Humla District


''For the island in Ålesund, Norway see Humla, Norway; for the island in Scotland see Humla, Scotland
Humla District (हुम्ला जिल्ला, a part of Karnali Pradesh, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Simikot as its district headquarters, covers an area of and has population of 50,858 as per the census of 2011. The Northern part of Humla District is inhabited by Khas people, originating from Sinjar valley, whereas the North border is mostly inhabited by Tibetans.

Geography and climate

Nature

s were once thought to be regional extinct in Nepal, but was rediscovered in Humla in 2014.

Demographics

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Humla District had a population of 50,858. Of these, 86.8% spoke Nepali and 12.5% Tamang as their first language.

Administration

The district consists of 7 Municipalities, all of which are rural municipalities. These are as follows:
Prior to the restructuring of the district, Humla District consisted of the following municipalities and Village development committees:
Although there is a district hospital as well as primary health care centers, these are not enough for providing health services. The small health centers in many VDCs are often without Auxiliary Health Workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives and Community Health Workers.
Many people still believe in Dhami and Jhakri and often resort to local practices before seeking allopathic treatment.
The Nepal Trust, which has been working in Humla since 1996, was one of the first NGOs in the district to address development issues at the grass-roots level. PHASE Nepal is a non profit organization which coordinates with the District Health Office in Simikot to provide comprehensive primary health services to the communities of Maila and Melchham, two of the most isolated VDCs of the district; as well as the neighboring villages who also received these services. The Trust was the only organization allowed to continue its development work throughout the district during the Maoist insurgency. The Torpa clinic was built by the trust almost 15 years ago to address the immediate need for health services. To date, the Trust has expanded services throughout the district including improvements made to the district hospital. Currently, Trust initiatives are related to ante/post natal care and infant mortality reduction programs. With its head office in Kathmandu, the Nepal Trust has its own satellite office and guest house in its Simikot office, which acts as a social enterprise and along with healthcare works in education, renewable energy, heritage preservation, WASH, food security and agriculture, sustainable tourism development and income generation. Nepal Trust has been managing the Great Himalaya Trail Development Program since 2008.

Tourism

Humla lies in the far west of Nepal, on the border between Nepal and China, and is used as the starting point for trekking and mountaineering, accessible from Simikot Airport. The trekking route to Tibet also starts from Simikot.

Trekking

The Nepal section of The Great Himalaya Trail ends in Humla at Hilsa at the border with Tibet.
The Humla district is a historic part of the Tibetan Buddhist religious tradition, with several points of interest for the history, culture and values of a typical Buddhist life. It has eleven small villages of Tibetan origin. The Nyin Community and the Limi Valley are inhabited by Buddhist communities.
The border crossing at Hilsa is a main entry point for treks going to and coming from Mount Kailash. The normal route to this point is via a 4-5 day walk to Simikot.