Purna Budha of Chankheli Rural Municipality-5, Nekpa, Humla, is forced to walk for about 6 hours one way for salt. ‘There are no road facilities in the village, we have to reach Piplang, the municipality center, to get salt,’ he said, ‘It is evening when we get up in the morning, go there and get salt and return.’ 

The subsidy salt for this year had reached Chankheli in the first week of Chaitra. Rural Municipality Chairman Pyarilal Shahi said that the municipality has made arrangements to distribute 50 kg of salt per family. For which, the recommendation of the ward was required.

Ward Chairman Harkadhan Tamang said that 70 households across the ward have easily received salt even though they had to walk. The Salt Trading Corporation had set up a depot here since last year. Before that, locals used Chinese salt. Now, salt has to be bought at the local market for Rs 40 per kg. The subsidy salt is sold at Rs 9 per kg, said Ward Chairman Tamang. According to him, 50 quintals of salt were distributed in the ward. According to the village council chairman Shahi, 200 quintals more were demanded after 470 quintals of salt were received for the entire municipality, which was not enough. 

Salt has reached Tanjakot village council after almost a year only on Monday. Last year too, the salt of the previous fiscal year was delivered to the village council in the second week of Baisakh. This year, 470 quintals of salt were transported, of which 430 quintals were distributed to the locals, said the village council chairman Lalkesh Jaisi. ‘Salt always arrives once a year, this year we have distributed salt at the rate of 25 kg per family, and when additional salt arrives, we will sell it at the rate of 25 kg,’ he said, ‘There may be big problems in other districts, but we always have problems with salt.’

 Chairman Jaisi said that salt arrived 9 months after the start of the fiscal year due to the contractor’s negligence. According to him, 40 quintals of salt have not arrived yet. He said that 70 to 110 quintals of salt were distributed to five wards. 

Salt is distributed once a week on Monday from the branch office of Salt Trading in the district headquarters, Simkot. After the salt transported by the contractor from outside the district headquarters reaches the center of the rural municipality, the people's representatives distribute it in wards, said Raj Bahadur Lama, head of Salt Trading Humla. "There was a problem due to the lack of staff at the village depot, now we are providing salt that is enough for the whole year at once," he said. "If it is insufficient, the locals come to the district headquarters and bring salt." 

Lama, the branch head, said that the 648 quintals of salt demanded for Adanchuli rural municipality for this year have not yet arrived. According to him, salt has been distributed to Tanjakot, Adanchuli, Sarkegard, Chankheli and Namkha rural municipalities. Residents of Kharpunath purchase salt from the district headquarters, Simkot. 11 kg of salt is being distributed per person from the district headquarters once a week on Mondays based on a copy of the citizenship certificate. 

Harishchandra Rokaya of Adanchuli Rural Municipality-2 says that even the salt that comes once a year has not arrived for 10 months since the start of the fiscal year. ‘Not only does the salt from the transport subsidy not arrive, but even if it does, it is not enough for all family members and livestock,’ he said, ‘That is why we are forced to buy and consume salt from the market at Rs 40 per kg.’ 

After the salt quota set for this year was insufficient, an all-party meeting held at the District Administration Office two weeks ago decided to demand an additional 1,500 quintals of salt for Chankheli and Sarkegard Rural Municipality, says Assistant Chief District Officer Rajendra Kumar Chand. "Now the rainy season is starting, transportation is not running," he said, "that is why more salt is needed even for emergencies." According to him, a quota of 4,310 quintals of salt has been fixed for 7 rural municipalities this year. 

The all-party meeting has fixed a quota of 2,500 quintals for Simkot and Kharpunath, 630 for Namkha and 1,500 quintals for Sarkegaard for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84. Similarly, a quota of 6,130 quintals of salt, including 1,500 quintals for Adanchuli and Tanjakot, has been demanded, he said. District Coordination Committee Chief Shivraj Sharma said that the residents of Tanjakot, Adanchuli, Sarkegaad and Chankheli in the southern region of Humla have been facing a shortage of salt every year. 

‘In Simkot and Kharpu, the locals have received salt in moderation, while in other municipalities salt comes once a year, and if they cannot buy it at that time, they are forced to consume the expensive salt from the market,’ he said, ‘Animal husbandry is practiced in almost all villages here, and salt is a must if livestock is raised. Should we eat 50 kg of salt throughout the year or feed it to our livestock?’ 

According to the statistics of the Animal Hospital and Animal Services Office, nearly 950,000 livestock are raised across the district. Animal husbandry expert Kamal Sharma said that livestock raised in the Himalayan and hilly regions require at least 20 grams of salt daily.