Blog

Apologies for not having written something about the current crazy situation in Nepal yet. You may have heard that there has been a huge shortage of fuel, cooking gas and other essentials in Nepal due to agitations at the border with India in the southwest of the country. The reason for the unrest is the Constitution, which was passed on 20 September and many people in the Terrai, mainly the Madhesis, are unhappy with.

The situation has been going on for almost four weeks and apparently almost one million cars, taxis, motorbikes and busses are currently queuing up at petrol stations, some of which are not even open. “On Tuesday, nearly 150 tankers carrying petrol, diesel and cooking gas entered into Nepal through various border points. More trucks and tankers are lining up to enter Nepal, according to authorities at the Department of Customs,” reports the weekly Nepal paper, the Nepali Times.

During our early morning run Jo took these photos, which greatly depict the dire situation. The fact that the largest Hindu festival Dashain has just started and many people are unable to go home to celebrate it with their loved ones is almost a violation of human rights, especially considering that this is the first Dashain since two earthquakes shook the country almost six months ago.

And if you speak German, read this article I have written for the German climbing magazine ‘Bergsteiger‘