Winter migration from Johar valley begins

BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, October 1

Winter migration from higher Himalayan villages of the Johar valley in Munsiyari to lower valleys has begun. Over 25 families from Quary Jimia village of the Johar valley have set out for the Terai region of the state where they will reside for the next six months.

“Residents of Quary Jimia village along with their sheep and other animals today crossed Munsiyari town on their way to the Terai region while residents of Pato, Saipolo, Bona, Lilam, Bui and Tomik villages of the Johar valley are preparing for the annual migration,” said Puran Pandey, a journalist based at Munsiyari.

Meanwhile, Keshnari Devi (55) reportedly went missing from the Radi Man Singh top, near Bugdyar, in the Johar valley while she along with her family was migrating to lower valleys today. “The woman has either fallen into the Gori river or she has been taken away by bears that are in abundance in the area,” said sources in Munsiyari.

They said this year the annual migration was taking place a month earlier as the cold conditions were already obtaining in the Johar valley. “We are expecting early snowfall this year as birds and other natural creatures had started shifting to safe places September onward. This activity is usually witnessed during the second week of October,” Lok Bahadur Singh Jangpangi, a resident of Malla Johar (upper part of the Johar valley) and president of the Malla Johar Craft Samiti.