PHINGLING, Jan 22: People at Ghunsa village of Phattanglung Rural Municipality-6 in Taplejung district have left the settlement to avoid the cold in the wake of snowfall. Seven households left their homes and reached Kathmandu, while four others shifted to district headquarter Phungling bazar.
Similarly, a family has begun living at Pashupati Bazaar of Ilam. A local Pema Sherma informed that 28 families were living at Ghunsa village. Now, there are only 16 families left in the village.
Ghunsa is a tourist area located at the gateway to Kanchenjunga Mountain, the third highest peak in the world. Sherpa community is living in the village located at the altitude of 3,500 meter. The village is blanketed with snow for three months from December to February each year. The snow doesn't melt but continues to freeze. It takes more than a month to melt.
Biting cold afflicts Musahar people
Sherpas residing there said they leave the settlement in order to avoid harsh life during the winter season.
There is no farming practice in this area. The major source of income is tourism. However, there are no tourists in the Kanchenjunga area this year owing to COVID-19 pandemic.
Another local Tashi Tenji Sherpa informed them that they were facing income constraints with no arrival of tourists. Now, only those with paucity of resources and some Yak herd are living in the village.
A staff at Samrakshan Saving and Credit Cooperative of Ghunsa, Abhisek Kedem, informed that a total of 12 families left the village taking loan from the Cooperative. They took Rs 1.1 million from the Cooperative.
