Munsiyari gets early snowfall, temperature takes a dip

BDKasniyal

Pithoragarh, September 22

The peaks of Hansling, Panchachuli, Rajrambha and Chiplakedar of Munsiyari hills received season’s first snowfall, causing a dip in temperature while the rest of Pithoragarh district witnessed heavy rain in the past 24 hours. “The low temperature has resulted in returning of the nomads who had gone into higher Himalayan valleys to rear their animals,” said Puran Pandey, a resident of Munsiyari town.

Sources in the Weather Department said the snowfall took place at the 8,000-feet Munsiyari Himalayan peaks, bringing cold weather in the towns and valleys below.

“The tribal nomads will migrate to lower valleys after the winter conditions intensify in this part of Himalayan region in the coming months,” Pandey said.

Meanwhile, heavy rain lashed the lower valleys in the past 24 hours, which threw common life out of gear and posed difficulties before the tourists.

“Munsiyari-bound tourists have started facing travelling difficulties in reaching the town. A batch of Bengali tourists was stranded for hours as a truck got struck at the Gini bend on way to Munsiyari, disturbing the journey to the town,” Jagdish Singh Rawat, president of Munsiyari Hotel Association, said.

Rawat said over 9,000 tourists had booked their rooms in Munsiyari for the upcoming season between October to December. “We have requested the administration to help the tourists reach Munsiyari by repairing over 12 spots on the Thal-Munsiyari Road which pose as the main hurdle in smooth flow of traffic,” Rawat added.

Other parts of the district, including Pithoragarh, Didihat, Askot and Berinag, also witnessed heavy rain in the past 24 hours, resulting in water-logging and creating problems for locals.