Locals concerned over decreasing water volume of Hyatrung waterfall

Itahari: Ninety eight-year-old Pahalman Khatri of Poyajung of Phedap Rural Municipality had childhood memories of the Hyatrung waterfall when Hyatrung would fall with a bigger water volume.

Since the last few decades, the level of water has decreased, shared Khatri. ”When we were small kids, we used to go nearby Hyatrung waterfall to collect grass for our cattle,” said Khatri, ”We used to see a good volume of water in the waterfall”.

Khatri does not have his contemporary friends in this village. All have passed away. However, Khatri still has nostalgia for the good Hyatrung waterfall. ”There used to be water in all 12 months of the year,” Khatrai recalled, adding, ”This is not seen these years as the water level decreases rapidly after Dashain.”

Khatri said Hyatrung does have a good volume of water only for six months starting from Jestha to Kartik. For the rest six months, the water level is almost nonexistent.

Even local officials are concerned about the decreased waterfall volume. ”We see a good volume of water in the waterfall only for four to six months,”, said Bhogendra Shrestha, the Chief Administrative Office of the Phedap Rural Municipality. The waterfall located at the border of wards number 4 (Sandu) and 5 (Ishibu) has repelled many visitors just because of the decreased waterfall.

”Many travellers have returned with tragic emotions after not seeing good water volume here,” said Tej Prashad Limbu, the local. ”Millions of rupees have been invested in the name of railing, foot track and other structures. But, not a penny has been invested to increase the water volume.”

Hyatrung is the 365-meter-tall waterfall of Nepal which is the tallest waterfall in Province 1 and the second tallest one in the whole of Nepal. Nepal’s tallest waterfall is Pachal waterfall, which is 381-meter-tall and is located in the Kalikot district of Karnali Province.