Myagdi, 2nd Ashoj ( 18 Sep): ‘Dhey village’ of Loghekar Damodarkund rural municipality-5 of Mustang, which was filled with human settlements until two decades ago, is empty now. Climate change is the reason why villages are shrinking. Due to climate change, people were forced to leave the village after the water sources in the village dried up. For him, who was looking for water, he became a stranger in time. After they left the village, not only the settlement was destroyed, local traditions, culture and history were also erased. Old houses are crumbling after people stopped living there. The settlement looks dilapidated and desolate.
Due to the increase in migration in search of water, thousands of hectares of arable land have become barren. Pasang Gurung, Ward President of Loghekar Damodarkund Rural Municipality-5 informed that there is no one living in Dhye village after internal migration due to water problem. “After the irrigation and drinking water sources dried up, there was no place to live”, he said, “The land became barren.” Since people and animals cannot drink water, they are forced to leave the area and migrate.” He said that even though he spent his childhood in Dhyema, now he was forced to leave because of the water.
Farming and animal husbandry are the main basis of livelihood of the people of Dhyevasi. Ward chairman Gurung said that the spring has dried up since the snow began to fall in winter. “The main source of water was snow, but due to climate change, the amount of snow stopped falling”, he said.
According to him, now the locals go to Dhey with their cowsheds only to graze their sheep during the dry season. After the rain stopped falling, the arable land was no longer cultivated.
Ward No. 9 of Surkhang rural municipality used to be there. Now Dhye and Thamjung belong to the same ward. Gurung and Lowa people live here thickly. As the water shortage increased, the then village and district development committee started the process of settlement relocation. Ward president Gurung said that infrastructure has been built in the new settlement with the help of government and donor agencies. They are cultivating apples in the new settlement. “The increase in temperature and climate change have affected us the most”, he said.
Dhye village is about 4000 meters above sea level. The riverside settlement at Thamjung, where the Dhye people migrated, is at an altitude of 3,700 meters. There are currently 26 households in the village. Along with the settlement, the school has been shifted to Thamjung. Since 2064, Dhyevasi migrated to Thamjung in Wensi. Thamjung, which is near Charang and Surkhang, has water and electricity facilities.
