By Chandra Pandak, Taplejung, Jan. 28: Residents of Ghunsa and Papung villages of the mountainous area of Lelep in Taplejung district have left their home villages lately so as to avoid the growing chilly weather in the region.

Soon after the cold and snow started to fall on the area, residents of Lelep Ghunsa in North Faktanglung Municipality-6 and Papung in Mikwakhola Municipality-5 moved to warmer places to escape from the extreme cold of the region.

As soon as December ended, residents of the Himalayan settlements started to feel cold augmented by thick fog, mist, and frost and they opted to migrate to warm places.

The temperature in Ghunsa and the surrounding region in Taplejung dips down extremely during winter, so residents leave the village in search of warmth. Half of the residents of Ghunsa have left the village till the date while all of the residents of Tokpegola have deserted their village leaving it empty.

Ghunsa residents at this time have migrated to the district headquarters of Phungling Bazar and cities such as Kathmandu, Dharan and Pashupati Nagar.

Pema Sherpa, a local of Ghunsa who came to Phunling Bazar a few weeks back and is living in a rented room, said that after leaving the village, some villagers live in a rented room and some take shelter in their relatives'.

He added that he will return only after the weather gets warmer.

According to him, villagers have been leaving villages for a long period of time in the months of November, December and January to escape from the chilly weather of mountainous region.

Earlier, the whole of Ghunsa village used to leave the area because of extreme cold. However, only half of the village has left it this year.

He said that those families who have built a well-managed house that shields the chilly weather do not leave the village in winter.

However, some stay and struggle during cold because of poverty and being unable to take their domestic yaks with them.

Known as the gateway to Kanchanjanga Himalaya, Ghunsa village is located at an altitude of 3,595 meters. 28 families live in the village.

More than a dozen families residing in Ghunsa have left the village this winter, said Sherpa.

According to Dandu Lama, ward chair of Papung, about 10 families have been living in Tokpegola permanently and now all the families have left Tokpegola to avoid the cold.

Most of the families that left Tokpegala have moved down to the lower Papung settlement while some families have gone to Kathmandu and other places, said Sherpa.

According to him, people who have left Takpegola, which stands at 3,800 meters in altitude, will return only after March.