Mustang's Gharpagong Rural Municipality Writes to All 753 Local Levels for Climate Conference

Mustang. Gharpagong Rural Municipality has written to all 753 local levels across the country for the climate conference to be held in Bhadra. The rural municipality stated that the conference will be held on Bhadra 30 and 31 in Jomsom, the headquarters of Mustang. The conference is being organized to build a common understanding on the problems, challenges, and climate adaptation arising from climate change. Chief Administrative Officer Bhimkumar Basnet informed that the rural municipality is organizing a climate change conference for the first time in history with the aim of drawing the attention of the national and international community. He said that letters have been sent to all local levels to participate in the conference in coordination with the Ministry of Federal Affairs. The conference will discuss the effects of climate change in the mountains, hills, and terai. A Gharpagong Declaration 2083 will also be issued, making a collective commitment to mitigate and cope with the effects of climate change. Chief Administrative Officer Basnet informed that written correspondence has been sent simultaneously to six metropolitan cities, eleven sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities, and 459 rural municipalities for the conference. The conference will discuss the problems, disasters, and impacts of climate change seen at the local level, as well as measures and strategies for their mitigation. Preparations are underway to hold extensive discussions on the banks of the Kaligandaki river, in the Muktinath region, and in the lap of the Nilgiri Himal, and to issue a climate declaration on behalf of the Himalayan districts. The rural municipality stated that the objective is to amplify the common voice of the local levels against the effects of climate change by drawing the attention of the national and international community through a common declaration to be issued from the conference. A photo exhibition on the effects of climate change will also be organized at the conference. For this, all local levels have been requested to send pictures reflecting the effects of climate change by Bhadra 15. Chief Administrative Officer Basnet said that they have been urged to send draft proposals mentioning the views of the local levels and the issues that should be included in the declaration by the same date. Preparations for the conference are being made with the support of local levels that have sisterly relations with the rural municipality and other local levels of Mustang. In recent times, natural disasters such as avalanches, glacial lake outbursts, floods, landslides, and river erosion have been increasing due to climate change. Climate change has also had a significant impact on agriculture, animal husbandry, religion/culture, and biodiversity. Due to climate change, problems such as uneven snowfall in the Himalayan region, drying up of drinking water sources, reduction in grazing areas, and increased conflict between humans and wildlife have been observed. This has also started affecting the animal husbandry business.