Majhis in Parbat put their lives at risk every day wading through high waters in Kaligandaki to extract sand

The local unit has put a ban on sand extraction in rivers during the rainy season given the risk factor but the Majhi squatter community has no other means to earn a living; they defy the ban and brave the roaring Kaligandaki.

On Friday, 17-year-old Ashmita Majhi was seen chest-high in the depths of the roaring Kaligandaki River collecting sand. The eighth-grader attends Laharepipal Secondary School in Baglung but her classes have been interrupted by the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown for the past four months.