Houses are lying empty and fields fallow in Khoma Gewog in Lhuentse as people migrate to urban areas in a hope to find a better life. The gewog office has recorded 26 empty households over the years in Khoma, which is home to 80 households.
As people leave their villages, those left behind say the empty households pose a number of challenges to them. For the gewog officials, it’s the challenge of not being able to collect taxes on time.
“It’s difficult to trace every household when collecting land and other taxes,” said Khoma Gewog Administrative Officer, Kezang Wangdi.
Rural-urban migration also leads to other challenges including human-wildlife conflict.
“Fields that are left fallow gradually turn into forests. As a result, we end having wild animals near human settlement,” added Kezang Wangdi.
Of the 26 empty households in Khoma Gewog, 10 are in Berpa, making it the village with the highest number of empty households in the gewog.
While many leave their villages in search of better opportunities, some particularly elderly people leave to live with their children who are working in towns and cities.
