Source: National News Agency, Nepal
A view of Dheye village after the water source has dried up.
The village of Dhey, once a bustling settlement in Loghekar Damodarkund Rural Municipality-5 of Mustang, Nepal, is now deserted due to the impacts of climate change. Just two decades ago, the village was thriving, but the drying up of water sources forced the inhabitants to abandon their homes. Climate change led to the depletion of the village’s water supply, making it impossible for the residents to sustain themselves.
For the villagers, their once-reliable water sources became unfamiliar and distant. As they left, the village not only lost its population but also its rich traditions, culture, and history. Abandoned homes are now crumbling, and the area has become barren. The migration of the residents in search of water has turned hundreds of hectares of once-cultivable land into wasteland.
Pasang Gurung, the Ward President of Loghekar Damodarkund Rural Municipality-5, confirmed that no one remains in Dhey due to internal migration caused by the water crisis. "When the irrigation and drinking water sources dried up, there was no choice but to leave," he said. "The land was becoming barren, and both people and livestock lacked water, forcing them to move."
Gurung, who spent his childhood in Dhey, now finds himself displaced due to the lack of water. Agriculture and animal husbandry, the backbone of Dhey’s livelihood, were no longer feasible after the water springs dried up, a result of diminishing snowfall due to climate change. According to Gurung, the residents now only return to Dhey to graze sheep during the dry season. With no consistent rainfall, the once fertile lands are no longer cultivated.
Previously part of Ward No. 9 of Surkhang, Dhey and neighboring Thamjung now fall under the same administrative ward. The Lowa and Gurung communities used to reside here densely. As the water crisis worsened, the local government initiated plans to relocate the settlement. With support from the government and donor organizations, infrastructure has been established in the new settlement, where the displaced villagers have begun growing apples.
"The rising temperatures and climate change have affected us the most," Gurung said. Dhey village, situated at an altitude of about 4,000 meters, now stands abandoned. The new settlement in Thamjung, at 3,700 meters, offers water and electricity. Since 2007, 26 households have migrated to Thamjung, near Charang and Surkhang. Even the local school has been relocated there.
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