We spend our last day in Helambu talking to the few remaining yak herders in Langtang National Park. Changes are being observed in grazing pastures/grasslands, which are reducing in area or being taken over by forests. Water sources are disappearing in the highlands, leaving old livestock/cattle sheds in grazing pastures without water. Unable to shift from ancient grazing routes, pastoralists are responding by artificially growing grasslands and using pipes to bring water to fill dried-up ponds in the pastures. But how can the livelihoods of pastoralists be secured in a changing climate when there is no consensus on who is responsible to solve this problem, as range land expert Dr Uttam Babu Shrestha questions?

In this episode, we listen to the heart wrenching experience of several families who lost everything in 2021’s devastating Melamchi flood. The Melamchi incident shows how climate change can compound with risky floodplain development, lack of preventative measures and non-existent support post-disaster to severely upend lives of climate-displaced communities. Melamchi story is a stark reminder of what’s in store for future and offers lessons to remember in a climate changed world where disasters are set to displace millions of people in unprecedented events. Who should pay for the damages when a climate disaster strikes?

Today we bring the poignant tale from a mountain village in Helambu where an old apple farmer is still waiting for fruits from the past that he may never see again in his orchard. Apple saplings were first brought to Helambu from India more than 60 years ago. The apple yield was quite high in those years, but there wasn’t road or market connectivity then. As roads reached the remote region, the climate warmed meanwhile, rendering the highly productive apple orchards barren, leaving the hopeful farmers in a lurch. Can the lost apples of Helambu ever be revived?

No place on the planet is immune from climate change, not Nepal, not Kavrepalanchok. While there may be some positive changes in agriculture, the overall impact of warming temperature and climate change is predicted to be highly disruptive and negative to the sector. In this episode, we talk to many farmers in Kavrepalchok who are experiencing several disruptions in farming without knowing weather it is due to global climate change or not. They tell us about water scarcity, increasing pests, untimely rainfall, reduction in yield and productivity. But in a country like Nepal where agriculture is a major source of sustenance, livelihood and income, not preparing for climate change would be catastrophic.

Today we take you to Kavrepalanchok in the midhills of Nepal to understand how rivers and springs are disappearing as water usage soars. Jhiku Khola, a small river with a small watershed is a trickle these days and is unable to meet the growing demands of Kavrepalanchowk. Local communities are trying to revive the water table by encouraging rainwater harvesting in ponds. Is climate change playing a part in creating the water crisis, and will the local adaptation efforts suffice in the face of rapid changes? Listen to watershed expert Mr. Madhukar Upadhya, who has been dedicatedly observing the dying Jhiku Khola for more than a decade.

In this episode, we continue our journey in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve to speak to people who are frustrated with growing invasives that are overtaking wetlands ecosystems and becoming uncontrollable, severely affecting livelihoods and wildlife. Is climate change fueling the rapid growth of invasive species in wetlands? The Reserve is investing in manually clearing wetlands of the invasive water hyacinth, and the local community is weaving products out of the weed. But is it enough to slow down the growth of invasives? Is there a limit to adaptability?

In this episode, we take you to Koshi Tappu Wildlfie Reserve, where drastic changes brought on by both climate and land use change are impacting wetlands, wildlife and local communities. On one hand, the reserve wants to conserve the wetlands, and on the other hand, the village authorities are promoting the conversion of wetlands into fishing ponds so wild animals won’t cross into village fields and destroy crops. We explore the conflict featuring local voices. And we learn from Dr. Deep Narayan Shah from Tribhuvan University on why the protection and restoration of wetlands should be a priority for local and national governments in the context of climate change and otherwise.

This episode gives an introduction to our podcast series “Taap Ko Tanab” (translating to “Heat stress”), based on our newly released book The Heat is On: Climate Change stories from Koshi Basin. The episode sets the context through short snippets from local communities witnessing change and a detailed introduction by Dr Bimal Regmi, a climate change expert and member of the National Council for Environmental Protection and Climate Change Management, on climate impacts seen in Nepal and how the country is responding to it.