Friday, April 17, 2015

Glacial lake at just 2,546meter

KASKI, APR 07 - While all glacial lakes in the country are located 4,000 metres above sea level, Kapuche glacial lake is unique in that it is ideally located just 2,546 metres above sea level. But despite immense tourism potential it has shown, the government as well as tourism entrepreneurs have not been able to cash in on it.   
The glacial lake, which is formed after glacier erodes the land and then melts to fill the space that it has created, is the only such lake to be located at an astonishingly low altitude. Experts say that it is surprising to find a glacial lake below 4,000 metres.
The lake, which has grown in size over the years and continues to do so, is situated merely eight hours uphill walk from Sikles VDC, making it a perfect destination for tourists and trekking enthusiasts with limited time and budget.  
Man Bahadur Gurung, chairperson of the local conservation committee who treks to the glacial lake at least twice a year, said that he finds it surprising that despite holding immense tourism potential, local authorities as well as tourism entrepreneurs have not been able to devise ways to promote the lake and benefit from it.  
“However, the trail leading to the lake is not very easy,” Gurung said, adding that he was trying to find an alternative route to the lake.
“But, it is not easy to find an investor ready to bear the expenses for the survey and construction of the foot trail,” he said. Moreover, even the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DoHM) does not have much information about the lake. Dr. Hum Bahadur Gurung, a noted conservationist who hails from Sikles, said that the department started to take keen interest in the lake only recently.  
“The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology should immediately conduct a detailed survey of the Kapuche glacial lake to gather more information about the lake,” Dr Gurung said, In a telephone conversation with the Post, DoHM’s director Rishi Ram Sharma said that he had learned about the glacial lake from Dr Gurung, adding that it was indeed surprising to find a glacial lake at such a low altitude and that it needed to be surveyed.
Sharma said the lake had managed to fall off the government’s radar due to tendency of its agencies to only take note of those glacial lakes which pose an immediate threat of bursting through the glacial dam.  “Instead of just looking at it from tourism point of view, a glacial lake which is expanding in size is a cause for concern and that it needed to be properly surveyed for probable effects and threats it poses,” he said.

While government agencies are just learning about the lake, Japanese environmentalist Jiro Komori, who is assistant professor at the Teikyo Heisei University, Japan, has already conducted a detailed survey of the lake, said local hotel entrepreneur Dhan Gurung, who had accompanied him the Japanese professor to the lake. Citing Komori, Gurung said the lake is some 40 metres deep spanning 300 metres in width and 400 metres in length.     

होचो ठाउँमा रमणीय हिमताल  
मुलुकका अधिकांश हिमतालहरू समुद्र सतहको चार हजार मिटरमाथि छन् । तर, कास्कीको पार्चे गाविसमा २५ सय ४६ मिटरकै उचाइमा कपूचे नामको हिमताल छ । अन्नपूर्ण-२ हिमालबाट खस्ने हिउँले बनेको यो मुलुककै सबैभन्दा कम उचाइमा अवस्थित हिमताल हो ।
बाटोको असुविधाका कारण यो तालमा न पर्यटक पुग्छन्, न त पर्यटन प्रवर्द्धन गर्ने निकायको नजर पुगेको छ । थोरै दुःख खेपेर पदयात्रा गर्न रूचाउनेका लागि सिक्लेसबाट आठ घण्टाको पैदल दूरिमा पर्ने यो तालको विस्तारै आकार बढ्दो छ । नीलो तालमा हिउँका ढिक्काहरू तैरिरहेका देखिन्छन् । बेला बेला माथिबाट खस्ने हिमपहिरो ठूलो आवाजका साथ यहाँ खस्छन् ।

Saturday, April 11, 2015

हुगुको गोठ जिन्दगी

'वरपरका ११ वटा गोठमा आगो बालेँ, छानोबाट धुआँ आयो', उनले भनिन्, 'अनि अलि ढुक्क भयो । आफ्नो गोठमा आइ बसेँ ।' ६० वर्षीया नौमाया गुरूङलाई त्यति प्रष्ट नेपाली भाषा बोल्न आउँदैन । उनले भनेका कुरा दोभाषेका मद्दतले यति बुझियो, उनी एक आँटिली महिला हुन् । सँगैकाले गोठ छाडे । वस्तुभाउसँग उनी एक्लै परेको दिन थियो त्यो । 
कास्कीको पार्चा गाविसका दुइवटा वडामा रहेको बस्ती नै सिक्लेस हो । यही बस्तीको कुनै जमानामा सबैका गोठ हुने ठाउँ हुगू हो । सिक्लेसबाट हुगू मच्चिएर हिड्दा ६ घण्टा दूरिको उर्वर भूभाग हो । यहाँ २० वर्षअघिसम्म १२ वटा गोठ थिए । अहिले नौमायालाई भेटिने एउटामात्रै गोठ छ । 
भीरमौरी काढ्नेका कथा, वृत्तचित्र र तस्बिरहरूमा चर्चा पाएका मेजा गुरूङकी जीवनसंगिनी नै नौमाया हुन् । ३ छोरा, २ छोरीमध्ये चार वर्षदेखि जेठो छोरा प्रकाश फिरेर उनलाई सघाउन थालेका छन् । मेजा अब गोठमा त्यतिधेर बस्दैनन् । गोठमा भेटिने नौमाया र प्रकाश भनिने तुलबहादुर र सहयोगी माइला भनिने मानबहादुर तामाङलाई हो । 
सिक्लेसका ७५ वर्षीय भीमबहादुर गुरूङका अनुसार ४० वर्षअघि गुरूङ गाउँमा दुइ चलन थिए । 'सम्पन्नताको प्रतीक धेरै गोठ हुनु र सिकार गर्न सक्नु', उनले भने, 'म पनि पहिलेको सिकारी हो । अहिले संरक्षक भएको छु ।' त्यसो त सिक्लेस १ सय १५ किलोवाटको आफ्नै लघुजलविद्युत, सामुदायिक संरक्षणका कार्यक्रमले सधैं चर्चा पाउने गाउँ हो । यसपटक संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघीय विकास कार्यक्रमको ५ हजार डलरको इक्वेटर पुरस्कार जितेको गाउँ भएकाले यहाँ भीमबहादुरले भनेको जमानाका कुरा कथा भएका छन् । अब सिक्लेस सिकार गर्दैन । विस्तारै धेरै पशुपालन गर्ने चलन घट्दो छ । पालेका वस्तुभाउका लागि डालेघाँस लगाउन गाउँलेले सिकिसके । अब टाढा गोठ राखेर पशु पाल्ने चलन छैन बराबर भएको छ ।
हुगूमा रहेको एउटैमात्र गोठले अहिले पुरानो कथालाई थामेको छ । पशुपालनको यो संस्कार पनि आधुनिकतासँगै हराउने तरखरमा छ । आखिर कति दिनसम्म विकटमा स्थानीयले प्रकृतिसँगको कष्टकर काम गराइको दैनिकी गुजार्लान् ?