Malangwa is a town, a municipality, and the headquarters of Sarlahi District in Province No. 2 of Nepal. The district's oldest municipality, it is in parliamentary constituency 2. On the Mahendra Highway south of Nawalpur, a small highway side town. It is situated at an altitude of 79 meters, Malangwa is near the Indian border at Sonbarsa. There is a customs checkpoint at the border crossing.
Etymology
Its name is derived from Malang Baba, an Islamic saint who is worshiped by both Hindu and Muslim. An annual fair is held in his honor during the month of Chaitra at which people offer chadar and pray for their well-being.
Demographics
According to the municipality, Malangwa had a 2012 population of 46,516 people in about 7,500 households. Most had Madhesi, Newari and Marwadi backgrounds.
Climate
Malangwa has a humid tropical climate, with a mean annual rainfall of between 1995 and 2006. More than 80 percent of the total annual rainfall occurs during the monsoon season, from June to September. Average temperatures range from in January to in June. In the past, the inner and outer Terai were a formidable barrier between Nepal and potential invaders from India. The Terai's marshes and forests were infested with anopheline mosquitos which carried virulent strains of malaria, especially during the hot spring and rainy summer monsoon. There are several climatic differences in climate among the eastern edge of the Terai, the western edge and Malangwa, although all are on the same plain. The climate is more continental inland, with a greater difference between summer and winter. In the far western Terai, the coldest months average cooler. Total rainfall diminishes from east to west. The monsoon arrives later, is less intense and ends sooner. However, winters are wetter in the west.
Location
Malangwa is bordered on the north by Salempur; on the south and southeast by Sonbarsha, Sitamarhi district, Bihar, India; on the east by Tribhuwannagar and Belhi, and on the west by Motipur. Malangwa shares a border crossing with India. No documents are required to cross the border, but many edible and electronics products are restricted. A customs office tracks vehicles entering Malangwa with an Indian vehicle registration number, and taxes are imposed on heavy items entering Nepal.
Media and telecommunications
To promote local culture, Malangwa has four FM community radio stations: Radio Madhesh, Radio Malangwa, Swarnim FM and My FM. Major daily newspapers are the Madhesh Post, Loktantrik, the Sarlahi Times and the Sapthaik Times. Nepal Telecom have 4G network coverage with better speed and Ncell have 3G network coverage; UTL Nepal and Smart Cell are other available cellular networks. ADSL, Nepal Telecom, NCELL and a private internet service are Internet service providers in the town.
Two attacks have occurred in Malangwa, the first at the end of the Nepalese Civil War. The town was attacked by Maoists on April 5, 2006, at 8:00 pm. The insurgents fired at soldiers guarding government offices and security posts and attacked a jail, freeing more than 100 inmates before fleeing. The Russian-built, night-vision-equipped MI-17 helicopter with the call sign RAN-37 took off from Kathmandu at 10 pm to counter the attack. Eyewitnesses reported that the helicopter hovered for an hour, returned after refueling in Simra and exploded in mid-air at about 1:30 am; eight of the 10 soldiers aboard were killed. Five police personnel, four Maoists and two civilians were reported killed in clashes. Security personnel, including Chief District Officer Bhojraj Adhikari, were abducted and later released. A high alert was sounded along the Indo-Nepal border immediately after the incident. Across the border in India, a joint Sashastra Seema Bal and CRPF team maintained surveillance on the border to thwart any further attacks. On September 13, 2013, 10 people were injured when a bomb exploded in a district office at about 11:45 am. Office records were destroyed in the ensuing fire.
