Achham District


Achham is a district located in Sudurpashchim province of Nepal. It is one of the nine districts of province. The district, with Mangalsen as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,692 km and has a population of 257,477.

Etymology

There are many folklore about naming of the district but one interesting folklore is that:

History

Achham was a part of Doti Kingdom during medieval era. Nepal annexed Doti in 1790 It remained part of Doti District until 1961. On 13 April 1961, Achham district carved out from Doti District and declared a separate district

Geography and Climate

Achham covers an area of and located at Latitude: 280°46’ North to 290°23' North and Longitude: 810°32 East to 810°35' East. 90% area of Achham is mid-hill and 10% is high-hill. The maximum elevation of the district is and minimum elevation is from the sea level. The district is surrounded by Bajura District in the North, Doti District in the West, Dailekh District in the East and Surkhet District in the South.

Rivers

The district has 31 rivers in total, the main being the Karnali, Seti, Budhiganga, Ekadi, Kailash Khola, Lungreligad, Pravaligad, Kashagad, Saranigad, Ardoligad, Talagad and Barlegad.
Climhiate ZoneElevation Range% of Area
Upper Tropical300 to 1,000 meters
1,000 to 3,300 ft.		27.4%
Subtropical1,000 to 2,000 meters
3,300 to 6,600 ft.		58.3%
Temperate2,000 to 3,000 meters
6,400 to 9,800 fters
9,800 to 13,100 ft.		 1.0%

Demographics

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Accham District had a population of 257,477, in which female comprises 137,469 and male comprises 120008. Density of the area is 154 people per sqkm. 66.4% of total population speak Nepali and 32.4% Achhami as their first language.

Administration

The district is administered by District Coordination Committee, District Administration Office and District Court as follows:
AdministrationName of unitsHeadWebsite
LegislativeDistrict Coordination Committee
ExecutiveDistrict Administration OfficeMr. Bhojraj Shreshtha
JudicialDistrict CourtMr. Navin Kumar Joshi

Administrative Divisions

Accham is divided into total 10 local level bodies, in which four are urban and six are rural.
Achham is one of the remotest districts of Nepal. It is accessible by automobile from Kathmandu and Nepalgunj via a paved road that runs along the western border of Nepal from Dhangadhi. The unpaved of Mid-Hill Highway through Dailakh district also takes to Mangalsen by crossing Karnali at Rakam.
Mangalsen, the district headquarters, is eight hours walk and two and one-half hour drive from Sanphebagar – a town in Achham sporting a non-functional domestic airport. A bridge crosses the Budhiganga River in Sanphebagar allowing access during high water, a second bridge over the Kailash River. During 2009/2010, the government of Nepal have constructed a paved road connecting Sanphebagar to Mangalsen. The district is served by two hospitals, the government district hospital in Mangalsen and one recently opened in Bayalpata named Bayalpata Hospital that is a collaboration between the government and the non-profit organization Nyaya Health.

Education

71% of men aged five and above are literate in Achham compared to 75% at national level, only 43% of such women in the district can read and write.

Fm Radio & Newspaper

Achham Besd six FM radio and four newspaper are running now. In this district Ramaroshan Daily 2063 Bs to nowadays running. It covers main market, government and nongovernment office, school, social organization and others. The Ramaroshan Daily editor is Shiba Raj Dhungana. He is Gorkhapatra Nation Daily District reporter. Dhungana has also Secretary of the Federation of Nepali Journalists Achham Branch. More than 25 journalists are working here.

Newspapers