The people at Ghunsa village of Phattanglung Rural Municipality-6 in Taplejung district have left the settlement to avoid cold in the wake of snowfall. Seven households left the home and reached Kathmandu, while four shifted to district headquarter Phungling bazaar. 

Similarly, a family has begun living at Pashupati bazaar of Ilam. A local Pema Sherpa informed that 28 families were living at Ghunsa village. Now, there are only 16 families left in the village. 

Ghunsa is a touristy place located at the gateway to Kanchanjungha Mountain, the third highest peak in the world. The Sherpa community is living in the village located at an altitude of 3,500 meters. The village is blanketed with snow for three months from December to February every year. It takes more than a month for the ice to melt. 

The Sherpa people said they leave the settlement in order to avoid harsh life due to the freezing weather. There is no farming in this area. The major source of income is tourism. However, there are no tourists in the Kanchanjungha area this year due to Covid-19. Another local Tashi Tenji Sherpa informed that they were facing income constraints with no arrival of tourists. Now, only those with some Yak herd are living in the village.

A staff at Samrakshan Saving and Credit Cooperative of Ghunsa, Abhisek Kedem, informed that twelve families left the village taking loans from the Cooperative. They took Rs 1.1 million from the Cooperative. 

Source: RSS