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The ramifications of Russia-Ukraine conflict are being seen in Nepali markets as well.

Prices of commodities and daily essentials have gone up as the war has disrupted global supply chains.

“Prices of foodstuffs have gone up by 10 to 25 percent while transport fares have also increased due to the fuel price hike—all due to the disruption of international supply chains,” says Vijay Singh Baidya, chairperson of the Trade Committee of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

If things do not soon normalize, goods that are being imported from Russia and Ukraine will have to be procured from other countries.

“For now Nepal has been maintaining its domestic supply chains with stocked goods, which are running out quickly,” says Baidya.

According to the Department of Customs, Nepal imported 45 kinds of goods worth over Rs14 billion from Ukraine in the first seven months of the current fiscal year. In the same period, 91 kinds of goods worth over Rs 4 billion were imported from Russia.

Nepal imports items ranging from vegetable oil, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, toiletries, metals, electronic goods and machinery components from these two countries.

With uncertainty around the war, Baidya says the only option for Nepal is to import these goods from other countries.

Nepal should also consider the price hikes in other items that are indirectly imported from Ukraine and Russia—mainly wheat and petroleum products. The ongoing war has already threatened the global supply of goods like wheat, petroleum and sunflower oil.

“Nepal should have a contingency plan for import of goods it can no longer buy from the two countries,” says Punya Bikram Khadka, information officer at the Department of Customs.

So long as the war continues, continued global price hikes seem inevitable, largely due to the imminent shortage of oil.

Economist Poshraj Pandey says Russia, the world’s second largest oil exporter, has been unable to ship petroleum goods to the international market due to economic sanctions.

“Russia used to sell 5.5 million barrels of oil a day, but now that shipment has largely stopped. This has led to a shortage of oil in the international market, pushing up the price,” he says.

Rise in fuel prices will also increase transport fares, which then drives up the cost of other goods.

Pandey says more than 40 percent of consumable goods in Nepal are imported.

“Prices of goods will continue to go up with the rise in the costs of petroleum products,” he says.

As many as 3,500 police personnel will be deployed in Kathmandu Valley to ensure celebration of Holi festival in a peaceful, decent and civilized manner.

SP Sanotsh Singh Rathore, spokesperson at the Metropolitan Police Office, Ranipokhari, said that police have prepared special security arrangements in view of the Holi festival.

It has been learnt that more than 1, 700 police personnel will be deployed in Kathmandu, more than 600 in Lalitpur and more than 400 in Bhaktapur.

At least 300 traffic police personnel from the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division will be deployed for checking.

The Traffic Police Division said that it has decided to set up checkpoints in 68 places in the Kathmandu Valley.

SP Rathore said that more than 100 police personnel in civvies will be deployed from the Metropolitan Police Crime Division for the festival.

Police have requested the general public to call police control number 100 in case of any incident.

Nepal Police have urged the general public to put precautionary measures to prevent possible incidents of fire in the dry season.

The security agency has called for the public to remain alert of the incidents and subsequent loss of lives and properties.

Issuing a public notice, the Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu noted that the disastrous incidents of fire are most likely to take place almost during 100 days from mid-March to mid-June and therefore urged to place precautionary measures from the public level to prevent occurrence of such incidents and reduce the loss even if occurred.

Sharing that Nepal Police have been effortful for controlling fire incidents and reducing loss, Nepal Police spokesperson Dinesh Raj Mainali said fire incidents can be checked or its potential loss can be reduced by placing some precautionary measures.

The Nepal Police have also issued an 11-point precautionary measure to check potential incidents of fire. Among the measures unveiled are keeping matches, lighter, gas cylinder and stove away from children, using them in an attentive manner and keeping the things safe after use.

The Metropolitan Police Range also asked not to use high-voltage electronic goods from the same power socket and not to leave illumination of incense sticks and handmade incense at prayers' rooms and mosquito quail at bed rooms.

The security agency also urged the public draping the cylinder with a jute sack or blanket if it catches fire, keep the windows and doors open before using gas stove and not to put the forest area in fire for cattle grazing,

The police have also urged one and all to dial up 100 for the police control room and 101 for fire engine service. RSS

The 14th meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Committee on Inundation and Flood Management was held in Nepal on March 9-13.

The meeting was co-chaired by Sher Singh member (planning), Ganga Flood Control Commission (JFCC) from the Indian side and Susheel Chandra Acharya, DG, Department of Water Resources and Irrigation (DWRI) from the Nepali side, read a statement.

Joint Committee members also undertook site visits to various areas on the India-Nepal border where management of flood, erosion and inundation issues fall within the Committee's ma date.

They also visited the sites of emergent works proposed to be undertaken on a set of rivers in the border areas, the statement read.

The site visit, which took place from March 9-12, was followed by the main meeting held in Kathmandu on March 13.