Jitendra Vin Asar of Susta Rural Municipality-5 in West Nawalparasi stays in Narayani Bagar till late night since the second week. He is living in Bagar by making a small tower to collect wood and firewood flowing in Narayani river. Sometimes other family members also come to help him.

In the middle of the dry season, locals risk their lives to catch the firewood that flows into the valley of Urle. If you have to go to the other side of the river, they have also kept a boat. In one month, Jeetendra has even sold some of the firewood that he can cook for the whole year. "A tractor of firewood sells for around 10,000 rupees," he said. If there is too much collection and it is not possible to take it home, they spend the night in the garden along with firewood . If firewood cannot be collected during the season, food should be cooked in gutha (made from dried dung). It is not enough for a year . If there is firewood, it is very easy," he said. "If you can collect more than you need, you can easily sell it. It is our obligation to go into the flood and collect firewood.'

Susta-5 Chandra Bahadur Dalarmi Magar of Sakardinhi is also waiting for firewood on the Narayani bank with a rope and iron balchi in his hand. For one piece of wood, many make a target . Throwing a sharp iron at the wood from a distance, whoever hits the target first gets it . Therefore, when there is a flood, there is a crowd of firewood collectors on the Narayani bank like a hot market.

A local collecting firewood on the shore. Photos: Mahesh KC/Kantipur

There is no community forest in the southern part of the district. Therefore, even though financially capable families use gas for cooking, most of them choose to burn wood and firewood. Those who gather together in a group sell wood worth millions. As it is also a source of income along with fuel, they enter Narayani to collect firewood at the risk of local lives. There is no community forest in our area. Firewood is necessary for cooking from the death ceremony,' Magar said, 'Sometimes while catching firewood, a friend is killed in front of his eyes, but what to do, if you take risks during the season, you will suffer all year round.' 

14-year-old Vivek Bahai of Susta was sitting on the banks of the Narani river on Saturday afternoon and targeting the driftwood. He spends the whole day of school holidays and other days in the morning and in the evening aiming at driftwood. Although it can hold only small pieces of wood, sometimes the whole tree is swept away. In such a case, they say that they should gather in a group and reach the middle of the river by boat. "Even though we know that there is a lot of risk in this work, we have been doing it for years," said Magar.

Veri kangar local . 

On the banks of Narayani River in the southern part of West Nawalparasi, from children to the elderly, they are busy collecting firewood in this way for two months of the rainy season. Even though the local administration and rural municipality asked them not to get into the flood by taking risks, they ignore it . Teknarayan Upadhyay, Chairman of Susta Rural Municipality, said that although the Ward had published a notice and asked them not to collect firewood in the Narayani bank, they had refused. "A few days ago, a young man was swept away by the river while collecting firewood, even when we issued a notice and asked him not to get caught in the flood, the locals did not hesitate," he said. Before the formation of the local level, the then District Development Committee used to contract wood-firewood in the river. Lately, the local level has not been able to manage it .

000

On the other side of Rukum West, the residents of Bheri Bank are also used to gather firewood in the river during the rainy season. Thuli Bheri and Rukum from Dolpa side merge with Sani Bheri Jajarkot and Rukum West Rimna to form the Bheri river . The veri that comes during the rainy season creates fear in the surrounding common people during the rainy season. Regardless of this fear, Vimala Roka leaves her house early in the morning to collect the wood that has been washed away by the river.

Roka is not the only one who knows how to pull firewood with the help of a stick in the valley of Urle. Children, old people, young people, women almost all reach the coast of Bheri to pull firewood in iron baskets by sticking a long fork in a strong stick . Vimala says, "The forest that gets firewood is far from the village". It is not possible to go. If they can pull the firewood that has flowed into the river during the dry season, it will be enough to burn the whole year.' On the days of heavy rains, they go to the firewood and sit in the firewood in the morning.  Locals collecting firewood on the shore.