Kathmandu: The remote Saipal Rural Municipality in northern Bajhang is bracing for a severe shortage of iodized salt due to delays in transportation by the Salt Trading Corporation Limited (STCL). With winter intensifying and snowfall isolating the region, residents fear they may have to endure months without this essential commodity.
Motima Rokaya, a resident of Dhuli, the northernmost settlement in Saipal, expressed her concerns. “We’ve been borrowing salt from neighbors for the past month, but now even they are running out,” she said. Rokaya’s family requires about a kilogram of salt weekly for both household use and feeding their livestock, a common practice among the predominantly livestock-rearing community.
Annual Delays in Supply
Transporting essentials to Saipal has always been challenging due to its remote location. It takes three days on foot to reach the area from Chainpur, the district headquarters. During winter, heavy snow blocks access routes, while monsoon rains bring landslides and floods, further complicating transport.
The STCL annually contracts suppliers to deliver salt to Saipal, but this year, bureaucratic delays have left the agreement unsigned. The contract for the current fiscal year was awarded to Deuti Bajai Construction and Suppliers, but the agreement remains stalled.
“The STCL has refused to finalize the contract, citing a pending case at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority,” said Topnarayan Chalise, a representative of the contracted supplier. “Without the agreement, we are unable to begin transportation despite the urgent need.”
Implications for Residents
Last year, 796 quintals of salt were transported to Saipal, which barely lasted until January. This year, the situation appears even more dire. The STCL has allocated 900 quintals of salt for Saipal under the fiscal year’s goiter control program, supported by Rs 4.7 million in transportation subsidies. However, without immediate action, supplies will only arrive in March, leaving residents and their livestock without salt for months.
Manbir Bohara, chairman of Saipal Rural Municipality, criticized the delays. “Regardless of the legal hurdles, the priority must be to ensure that essential goods like salt reach the people on time,” he said.
As the snow deepens and transportation routes become inaccessible, the window to address the crisis is rapidly closing. Residents now hope for swift intervention to avoid a prolonged shortage in one of Nepal’s most remote regions.
