Chencho Dema

Gasa—Although some of the gewogs in Gasa are remote and isolated, located in rugged mountain terrains with harsh weather conditions, there is not a single goongtong (empty household) in the entire dzongkhag. 

This success story is attributed to a combination of several factors—improved infrastructure and connectivity, including helicopter services for villages without roads, growing income opportunities, and strong community ties.

The district has four gewogs: Khatoed, Khamaed, Lunana, and Laya.

Khatoed, the smallest gewog with a population size of 500 people, has reported no empty households.

Khatoed Gup Thinley Wangdi attributes this to improvement in infrastructure and facilities and economic opportunities at the gewog level.

“Unlike the eastern regions, Gasa is just a four-hour drive from Thimphu, and residents benefit from regular bus and taxi services. They find contentment in farming and generating income from their produce, which supports their livelihoods,” he said.

Laya, the second largest gewog with a population of 1,108, has also managed to maintain full occupancy.

The gewog is located at 3800 metres above sea level. The gewog shares international border with Tibet in the north.

Laya Gup Tshewang, who is also the Thrizin of the Dzongkhag Tshogdu, said that there is one unoccupied hut in Laya, which belonged to a couple who passed away long ago, and whose children have since settled in Thimphu. “The hut has fallen into disrepair but there are no officially reported empty households in the gewog,” he said.

The most remote gewog in Gasa, Lunana also has no vacant household. With a population of over 810, the gewog consists of five chiwogs and thirteen villages in total.

According to the former Mangmi of Lunana Gewog, Gem Tshering, there has not been a single goongtong because people are content with their lives, thanks to the steady income from Cordyceps harvest each year.

“Residents are content and believe that leaving their ancestral homes could bring bad omens. Helicopter services have also improved access, allowing elderly and sick individuals to travel with ease,” he said.

However, he fears that the situation could change in the near future if Cordyceps harvesting declines. The effects of climate change are already impacting Cordyceps availability, raising concerns about the future livelihood of the community, he added.

Khamaed gewog, formerly known as Goenkhamaed, is the largest gewog among the four with a population of more than 1,057. Similarly, the gewog has not reported any goongtongs so far.

Khamaed Gup Damchoe Dorji said that the gewog administration completed a survey on goongtong recently, which has confirmed that there is no vacant household in Khamaed gewog.