39 cases of rabies reported to BMO Zanskar
21/03/07 19:27
Update on the
rabies situation. 39 cases of rabies have so far been
reported to the Zanskar's Block Medical Officer
(BMO). 200 phials of rabies vaccine are waiting to be
flown in from Kargil but for the last five weeks the
weather has not been good enough to fly. Reports that
the military have culled the problem dogs are thought
to be incorrect and it sounds as though villagers
have taken matters into their own hands. Apparently
most of the villages in Central Zanskar are now
dog-free but Zangla still has around 50 and villagers
there are said to be preparing to 'deal' with the
problem animals.
A foot of snow falls in Zanskar
20/03/07 11:48
See
Daily Excelsior
for full
details. Late snowfalls in Zanskar have in recent
years proved beneficial in water short villages
like Kumi. As climate change impacts on Zanskar's
permanent and semi-permanent snowfields, drought
and irrigation water shortage has become an issue
for many Zanskari settlements that do not benefit
from the security of the larger glacial resources
of the Greater Himalayan Range.
More on rabies, power issues and other demands from Zanskar
20/03/07 11:19
See the Daily
Excelsior article Zanskar Deputation meets Jora,
Raises Demands. Somewhat confusingly
the delegation from Zanskar are pushing for the
early commissioning of the Haftal Hydro project
which, I was assured, was working last summer
(2006) - although it was working somewhat
erratically, or rather the wind was playing havoc
with the 'rustic' power lines that link the power
station to Padum and Junkhor. Perhaps they refer
to the fact that hydro electric production has to
be recommenced each spring once the rivers thaw?
As usual there is a raft of additional demands -
like, District status for Zanskar - that are
worthy of consideration but will probably be
ignored or forgotten as Kargil's administration
focus on minimising the political cost of the
rabies problem.
Fatality on the chaddar
04/03/07 14:50
end January,
2007. Two different sources from Zangskar have
confirmed that a porter was swept away near woma
(Lingshed do area). This apparently is the first
fatality recorded on the chaddar trek.
Rabies in Zangskar
04/03/07 14:39
mid February,
2007. Several sources have confirmed an outbreak of
rabies in Zangskar, principally in the population of
stray dogs in Padum. The Indian Army have apparently
been asked to cull the problem dogs. Reports suggest
that several people have been bitten and there is
thought to be at least one fatality.