Twelve families left the village after it started snowing

Taplejung. Half of the families have left the village to avoid winter after the snowfall started in Ghunsa village of Faktanglung Municipality-6 of Taplejung district. Seven families have reached Kathmandu to avoid snow and winter after it started snowing in Ghunsa village.

Four families have moved to Fungling Bazaar in Taplejung district headquarters while one family has reached Pashupati Bazaar in Ilam. According to Pema Sherpa, a local, 28 families have been living permanently in Ghunsa village. Twelve families have left the village to avoid the snow and winter, leaving only 16 families in Ghunsa village.

Ghunsa is a tourist settlement located at the entrance of the world’s third highest Kanchenjunga mountain. The Himali Sherpa community resides in Ghunsa village. The village is located at an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level.

The village is covered with snow for three months of January, February and February of each year. It doesn’t melt when it snows. It hardens like ice. Puglin can take up to a month. Sherpa said that they have to spend three months in a very difficult time due to snow and cold, so they go out every year to avoid snow and winter.

As it is a mountainous area, there is no agriculture here. As Kanchenjunga is the gateway to the mountains, its main business is dependent on tourism. This year, tourists could not come to Kanchenjunga due to corona. Tashi Tenji Sherpa said that they could not raise financial resources due to non-arrival of tourists. Sherpa said 16 families could not go this year to avoid the snow and winter due to lack of funds and a few yak herds. Twelve families took back the savings they had deposited in conservation loans and savings cooperatives to avoid snow and winter, he said. Last month, the cooperative members of Ghunsa village withdrew their savings of Rs 1.1 million from the Conservation Loan and Savings Cooperative, said Abhishek Kedem, financial facilitator of the cooperative. – Rasas