Fortifying Chukkung, one of the world’s highest-altitude villages in Nepal
By Dharma Raj Dawadi
Nestled in the lap of Everest, the village of Chukhung, at an altitude of 4700 meters, is probably one of the highest-altitude permanent settlements in the world. The diamond white mountain peaks, glaciers, and rivers give it a breathtaking view. However, under the stunning beauty of the village lie some serious disaster risks.
“Every time it rained heavily in the past, we ran for our lives and stayed in a temporary shelter near our community,” said Tenzing Jangbu Sherpa, a local resident and chairman of Chukhung River Protection User Committee. In what appears to be an impact of climate change, the villagers find themselves at an increased risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) and rock hazards. Due to climate changes, the frequency and risks of GLOF have increased. “In 2015, when a massive flood hit Chukhung, 50% of community households were substantially damaged. The flood was caused by a sudden outburst of [supra] glacial lakes of Nuptse and Lhotse.”
The village is at high risk of glacial lake outburst floods originating from Nuptse and Lhotse. Any overflow from the nearby glaciers could result in flash floods, rockfall, debris flow and sedimentation posing direct threat to lives and livelihoods of the 15 Sherpa and Rai households living in Chukhung. Increased melting of snow and age-old blue ice on the glaciers and heavy rainfall in the region has contributed to risks, destruction of houses, bridges, farmland, and roads and placing the community at threat. For the people living there for centuries, abandoning the village has never been an option. The community is determined to stay put and adapt.
As an immediate solution, the community came together to build an embankment along the high flood risks zones to fortify the core settlement. With the support from UNDP, Nepal Tourism Board and Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Solukhumbu, the Chukhung people constructed a 170-meter gabion wall and 1,200-meter dry stone wall to protect the village from floods. The Chukhung River Protection User Committee collaborated in the project, which provided temporary jobs to 62 local workers, including porters.
“Before we built this embankment, we all were at a very high risk of floods and rockfalls. Floods and rockfalls are rapid and unpredictable. We have little or no warning and there is no way we could assess the danger,” said Sherpa.
Located in between the Nuptse and Lhotse rivers, the Chukhung village is an important pit stop for trekkers to the Everest region. Every year, thousands of porters and trekkers travel from Namche to Chukhung, en route to either Imja Lake or Island Peak. On average, around 35,000 trekkers, including potters, support staff, and local villagers travel this route, especially for expeditions to Island Peak (6189 masl), Chukhung Ri (5550 masl), Khongma La (5550 masl), Amphulapcha pass. Chukhung is also on the route used by mountaineers returning from Mount Everest and for trekkers heading to Makalu Barun National Park (one of the very few protected areas on earth with an elevation up to 8000 masl) and Mera Peak (6476 masl). The trekking route via Chukhung is used not just by porters and trekkers but also by load-bearing animals like jopkyo and yak, which are used to transport goods. Chukhung is thus a vital node in an important artery that supports tourism and local livelihoods in the Khumbu region.
It is estimated that at least one million jobs are associated with tourism, out of which, up to 40 percent might have been directly affected by the pandemic. As a part of the tourism recovery strategy, Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery Project, funded by UNDP and Nepal Tourism Board, initiated a short-term employment programme to address the immediate need for income for hundreds of thousands of local poor and vulnerable people; porters, trekking guides, and workers of the tourism industry, who lost their jobs due to COVID pandemic. This intervention has been designed to support the livelihoods of the Chhukhung community by providing short-term employment opportunities, and with a dire need to support the protection of the community from serious damage caused by floods by the surrounded two rivers.
“Earlier, the village was not safe during monsoon. We have experienced numerous sleepless nights fearing floods. We used to migrate to downstream settlements, including Lukla and even Kathmandu every year. Now that we have this embankment, we feel safe here in the village,” Mingmar Sherpa, a local hotel entrepreneur in Chhukhung. “The short-term employment we received while constructing the embankment also helped us with basic needs during the COVID crisis.”
Kamidoma Sherpa, one of the few female tourism workers involved in building the embankment, said “We are very happy to be free from the mental stress of not having a job. We also hope that this intervention helps revive local tourism by making the Chukhung community safer.”
The Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery project — a joint project of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and UNDP — aims to support the revival of the tourism sector by providing short-term employment opportunities to vulnerable communities whose livelihood is dependent on tourism. The project creates opportunities for employment and income generation through the renovation and development of small-scale tourism infrastructures and capacity enhancement of tourism sector stakeholders. Over the last two years, the project has provided short-term jobs to over 6000 vulnerable people, including tourism workers, affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
The Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery project — a joint initiative of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and UNDP — aims to support the revival of the tourism sector by providing short-term employment opportunities to vulnerable communities whose livelihood is dependent on tourism. The project creates opportunities for employment and income generation through renovation and development of small-scale tourism infrastructures and capacity enhancement of tourism sector stakeholders. Over the last two years, the project has provided short-term jobs to over 5,600 vulnerable people, including tourism workers, affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
Mr Dawadi is Livelihood Specialist, Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery Project, a joint initiative of Nepal Tourism Board and UNDP Nepal.
