmandu Valley

Kathmandu, 1 August : The Covid-19 cases are on the rise  in the Kathmandu Valley after the lockdown is lifted. It has prompted one and all to take precautionary measures against the deadly infection.

In a virtual discussion organized by Working Women Journalists (WWJ), Chief of Community Medicine at Kathmandu Medical College’s (KMC) Dr Sunil Kumar Joshi stressed the need to observe precautions against this flu-like infection.

Dr Joshi suggested, “We ought to take safety measures ourselves to stay away from the Covid-19. It is essential to wear face masks, wash hands with soaps and sanitizers having 70 per cent alcohol.” He also urged all to maintain social distance (at least one metre of distance), stay in a ventilated place and take preventive measures.

Meanwhile, as many as 38 new cases of coronavirus infection have been reported in Kathmandu valley, on Friday. Among the 38 cases, 32 hail from Kathmandu district. Similarly, five and one cases of transmission have been recorded in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur respectively. The cases of novel infection are being regularly reported in the capital wherein at least 45 positive cases of the highly contagious disease had been reported in the valley on Thursday.

People’s News Monitoring Service

Gulmi landslide : four of a family buried to death

Kathmandu, 1 August : Four members of a family have died after their house was buried in a landslide. The incident took place on Friday night when the house of Raju Majhi in Tahatim in Ruruchetra rural municipality-5 was buried by the landslide.

Those killed in the incident are Raju’s 30-year-old wife Bina, his 10-year-old son Hemant, seven-year-old son Sagar and 10-months-old daughter Binita, according to ward no 5 chairperson Hari Prasad Gyawali. A huge rock along with landslide triggered by heavy rainfall fell on the house, burying those inside it.

The bodies of all four have been retrieved. Meanwhile, police team from the Area Police Office Ridi has left for the incident site.
According to Gyawali, the head of the household Raju is presently abroad on a foreign employment.

People’s News Monitoring Service

65th anniversary of Nepal and China relations today

Kathmandu, 1 August : Congratulatory messages have been exchanged today between the Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of Nepal and the People’s Republic of China to mark the special occasion of the 65th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and the People’s Republic of China.

Diplomatic relations between Nepal and China was established on 1 August 1955.

On the occasion, President Bidya Devi Bhandari has sent a congratulatory message to President of China Xi Jinping. While extending the warmest congratulations to the Chinese President and the Government and people of China, President Bhandari has stated that strong bond of friendship between the two countries would be further strengthened in the days ahead.

President Bhandari has recalled the historic state visit of President Xi to Nepal in October last year during which Nepal and China decided to elevate their relations to strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity. The President has also recalled her state visit to China in April 2019 during which important agreements and understandings were concluded between the two countries. She has commended the progress and prosperity attained by China and wished for the success in realizing two centennial goals of China.

The President has appreciated Chinese cooperation to Nepal in its socio-economic development and the assistance to fight against COVID-19 pandemic through the support of essential medical supplies and sharing of knowledge and experiences.
In a separate message, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has sent congratulatory messages to President of China Xi Jinping and Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang. In the messages, Prime Minister Oli has extended warm congratulations and best wishes to the Chinese President and Premier and through them to the Government and the people of China on the happy occasion of the 65th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Highlighting the deep-rooted cordial friendship since ages, the Prime Minister has underlined that Nepal has consistently maintained One China Policy and China has always respected Nepal’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.

Recalling the historic state visit of the Chinese President to Nepal in October 2019 and his two official visits to China in 2016 and 2018, Prime Minister Oli has expressed commitment to translate the consensus reached during the visits into action. He has also stated that the bilateral agreements concluded during these visits on promoting infrastructure development and connectivity, including the Transit Transport Agreement and its Protocol and feasibility study of Nepal-China Cross-border Railway project are significant in enhancing the bilateral cooperation.

While appreciating the Belt and Road initiative, the Prime Minister has mentioned that it will offer an important platform to Nepal to pursue its development agenda, including those components falling under Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network.
Meanwhile, President of China Xi Jinping in his congratulatory message to President Bhandari has stated that the two countries have respected and treated each other as equals, strengthened political mutual trust and deepened mutually beneficial cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations 65 years ago. He has expressed his readiness to work with Nepal to push China-Nepal relations forward, deliver greater benefits to the two peoples and make positive contribution to the stability and development of the region.
Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang, in his message to Prime Minister Oli, has stated that China and Nepal are close neighbours linked by mountains and rivers and added that in 65 years China-Nepal relations and cooperation have advanced stably and continuously. The Premier has expressed desire to work with Nepali side in strengthening multi-dimensional cooperation in various areas, promote Belt and Road cooperation and push bilateral relations to a new stage.

On the same occasion, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has sent congratulatory message to State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi. Appreciating the role of Chinese Foreign Minister in strengthening the bilateral relations, he has expressed the confidence that bilateral relations between Nepal and China would attain newer heights in the coming years.

In his congratulatory message, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi has expressed his willingness to work together with Foreign Minister Gyawali to strengthen communication and cooperation, implement the important consensus reached between the leaders and make positive contribution to the development of China-Nepal strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity.

People’s News Monitoring Service

One-way traffic resumed on Prithvi Highway after landslilde in Tanahun

DAMAULI: One-way traffic has been opened as landslide debris have partly been removed at Aanbukhaireni Rural Municipality-2 along the Prithvi Highway in Tanahun district.

The traffic on the road section had come to halt due to the landslide that took place at Ainapahara in Anbukhaireni 2 this morning, police said. Meanwhile, one-way traffic has been resumed after partly removing debris from Aanbukhaireni-Muglin road section, according to spokesperson at Tanahun District Police Office, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Yubaraj Timilsena.

Efforts are on to clear the landslide debris for regular two-way traffic, police informed.

 

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Over 40 houses inundated in Bara

BARA, JULY 31

Monsoon rain has inundated more than 40 houses due to negligence during the construction of Manmat-Kaliaya Postal Highway, at Shreepur village of Kalaiya Sub-metropolitan City, Bara. The rainwater has also submerged dozens of houses, including saw mills at Bhawanipur of the sub-metropolis.

Lives of 40 families have been hit very hard at Shreepur village due to inundation and other monsoon related disasters. Locals said failure to install a drainage while extending and black-topping the road had caused the problem.

They complained that the local government had not heeded their requests.

Prior to the road expansion, a hume pipe was installed to drain out the water near local school at Shreepur village. A local Hiralal Chaudhary said DS Construction Hetauda and its technicians had removed the hume pipe while extending the road.

“Due to incessant rainfall and inundation, more than two dozen families have been taking shelter in the houses of other people. Water level in the area is still above the knee. We have to wade through the water-logged road to get home. We fear snakes as they come out due to the rainwater,” said another local, Nandalal Chaudhary.

Inundation has adversely affected more than 40 families. Locals had demanded removal of the hume pipes and construction of a culvert.

Inundation has damaged electric machinery worth millions in the saw mills, said Shami Saw Mill proprietor Narayan Prasad Sah. Rainwater has submerged Gadhimai Saw Mill, Hridaya Saw Mill and Ashiya Saw Mill. Sah complained that hundreds of families were rendered homeless as mayor, deputy mayor and CDO turned a blind eye to their problems.

“Rainwater has inundated many houses,” said Sah.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Thapa trying to revive his group in NCP

Kathmandu, 1 August: Home Minister and party’s secretariat member Rambahadur Thapa is trying to revive his old group in the then Maoist Center, reports Ramkrishna Adhikari in the Annapurna Post daily.
After witnessing groups and sub-groups in the ruling Nepal Communist Party, Thapa has also wished to revive his group.
There existed three groups in the ruling party. One group is led by party chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, another group is led by party co-chairman Pushpakamal Dahal and the third group is led by Madhav Nepal. In the meantime, Rambahadur Thapa has desired to develop a fourth group in the party.
When Oli, Dahal and Nepal groups were polarized on two poles, Bamdev Gautam and Thapa have also felt the need of their own groups.
In the process of reviving his group in the party, an informal gathering was organised by Thapa at his residence in Pulchowk on Thursday. Around two dozen leaders closed to Thapa had attended the gathering. The discussion continued for eight hours. In the then Maoist Center, Thapa had his own group. Now, he is trying to reorganize the very group after the unification of the then UML and Maoist Center.
There are 35 central committee members in the NCP, who are considered to be closed to Thapa.
Furthermore, four central committee members including Kiran Rai and Padam Rai, who had joined the unity process from different political parties, are also closed to Thapa.
Dev Gurung, Pampha Bhushal, Hitman Shakya, Kulprasad KC, Surya Subedi, Dilip Prajapati, Sabitri Kafle, Indra Aangbo, Lekhnath Neupane, Yubraj Bhattarai, Parbati Thapa, Amrita Thapa, Gyanu Basnet, Daba Lama, Hari Chuman, Maya Prasad Sharma, Ramdeep Acharya, Naresh Bhandari, Suresh Aalemagar, Maheshwor Dahal, Yosoda Subedi, among others, had attended the gathering organised by Thapa.
The gathering discussed the role of the new group in the party. Three different opinions were floated in the gathering. One section remarked that there should be a separate group of former Maoist Center supportive to Dahal, whereas, another group expressed the view of developing a separate group in between Oli and Dahal. Accordingly, the third group remarked that as the unity process has not been completed, there is the need to move forward for the unity national convention by supporting Oli.
Thapa, the organizer of the gathering, had expressed the view for developing an environment for an early unity convention ensuring Dahal’s chairmanship in the party and ensuring commitment for the next prime ministership for Dahal after Oli’s tenure.
Thapa made clear that party unity is important, therefore, he is seeking formula to keep the party united, however, by ideology, he is closed to Dahal.
Nevertheless, any move (from Oli) for MCC endorsement, dissolve of the parliament, presidential rule, an ordinance will not be acceptable for him, Thapa said.
Thapa said that keeping the party united is his priority, incase, the accident is inevitable, there is the need to make clear his group’s position.
People’s News Monitoring Service

Lockdown relief for tenants

KATHMANDU, JULY 31

The Supreme Court has issued an interim order telling the government to ensure that no landlord evicts a tenant for failing to pay rent in the face of coronavirus pandemic.

A division bench of justices Tej Bahadur KC and Kumar Regmi issued the order in response to a writ petition filed by Central Chair of OBC Federation Gajendra Thakur and others against the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.

The court observed that the issue of rent was a matter to be settled between tenants and landlords on the basis of their mutual understanding, consent and humane thinking and the government should ensure that tenants were not evicted from their rented place just because they had not been able to pay rent for the lockdown period. The SC also ordered the government to ensure that no tenant was subjected to mistreatment by landlords for not being able to pay rent for the lockdown period.

The apex court also asked the government to tell local bodies to monitor and supervise the court’s order. The court observed that the government should not deny anybody relief announced during lockdown just because somebody does not have a receipt of house rent.

The petitioner had urged the court to issue an interim order to landlords telling them not to seek rent from hair salon operators since they had been barred for operating since the lockdown was imposed. The government had imposed lockdown on March 24 and lifted it on July 21 with some restrictions.

The apex court observed that it did not need to issue an interim order telling landlords not to seek rent from hair salon operators for the lockdown period as the issue would be addressed in the final hearing of the case.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Dahal under pressure to keep united the party

Kathmandu, 1 August: Nepal Communist Party co-chairman Pushpakamal Dahal is facing pressure from a group of standing committee members from the former Maoist Center to join hands with Prime Minister and party chairman KP Sharma Oli to continue the unity in the ruling party.
Second-generation leaders Janardan Sharma, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, among others, have put pressure on Dahal to join hands with Oli for the unity in the party, reports state.
Party’s vice chairman Bamdev Gautam’s unity formula seems acceptable for Oli, thus, if Dahal will accept it, there is a high possibility of an agreement between Oli and Dahal. However, the party’s senior leaders Madhav Nepal and JN Khanal will not accept Gautam’s formula.
There is no other alternative for Dahal accept from developing an alliance with Oli at the cost of saving the party from a split.

People’s News Monitoring Service

People living on Bhotekoshi riverfront alerted

Kavre, July 30

Citing incessant rainfall and the possibility of a lake burst at the source of the Bhotekoshi River in Tibet, the administration in Sindhupalchowk has urged people living along the banks of the river to remain on high alert.

“Though we have learnt informally from Chinese officials about the decreasing water level in the Kerung Chhyo glacial lake that is at risk of a burst, as rainfall continues there we must be cautious,” said Chief District Officer Umesh Kumar Dhakal.

According to Dhakal, the District Disaster Management Committee Command Post has started to alert people along the banks of the Bhotekoshi River since last evening.

Earlier this month also, such alert warnings were issued by the administrations of Sinchupalchowk and Kavre to people living on the banks of the Bhotekoshi and Sunkoshi rivers, citing the threat of a possible burst of Kerung Chhyo Lake in Nyalam region of Tibet and the risk of downstream flooding in the rivers.

Such a disaster will cause huge damage to life and property in places such as Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality, Bahrabise Municipality, Sunkoshi Rural Municipality, Balefi Rural Municipality and Chautara Sangachowkgadi Municipality in Sindhupalchowk.

Similarly, a number of places on the banks of the Sunkoshi River in Kavre are also said to be at the receiving end of huge flooding in the event of a lake burst in Tibet. In Kavre too, in view of the risk, people on the Sunkoshi riverfronts have been told to stay alert.

The lake in Tibet is about 45 kilometres from Tatopani entry point. “Realising the risk, we’ve alerted people.

They don’t have to panic because even if the lake bursts, we will learn about it before the floods reach us,” said CDO Dhakal.

Photo: File

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 31, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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72 personnel infected with COVID-19 at Nepal Police Headquarters

KATHMANDU: As many as 72 security personnel at Nepal Police Headquarters in Kathmandu have been diagnosed with coronavirus infection, as of today. With this, the total number of police personnel detected with the viral infection nationwide has reached 250.

According to Central Police Spokesperson, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kuber Kadayat, the lab report of swab specimens collected from personnel through contact tracing came out positive on Thursday taking the count of the infected to 72.

The tests are being carried out by Nepal Police Hospital, Maharajgunj.

The spokesperson also informed that a total of 101 personnel have already been discharged from different hospitals following recovery, as of Friday.

Meanwhile, all the infected patients from the headquarters have been admitted to the isolation ward at Balambu-based Nepal APF Hospital, SSP Kadayat said.

He added that further contact tracing of the infected persons is being carried out at the headquarters.

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COVID-19, handwashing and access to water

As the lockdown in Nepal is gradually eased, there has been a proportionate increase in COVID-19 cases. Preventive measures initially prescribed for COVID-19 assume greater importance now than ever before. Handwashing, a globally accepted key directive, needs reiteration. However, this simplistic prescription masks the complex socio-economic dynamics in accessing water for many communities.

In Nepal, water has a big role to play in the immediate control of and recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. However, in a country where only 25 per cent of water supply systems are fully functional, and 3.5 million people still do not have access to basic water services, practising the recommended frequent 20-second handwashing is difficult for many. Inequitable access to water, like other resources, is socio-economically driven – economically poor, historically discriminated and disadvantaged groups fare the worst.

Under a three-year research project funded by the Australian government’s Water for Women Fund, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is investigating how access to water is linked to wealth and power, particularly by examining gender and social dynamics in the functionality of water supply systems in Sarlahi (Tarai) and Dailekh (hill) districts. Our findings show that the two districts differ significantly in water access challenges because of the distinct nature of water sources and inherent contextual realities.

In Dailekh, where traditionally community-managed water sources for both domestic and productive uses were the norm, there has been an increasing trend of private connections to water sources among the wealthier households. Frequent disruptions in the water supply systems are forcing users to switch from community-managed sources to private lines. The government allows the use of water sources such as springs only through a registered community group. However, some households with wealth and influence have captured nearby water sources, restricting access to others. Even for well-functioning community water systems, social discrimination, limited affordability and difficulty in collecting tariffs make meeting the United Nations target to leave no one behind farfetched. For example, a woman from a migrant household, whose husband was away, was barred from using a water source that had been captured and controlled by the village elite.

In Sarlahi, the context is different. With groundwater as the primary source of water for domestic use, quality is a major concern. Safe drinking water can be accessed if drilled below 150 feet, but the hand pumps most households use are at less than the recommended depth. So the water supplied is laced with iron and arsenic. Safe water, therefore, continues to elude low income households that are compelled to depend on unsafe shallow hand pumps.

For many, especially low-income groups like the Mushahars, their inability to manage large water containers to store water at home means women are compelled to make many trips each day to fetch water, putting themselves at risk of infection by the virus when they have to use the common hand pumps.

These issues related to water and communities are not new, and many of these challenges associated with inclusive and universal access to water did not originate with the pandemic. COVID-19 has only exposed and brought to the forefront gaps in water access. These are not unidimensional issues – addressing them demands a multi-dimensional approach.

The question is, how do we do this? Further, how do we ensure safe handwashing as a basic need rather than a privilege in the larger Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) agenda and COVID-19 response? The answer is simple, but it requires a concerted effort and collaborative response from all three tiers of the government as well as non-government actors.

The response to the pandemic in most districts has been provisional at best. While the onslaught of the disease was sudden, by now, basics such as the inclusive guidelines and standard operational procedures (SOP) could have been circulated at least at the municipality level. SOPs and guidelines help to make operations efficient and socially inclusive.

Rural municipalities and ward offices, based at the local level, with contextual understanding of the local realities, are best suited to lead the response. They have the authority to set local priorities and allocate budget to address the WASH challenges different sections of the community face, including women, and vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, the elderly and the economically poor.

Moreover, local governments, with support from the provincial and federal governments, will be in a better position to increase investment in inclusive WASH, not just during pandemics, but for the long-term health and wellbeing of their constituents. To reduce haphazard and fragmented interventions, a mechanism to forge coordination between the government and non-government actors needs to be devised.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which is about ensuring access to water and sanitation for all, endorses a systemic approach to achieve the goal. WASH system strengthening is about improving the environment into which WASH services and behaviours are introduced to ensure they continue to deliver benefits to everyone in society long after implementation. For Nepal, this means working in a collaborative way, addressing inclusive WASH challenges, and especially focussing on vulnerabilities of certain sections of our society.

To conclude, the ramifications of COVID-19 on the water sector have brought to light long standing equity dimensions that affect the prescribed universal practice of frequent handwashing. There is an urgent need to unpack overly simplified solutions and come up with practical approaches for affordable, sustainable and inclusive WASH services.

 Raut and Rajouria are researchers at IWMI

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Local levels detecting disaster-prone areas

Damauli, July 30

Local levels in Tanahun district are planning to identify potential areas at risk of monsoon-induced disasters.

It may be noted that foods and landslides have buried 13 to death in different parts of the district this year and the risks are still looming large in the area.

Keeping such vulnerability in mind, the local levels here are thinking of identifying risk zones in their respective areas and adopting measures for mitigating the possible risks of monsoon-induced disasters.

A meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee yesterday decided to further activate the local disaster management committee and make arrangements for continuous coordination and linkage with district emergency work operation centres and cluster leaders.

Assistant Chief District Officer Chitrangat Baral said necessary directive was already issued to the authorities concerned to remain on standby with emergency aid materials to mitigate such disaster events during the monsoon period.

The district administration has also issued directive to keep search and rescue teams comprising Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel on standby for effective execution of relief and rescue works.

According to Baral, the district administration has requested the home ministry to release Rs 5 million to be deposited in the District Disaster Management Fund.

Likewise, the meeting has decided to request the district disaster management committee, local disaster management committee as well as concerned government and non-government organisations for effective management of emergency relief materials.

The district-based concerned line agencies are also making preparations to carry out necessary repair and maintenance of disaster-ravaged physical infrastructure related to road, electricity, drinking water, irrigation and telecommunications and help restore normalcy.

The committee meeting also decided to request Gandaki Province government to provide relief to flood and landslide-hit farmers who had submitted their applications seeking relief support.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 31, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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‘China meddling in internal affairs of Nepal, Sri Lanka’

Kathmandu, July 30

Lisa Curtis, senior director for South and Central Asia, US National Security Council said China was meddling in internal affairs of Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Curtis made the remark at a Brookings Institution webinar yesterday, assessing China’s growing regional influence and strategy over neighbouring countries.

“Turning to Nepal and Bhutan we see more examples of China disregarding the sovereignty of its neighbours. In May, Chinese state-run media claimed that Mt Everest, a symbol of Nepali sovereignty, actually belonged to China. Earlier this month, China asserted a new territorial claim in eastern Bhutan,” she said. China’s influence, she said, has grown in India’s neighbours, namely

Nepal and in Sri Lanka. China is not only using its economic clout in these countries but also getting more involved in their internal politics, she said in response to a query.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 31, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

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Murray predicts more US Open withdrawals after Barty

Britain’s Andy Murray expects some of the top male players to follow women’s world number one Ash Barty in skipping next month’s US Open in New York due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Australian Barty said on Thursday she was not comfortable travelling to the United States amid the pandemic for the hardcourt Grand Slam, which begins on Aug. 31.

“I have heard some of the top male players aren’t going to play. I would expect that would be the case,” former world number one Murray told British media.

“It’s everyone’s personal decision. If they don’t feel safe, and don’t feel comfortable, travelling and going there and putting themselves and their team at an increased risk, then it’s completely understandable.”

Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams have all entered the Aug. 20-28 Western & Southern Open in New York, which was relocated from Cincinnati this year because of COVID-19 and will serve as a tune-up for the U.S. Open.

Both tournaments will be played without fans in attendance with organisers United States Tennis Association planning to set up a strict bio-security ‘bubble’ to minimize the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus.

“All of the players will have some reservations and it’s whether or not you feel comfortable taking that risk,” Murray said at the Battle Of The Brits Team Tennis event.

“Like I said the other day, my feeling is once we are inside that bubble they created, we will be okay. It’s more the international travel, and getting there which I will be a bit concerned about it.”

Murray has previously said he was still “apprehensive” about travelling to New York but he is mentally preparing for the Grand Slam.

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Dhangadi inundated, agitated locals block roads

Province 7, Kailali, Dhangadhi, Ward 2 - #Governance, Agitated locals blocked six-lane Mohanapul-Attaria road on July 30, after most of the settlements in Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City Ward- 2 and 3 were swamped by the monsoon rains due to lack of proper drainage. According to the locals, many houses and shops have been inundated when water from Ward-3 entered Ward-2.

Citing Covid-19, govt halts recruiting regular staff, but creates 2,000 temporary positions

Kathmandu, July 31

In late April, the government of Nepal decided to halt scheduled recruitment of staff at various government agencies citing the economic effects of the Covid-19 crisis. However, contradicting the sentiment of its own decision, the government recently created nearly 2,000 temporary positions on an ad-hoc basis.

As announced by the government spokesperson, Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada, on Thursday, the cabinet meeting held this Monday created 283 temporary positions, including 239 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and 44 under the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

Before this, the cabinet meeting held on Monday last week created 1,681 such positions. Of them, 715 were to be recruited under the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security. Likewise, there were 377 positions under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, 376 under the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, and 223 under the Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation.

Though minister Khatiwada had announced while presenting the annual budget for the new fiscal year on May 28 that the government would not appoint new staff except for emergency services so as to reduce expenses, the government is not implementing the announcement.

“Staff are recruited bypassing the Public Service Commission’s role just to give unqualified relatives and party cadres jobs,” former secretary Khem Raj Regmi, also the chairperson of Transparency International Nepal, says, “You do not need to hide if you really need to recruit the staff needed for the state.”

Tulasi: Hindus’ holy plant with surprising health benefits

Photo: Pixabay

Tulasi (also known as holy basil or basil) is cultivated in most of the Hindu’s houses and worshiped daily. Along with its religious connotation in Nepal and India among Hindu, this plant has also got medicinal and nutritious properties.

Tulasi (sometimes spelled as ‘Tulsi’) is a herb from the Lamiaceae family that is native to India and Southeast Asia. Tulasi (Ocimum sanctum) is also considered ‘The queen of herbs’ as it is regarded as a pre-eminent herb in Ayurvedic medicine. In traditional medicine, Tulasi and each of its parts including stems, roots, leaves, flowers, and seeds have been recommended for curing multiple diseases like bronchitis, malaria, diarrhoea, dysentery, skin disease, arthritis, eye diseases, insect bites and so on.

Tulasi plants are enriched in vitamins A, C and K and minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, protein, fibre, iron, and potassium. This scared herb has a plethora of health benefits, many backed by several studies. Let’s discuss some key advantages that you can get from this holy plant.

1. Boosts immune system

It is viewed that tulasi helps one strengthen the immunity power and immune response of the body. In a study, the immunomodulatory impact of tulasi leaves’ powder supplement in broiler chickens was experimented. For six weeks, 72-day old broilers were fed tulasi (basil) diet that included four levels of a tulasi leaf powder at the rate of 0.00%, 0.25%, 0.25%, and 1%. And, finally, this experiment showed that increasing the level of tulasi supplements from 0.25% to 1% improved humoral immune response and cell-mediated immune response. It also indicated that tulasi supplements at 1% could be used as natural alternatives in stimulating the immune response.

2. Is good for liver

Tulasi is believed to have a positive impact on the liver’s health. A study conducted in 2015 investigated the antioxidants properties of the holy basil in rats with liver injury. This study concluded that tulasi mixed with other herbal powder showed notable antioxidant activity and acted very well to guard the liver against any injury.

3. Cures digestive disorders

Consuming tulasi leaves and sipping tulasi tea helps stimulate the appetite and improves digestion by minimising the gas and bloating and increasing the gastric juices’ flow.

Also, it is also found that the phytochemicals compounds that lie in tulasi fight against Staphylococcus aureus infection that is considered as the prime cause of diarrhea.

A review published in 2013 summarised that the major biochemically active constituents like eugenol, carvacrol, ursolic acid, β-caryophyllene, and rosmarinic acid present in the holy basil had anti-ulcer and anti-secretory properties could cure gastric ulceration in gastric epithelial tissue.

A tulasi math. Wikimedia Commons

4. Heals respiratory problems

The use of tulasi leaves for treating common cold and fever is practised traditionally.  The mixture of honey, ginger, and tulasi is regarded as an effective remedy for curing respiratory infections like bronchitis, bronchial asthma, sore throat, influenza, cough, and cold. In many Ayurvedic cough syrups and expectorants, tulsi is a significant ingredient.

Moreover, it is even very useful for maintaining a healthy respiratory passage; it assists to mobilise mucus in bronchitis and asthma.

5. Treats eye disorders

Juice of tulasi leaves mixed with triphala (Emblica officinalis, Terminalia bellirica, and Terminalia chebula) is widely used as an eye tonic. This mixture has also been recommended to treat diseases or infections related to eyes like glaucoma, cataract (aqueous extract of fresh leaves of tulasi helps to do so), and chronic conjunctivitis.

6. Works as a stress buster

Tulsi is recognised as a potent adaptogenic herb in herbal medicine. Adaptogens are such substances that is considered to increase the resistance to stress. A study confirms that adaptogens showcase neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, antidepressive, anxiolytic, nootropic, and CNS (central nervous system) stimulating activity that helps increase the mental performance against stress, anxiety, fatigue, and depression.

Also, tulasi contains compounds like Ocimumosides A and B that are proven to reduce/ease stress and balance the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine.

Photo: Pexels

7. Is useful against cardiovascular diseases

Various beneficial compounds present in tulasi aid in lowering cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels and leading to prevent multiple cardiovascular diseases.

In a study published in 1997, the effect of tulasi leaf powder supplement on fasting blood sugar levels, serum lipids, and tissue lipids in diabetic rats was tested. This experiment showed a reduction in fasting blood sugar, uronic acid, total amino acids, triglyceride, also a significant fall in overall cholesterol, and phospholipids.

8. Maintains oral health

It is confirmed by several studies that tulasi is also beneficial for maintaining oral health. Tulasi helps one fight against Streptococcus mutans that is a major cause of tooth decay. It is confirmed in clinical experiments that showed that the effectiveness of rinsing the mouth with tulasi extracts is the same as the efficacy of 0.2% chlorhexidine andlListerine in lowering the levels of Streptococcus mutans.

Also, tulasi can be used as a herbal mouthwash to treat bad breath, gum diseases, and mouth ulcers.

9. Combats cancer

In a 2013 review, it is confirmed that some of tulasi’s phytochemicals eugenol, rosmarinic acid, apigenin, myretenal, luteolin, β-sitosterol, and carnosic acid help people prevent and treat various types of cancers including skin, oral, lung and liver cancers. As per the review, these phytochemicals do so by increasing the antioxidant activity, altering the gene expressions, inducing apoptosis, and inhibiting angiogenesis and metastasis.

Also, this review briefs the chemopreventive and radioprotective properties of tulasi.