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In Pictures: Food crisis hits Nepal district

Remote Humla region suffers from severe food shortage leading to malnutrition as supply of food marred by corruption.

Officials of Nepal(***)s food corporation in Nepaljung show donations by the Japanese government that will be airlifted to Humla and other districts of Karnali region facing food shortage. 
By Rajneesh Bhandari
Published On 10 Sep 2014

Humla, Nepal – Humla district, a remote area which lies in the northwestern part of Nepal, has been suffering from food shortage for more than a decade due to lack of access and corruption.

The region perched at an altitude of 2,910 metres in the Himalayas bordering the Tibetan Autonomous Region produces little food to support the local population. The annual demand for food is 9,823 metric tonne, but Humla was able to produce only 1,462 metric tonne during 2011-2012, according to Nepal’s government.

The South Asian country’s effort to provide food to Humla, one of the most isolated regions in the world, has done more harm than good to the local dwellers.

The Nepal Food Corporation, a government entity, is supposed to deliver 1,200 metric tonne of rice to the people in the region, but the effort gets marred due to massive corruption.

It is one of the reasons that the Human Development Index of Humla is one of the lowest in the country. Four out of 10 children in Humla suffer from malnutrition, according to recent government reports.

Humalese have to pay Rs 50 ($0.5) for a kilo of rice and they are offered mere 5 kilo of rice every month, depending on the food availability, which leaves most of the population half-fed for almost six months.

“We are bound to put our children to sleep without being able to feed them at times twice or even thrice a month,” Rani Pariyar, a local resident told Al Jazeera.

The rugged terrain and lack of transportation facilities demands the food to be transported by planes or helicopters.

The residents of this area traverse miles on foot only to return empty-handed.

Moga Bohara, who came to Simikot – the district headquarters – after walking for three days, told Al Jazeera that she waited outside the department for six days, but she wasn’t able to get the food grains.

“I have come from very far to Simikot, but even after coming here I am unable to get rice,” Moga, 58, said. “I got one sack of rice only after 10 days.”

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Humla dwellers complain that there is huge disparity in food distribution in the region.
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Political leaders give cheat sheets directing the Nepal Food Corporation to give rice to their cadres or party supporters. During the last election in November 2013, political leaders distributed hundreds of cheat sheets to the villagers.
Villagers complain that they have to travel miles to get a sack of rice. Some said they even traveled for three days to reach the district headquarters. 
The isolation and lack of transportation and good roads in Humla have only added to the residents’ food woes.
Thehe is one of the villages in Humla worst hit by food shortages. It is a typical small village with a collection of houses made with stone wood and clay, all clustered together. 
Without a road connection to Humla, the Nepal Food Corporation transports rice using planes, helicopters or caravans, at a high cost.
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Mismanagement in the distribution system and political parties’ manipulation of food supplies has compounded the long-term problems of hunger and malnutrition.
In Humla, a single room is often divided into the kitchen, bedroom, and living room. Toilets are rare inside homes.
There are 27 Village Development Committees in Humla, one of Nepal’s highest and poorest areas, and all suffer from a shortage of food in a worsening food crisis.
Though rice and curry is the staple food for this Himalayan nation, Rani Pariyar makes bread as she is running short of rice. "Many times we had to return empty-handed, sometimes we even have to fight to get food. Many times we have to return despite having a token because the department remains closed most of the times. We have to struggle a lot to get food," she said.
Nepal has been getting rice support from the Japanese government since 1970. So far Japan has provided 9bn Japanese Yen ($93m) as food aid to Nepal. 
According to Agriculture Department, Humla produced 427 metric tons of rice, 994 metric tons of barley and 492 metric tons of millet between 2011 and 2012.
Nepal Food Corporation officials in Humla agree that there’s "mismanagement" in the food distribution. "It is difficult to distribute food as it has more demand and is a hand to mouth issue," Bhim Thapa, Department Head at Nepal Food Corporation, Humla, told Al Jazeera.
Many Humalese say they feel deceived and forgotten by the state.