Humla celebrates open defecation free status

Humla became the fourth mountainous district and 43rd district of Nepal to achieve open defecation free status.

Ayush Karki
Simikot, Humla
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki
16 July 2018

On the north-west corner of Nepal, lies the mountainous district of Humla.
The district is nature’s paradise with majestic mountains and pine forests and is extremely rich in ethnic diversity too

Simikot, Humla
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

The second largest district of the country is one of the only two districts in Nepal which is not connected by road to the rest of the country. The nearest road head is a four-day long walk away. So, the only ways to reach the district that shares border with China, is either by air, by foot, or by mules and ponies.

Single engine plane in Simikot Airport
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

We were lucky to visit Humla.  We first had to fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, which lies next to the Indian border. From there we had to catch an early morning 1-hour flight (on a smaller aircraft) to Simikot, the district headquarters of Humla.

Map of Nepal
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Simikot which lies at an altitude of 3,000 metres has become a transit point for pilgrims who travel to neighboring  China to visit Mount Kailash, which is said to be the abode of the Hindu God Shiva.

Planes at the Simikot airport
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

Despite being blessed with nature and diversity, Humla District lies second from the bottom in terms of Human Development Index in Nepal.  Being isolated from the rest of the country, the residents of Humla are still deprived of proper health, education, nutrition and other basic facilities. The prices of basic commodities are extremely inflated here as everything is first airlifted, then carried by humans, mules or yaks.

Villages of Humla
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

Despite the hardship, there is no shortage of smiles in this place.

Students smiling in a school of Humla
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

On 4 December 2017, the people of Humla achieved something spectacular. The district was declared open defecation free, meaning everyone had a toilet in their homes, and were using them! It became the fourth mountainous district and 43rd district of Nepal to achieve this status.

Humla celebrates open defecation free status
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

The achievement is commendable because just six years ago, only half of Humla’s households had access to toilet facilities.  Now all 10,125 households in all seven gaunpalikas (rural municipalities) of Humla have access to toilets.

Toilets in Simikot, Humla
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

The historic day was celebrated with much fanfare by the Humli people.

People in Humla celebrate ODF status
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

It was a special day for the young and old.

Children of Humla
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

To mark the day, the residents of Humla took out a rally in the district headquarters Simikot.  School children who were part of the sanitation social movement in striving to make their school catchment areas also free of open defecation participated in the celebrations too.

Rally in Simikot
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

The colourful rally later converged into a celebratory event at a public ground which was attended by people from all walks of lives.  It was a full house at the public ground.
The Humli people from various ethnic backgrounds came in dressed in their best traditional attire, like these two Thakuranis.

Women in Humla in their traditional attire
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

Aside from the kaleidoscope of traditional dances and songs, the celebrations also featured boisterous performances from the younger folks.

Youngsters perform in Simikot during the ODF celebration
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

Many came to the function in full regalia displaying the rich cultural heritage of these areas that border with Tibet in China.

Women in Humla in their traditional attire
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

The event was attended by high-level dignitaries like the former minister of Water and Sanitation, local leaders, government officials, political leaders, development partners and media.

High-level dignitaries attend Humla's ODF declaration event
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

"It is only because of our haatemaalo (holding hands) that Humla has been able to celebrate its ‘free of open defecation’ status," said Dr. Tameez Ahmad, UNICEF Nepal's chief of Water and Sanitation while congratulating the residents of Humla.

Dr Tameez Ahmed from UNICEF Nepal
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki

On the occasion, the residents of Humla also made public commitment to maintain their open defecation free (ODF) status effectively and proceed towards total sanitation in the coming days. Ending open defecation is the first step to total sanitation. Nepal’s goal of universal sanitation is not far away. So far, 95 per cent of total population in the country has access to toilet facilities.

Congratulations to the people of Humla once again for this achievement!

ODF celebration in Humla
UNICEF Nepa/2017/AKarki