Amalachaur of baglung

Amalachaur is a village development committee in Baglung District in the Dhawalagiri Zone of central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 5,055 and had 943 houses.[1] On 10 November 2005, at midnight, an educator at Prithvi Higher Secondary School was kidnapped by suspected Maoists in Amalachaur. As of 2 December 2005, the victim was still being held in captivity.




[edit] Geography and economy

Amalachaur is located at an altitude of 1100 metres and covers an area of 35 hectares.[2] The village itself, lies on the western bank of the Kali Gandaki River. Approaching Amalachaur requires walking for an hour from Kusma along a mule trail. The economy is mostly based around agriculture and is farmed by 102 households (625 people).[2] As in the neighbouring irrigated communities, the vast majority of farmers are of Brahmin descent. The average landholding size is 0.34 ha, slighly below average for Baglung district which is 0.41 ha.[2] The 1-2 km irrigation system in Amalachaur, fed by the Dhapa River, a tributary of the Kali Gandaki, is crucial for the livelihoods of the people and was built over a 100 years ago.[2] In 1992-1993, Dhaulagiri Irrigation Development Project improved this system. The main crops grown are maize and paddy, and to a lesser extent, potatoes and vegetables.[2] The closest market centre is at Kusmi Sera or Kusma, which the villagers of Amalachaur are largely dependent on for services