Dharapani residents continue to depend on traditional water ghat for grinding wheat

Kanchanpur: Residents of Dharapani village in the Chure area under Shuklaphanta Municipality are still dependent on the traditional water ghat for grinding grain. The ghat remains the only means of flour production in the area.

Although electricity was installed in the village this year, the service has not yet become operational. As a result, locals are forced to rely on the ghat to meet their daily flour needs. It is customary for service users to provide some flour to the ghat operator in return for grinding, which supports the operator’s family livelihood.

Fifty-year-old Saimle Dhami, whose 11-member family also depends on the ghat, operates and maintains it. He has been responsible for repairing the canal and managing the facility. “The flour obtained from operating the ghat lasts for about four months, and the rest is covered by produce from the paddy field,” he said.

The Dhami family, displaced from Dhuligada in Darchula due to a landslide about a decade ago, has now settled near the Dharapani River after purchasing land. The family also runs a small grocery and tea shop, which helps meet household expenses. “Earlier, many domestic tourists used to visit Dharapani and income was good,” he said. “Nowadays, due to poor road conditions, only a few tourists come, so income has decreased.” He added that young members of the family have gone to India for employment.

According to local resident Jayalal Dhami, when the water flow in the canal from the Dharapani River decreases, the mill slows down, allowing only about 15 kg of grain to be ground per day. His family has been living in the area since 2040 BS. “The only means of grinding wheat and maize is the ghatta,” he said. “People have to walk about three kilometers through a forest area to reach it. Since there is no reliable road, walking is the only option, making the ghatta the sole means of grinding.”

He added that as most young people from the village have gone to India for work, only elderly residents now rely on the ghatta. Locals from Kasani, Beldanga, Dharapani, Barregada, Karkiphanta, and Bagmare take turns coming to grind grain there. The practice of providing half a kilo to one kilo of flour in exchange for grinding has supported the livelihood of the operator. Currently, 14 families reside in Dharapani, which is surrounded by forests and rivers.