Simkot-Hilsa road to reopen within two days, Humla residents walk home through snow

Snow-clearing work is underway on Humla's Simkot-Hilsa road, which was blocked by snowfall, with plans to reopen it within two days.

Even before the road reopened, young men and women from Humla who had been working in Taklakot, China, walked home through the snow of the Nara pass. According to project chief Bel Bahadur Nepali, thick snow has accumulated on about 15 km of the roughly 95-km road, between Yari and Hilsa.

He said snow has piled up to nearly 5 meters in places in the Nara pass area of Namkha Rural Municipality. The road became difficult to open after snowfall occurred three times. He said equipment and manpower have been mobilized to clear the snow.

According to the Hilsa Border Out Post of the Armed Police Force, about 240 Humla residents walked roughly four hours through the snow from Hilsa to reach the Nara pass. They included around 80 women and around 160 men. They had been working in Taklakot since Ghatasthapana and were returning home to celebrate Dasain.

After reaching Nara, they arranged vehicles and headed to their respective destinations. According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the weather in the mountainous areas of Karnali Province will be mostly clear today, with partly cloudy skies expected tomorrow.