As the race to consider only physical infrastructure in education, health, and sports as development continues, issues such as floods, inundation, heat, and water crisis that Dhangadhi has been experiencing in recent times have been overlooked in the candidates' manifestos.
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Kailali Region No. 5, which is the only sub-metropolitan city of Sudurpaschim Province and the economic and administrative center of the province, is currently experiencing more election activity than other regions. This region is watched with interest in the politics of the Far West. Therefore, the squares, streets and tea shops of Dhangadhi have now become centers of political debate.
Nepali Congress Provincial General Secretary Naranarayan Shah, UML District President Yagyaraj Dhungana, Nepali Communist Party's Prem Bahadur Ale, who has been elected three times from Doti, public health activist Dr. Ananda Bahadur Chand from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, RPP's Roshan Shahi and independent former Constituent Assembly member Pyaral Rana are competing from this area.
Candidates from old established parties to new parties are going door to door to voters with their own agendas. Many have also made their own local manifestos public. There is similarity in the commitments of other candidates, including the four main parties. The dream of development is common to all. But within those dreams, the 'climate crisis' that is challenging the future of this area has not become a primary agenda anywhere.
The most repeated issues in the candidates' manifestos are - upgrading the Seti Provincial Hospital, fully operationalizing the Shaheed Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences, and constructing the Dream Fapla International Cricket Stadium.
Congress candidate Shah has pledged to develop Seti Hospital as a central hospital with specialized services. UML's Dhungana has put forward a plan to upgrade the hospital by bringing it under the federal government, while NCP's Ale has pledged to start specialized services from Seti Hospital and establish a separate ward for sickle cell anemia patients. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'s Chand has put forward the concept of developing the hospital and the university as an integrated 'health-education ecosystem'. Ujjaya Nepal Party has also made hospital upgrading its agenda.
Along with health, another common agenda of all the candidates is - construction of an international-level cricket stadium in Fapla. The dream of making Dhangadhi a 'city of cricket' has been heard for a long time. This time, Ale of the NCP has made this issue his first priority, while the candidates of the Congress, UML and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have also included it in their manifestos. The issue of constructing this stadium had been raised in previous elections. Voters are suspecting that this time too it will be limited to election promises. Khadak Raika, 32, of Kailali 5 said that he heard about the construction of a cricket ground in Fapla when he was young, but it has not been fulfilled yet.
The issue of making Dhangadhi a metropolis has also become a competitive agenda among the candidates. Shah of the Congress and Dhungana of the UML have expressed their commitment to making Dhangadhi a metropolis. Other candidates have also put forward the issue of making Dhangadhi a city with amenities, a smart city. But the manifesto does not have a clear blueprint regarding the criteria, population, infrastructure and financial resources required to make a metropolis. Therefore, the more popular this issue has become, the more unclear it is.
In terms of personal agenda and style, there are some different commitments among the candidates. Congress candidate Shah has also put forward the slogan of ‘keeping a secretariat in Dhangadhi to listen to the complaints of the people and solve their problems’. He claims that after being elected as an MP, he will end the compulsion to go to Kathmandu to solve the problems of the people. He has presented himself as a local and accessible candidate and has pledged to press for projects of national pride such as Trinagar customs upgrading and Paschim Seti.
UML candidate Dhungana has made the main points of expanding digital infrastructure, internet service in schools and health institutions, and extending health insurance to private hospitals. He is trying to attract young voters with the help of the ‘smart city’ concept.
NCP’s Ale’s commitment seems to be ‘project-centric’. He has prioritized the expansion of the runway of Dhangadhi Airport along with the FAPLA stadium by 2500 meters, development of sports infrastructure and expansion of special services for sickle cell anemia patients.
The RSVP candidate Dr. Chand, who has long experience in public health, has put forward issues such as including AI, robotics and data science in the education system. He has also presented the concept of developing Seti Hospital and Geta University into an integrated system. His agenda also includes linking the 'Bhalmansa' system of the Tharu community with local governance and branding Tharu culture.
Chandra Saund of the Ujjaya Nepal Party has presented himself as a candidate carrying the issue of landowners. Solving the problems of squatters, laborers, landless people, refunding the money of cooperative victims, consumer rights and campaigns against corruption are his main agendas. His other ambitious commitment is to provide employment to 12,000 youth in 5 years.
Kailali-5 is a mixed settlement of Tharu, Rana Tharu and hill communities. Looking at the candidates' agendas, ethnic and regional psychology also seems to be influential. Some candidates are focusing on market area and hill voters, while some are emphasizing more on Tharu and oppressed community issues.
Climate change issue overlooked
Looking at the manifestos of all the candidates, the agendas are ambitious. As the race is on to consider only physical infrastructure of education, health and sports as development, issues like floods, inundation, heat and water crisis that Dhangadhi has been facing in the recent past have been overlooked in the manifestos of the candidates. Floods and inundation are a big problem of Dhangadhi. Many parts of the city are submerged even during normal rains. Thousands of families in this area have been displaced by floods every year.
The candidates have talked about drainage and embankments, but no one has paid attention to the long-term strategy for exploitation of the Chure region, land degradation and climate adaptation. Although there is talk of mechanization and fertilizers in agriculture, no one has a clear view on the decreasing productivity, the impact of climate change on crops and the seriousness of the decreasing groundwater level on the agenda.
Another problem is that Dhangadhi has become one of the cities in Nepal that experiences extreme heat in recent years. There are no concrete plans for urban forests, open space conservation, green transportation or renewable energy to reduce the rising temperature in the candidates' manifestos.
When asked about the neglect of climate issues during the announcement ceremony, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) candidate Chand said, "Indeed, the climate crisis is a major problem today. We had also thought of including this issue in the commitment. But it was missed due to the lack of research and clear data in the Far West."
