My grandmother, who is 90 years now, used to tell us about that huge flood in the 90s when I was an
infant, but now heavy floods have become more frequent, reoccurring every 5-10 years in the lowlands.
Another climate anomaly I have observed is, fewer snow or late snow on the snow-capped mountains.
(Machhapuchhre and Annapurna Mountain range of Pokhara). From our backyards in the valley of
Pokhara, we have always seen snow-capped mountains during October, when the sky is clear and the
weather is mild but in the year 2012 the unthinkable happened, the mountain ranges stood bare, with
no or probably little snow, looking like black peaks without the snow. We couldn’t believe it, but it is the
new normal now. Some years the mountain peaks are beautiful with snow caps while the other, snow
visits late or is not abundant.
Kathmandu city lies at a higher elevation and has lesser temperatures compared to the lowlands, owing
to which mosquitoes were unheard of before few years, when out of nowhere, swarms of mosquitoes
flocked the valley. The valley has seen significant rise in temperature over the decade, consequently
becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Similarly, colder places have been able to grow tropical
crops and fruits while lowlands have seen droughts and drying water spouts.
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