Famine looming large in Humla
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HUMLA, MAR 18 - The government decision to reduce food supplies for this Mid-Western district has triggered famine fears.
People from villages walk for days to reach the Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) depot in district headquarters Simkot, only to find that the government-run food distributor has run out of stock.
Last year, the government had provided more than 10,000 quintals of food for the district, while this year’s supplies stand at around 8,000 quintals.
Narayan Singh of the NFC said the government, as per an earlier announcement, supplied 7,000 quintals this year. Later, it provided 900 quintals more in view of the food shortfall. “We’ve already run out of rice that the government supplied for this year,” said Singh.
The reduction in food supplies amid poor harvest could lead to famine like in the late 90’s. Nearly 400 starving and malnourished people in Humla had succumbed to a viral influenza outbreak for want of timely humanitarian intervention.
Humla’s crop yield dwindled by 5,040 metric tonnes this year
owing to drought and pest infestation, according to the District Agriculture Office.
Posted on: 2010-03-18 12:00
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