The Power of Kermi Hot Spring In Socio-Cultural and Economic Development of Limi Valley, Far Western Nepal.

Limi Valley of Humla district in the far western Nepal has been a popular gateway to the sacred Kailash-Mansarovar area in Pulan (China), where thousands make their pilgrimage every year. The valley’s unique culture and striking trans-Himalayan landscapes also possess great power to offer and hold tourists. Despite these opportunities, people of this area are obliged to lead a semi-nomadic lifestyle in winter times due to heavy snowfall, lack of energy sources for survival, and extremely limited economic activities. The Kermi village in this valley possesses an excellent source of hot spring water with a surface temperature of 95 degrees Celsius. Its steaming water takes the form of a flowing river. This hot spring represents Nepal's top thermal energy resource in terms of temperature and flow rate, yet largely ignored due to the lack of knowledge and financial resources to use it except for bathing and laundering by the locals. The paper discusses how this hugely wasted natural resource can transform the lifestyle of the people in Kermi Village and the neighboring Yalbang Village, Limi Valley‘s headquarters, through direct use of hot spring water for greenhouse farming, fish farming, agricultural crop drying, spa center development, swimming pool building etc. While infrastructure development in the hot spring area can provide ground to attract more tourists, the sustained production of fruits and vegetables can also be a source of supply to the neighboring market Simikot, the district headquarters, at a very affordable price without the need to pay for these air-lifted products in winter times. The paper also exposes the Buddhist cultural heritage at Yalbang and discusses how the increased attraction to Kermi hot spring helps foreign tourists (including the neighboring hot spring lover Chinese) to be familiarized with the socio-cultural life of this village and contribute to the development of Limi Valley as a transboundary tourism hub.