Kathmandu, February 11
As Nepal approaches elections to the House of Representatives, road access to northern Humla has been severed following days of relentless snowfall, isolating remote Himalayan settlements and raising concerns about voter participation.
Heavy snow has blocked key mountain routes, and residents say there is little immediate prospect of reopening them. Roads at Nara La in Namkha Rural Municipality–5 and Nyalu La in Ward 6 have been completely shut after several feet of snow accumulated along the passes.
In Namkha’s villages of Limi, Til, Jang and Halji, many registered voters are currently outside the district, further compounding fears that turnout could be affected.
At the Hilsa border point, temperatures have plunged to minus 22 degrees Celsius, according to the Armed Police Force’s Border Outpost there, intensifying the already harsh winter conditions.
Krishna Dahal, the officer in charge of the Hilsa outpost, said snowfall has made it difficult even to patrol up to border pillars 8 and 9. He added that between three and four feet of snow has piled up at Nara La.
Ward Chair Paljor Tamang of Namkha–6 said that of the 672 registered voters assigned to three polling stations in Limi, most are currently in Kathmandu, Delhi and other parts of India, a factor that could significantly affect voting. With the election drawing near, Tamang urged the government to clear the snow from Nara La and Nyalu La without delay.
