Salt scarcity in Mountainous districts of Karnali

Surkhet: People are suffering to buy salt in the mountains and remote areas of the Karnali Province. Citizens of the mountainous regions, including the Kalikot, Jumla, Humla, Dolpa, and Mugu, are struggling to buy the salt.

People are suffering to buy salt as the area has not been fully marketed. And, people, from remote mountainous villages, are compelled to reach the headquarters to buy salt.

With the increasing suffering of the citizens, a few local-level of 5 districts, have started to buy salt and distribute it. The remote and mountainous districts have been facing a scarcity of salt due to various reasons including that of the contractors, who receive contracts for transporting salt on the grant, leaving salt in the middle way.

People residing in the five districts are compelled to reach the headquarters to buy 5 packets of salt. But, people even have to stay in queue to buy the salt.

Rajkumar Bista, a resident of Kalikot Narahari Rural Municipality-8, said that he was able to purchase 5 kilograms of salt after a huge struggle. Bista came to Manma, the headquarters of Kalikot, in the first week of Falgun. Bista shared his experience of spending around 2 thousand rupees, on two-way transportation just to buy the salt.

‘The transportation fare from Lalu to Manma is 750 rupees, ‘ said Bista, ‘The expenses of the lodging and food are additional. If one does not get the salt on the day of arriving in Manma, one has to stay in Hotel.’

The Salt Trading Corporation Limited (STC) sells iodized salt at 9 rupees per kilogram in remote areas. According to STC Manma Dipo Chief Lal Bahadur Bam, a total of 3 thousand 5 hundred quintals of salt must have already reached the Depot in the current fiscal year 2080/81.

But, 2 hundred 82 quintals of salt were still to arrive in the Depot, which compelled people to stay in line to receive salt. And the depot has not been successful to meet the demands of the consumers.

STC Dolpa Depot Chief Prakash Bahadur Dhami said that the lack of budget in the districts for the transportation of salt, as per the demands of the consumer, creates scarcity every year,.

‘There was a tenure to transport 500 quintals of salts in Dolpa in the previous fiscal year. But, an additional 800 quintals of salt were transported as the previous quintal could last for 4 months,’ said Dhami, ‘Out of the stored salt, only 200 quintals are left in the godown. Around 70-80 people come to receive salt every day. We have been distributing 2 kgs of salt to each people.’

The residents of the Mugu are also compelled to go to headquarters in Gamgadhi to buy iodized salt from the STC depot. The depot has been distributing salts only three days a week.

There are distribution centers in the Khatyad and Soru rural municipalities. Those centers only distribute/sell salt once a year; in between Poush and Magh.

Just like Bista, there are many people, who are struggling and suffering just to fulfill their basic need of adding salt to their diet. Despite the annual claim of STC about having adequate salt for the districts of Karnali Province, people are always compelled to struggle for salt.

The Nepali version of the news story