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Langtang was a village development committee (VDC) in Rasuwa District in the
Bagmati Zone Bagmati Zone ( ''Bāgmatī Añcal'') was one of the fourteen zones of Nepal until the restoration of zones to Provinces. Its headquarters are Kathmandu. It was named after the Bagmati River. It was in the Central Development Region of Nepal. T ...
of northern
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
. It was located within the Langtang valley, approximately 40 miles northeast of
Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
. At the time of the
1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working with Nepal's Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the main towns and villages of each ...
, it had a population of 468 people living in 100 individual households.


History

Langtang Village is thought to have been first settled by ethnic
Tibetans Tibetans () are an East Asian ethnic group native to Tibet. Their current population is estimated to be around 7.7 million. In addition to the majority living in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, significant numbers of Tibetans live in t ...
in approximately the 15th century. Local legends state that a traveling Buddhist
Lama Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...
was chasing an escaped yak when he spotted the fertile valley. For most of its history, Langtang Village depended on
subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...
. Tourism in Langtang began in the 1970s, increasing economic opportunities for the residents. Located between several 20,000 foot mountains with summits 8,000 to 10,000 feet above the village, Langtang became a popular destination among trekkers due to its scenic natural landscape and proximity to features such as the mountain of Langtang Lirung and several
glacial lake A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...
s in Langtang National Park. Right up until its destruction in 2015, Langtang valley and the village of Langtang were thought to be one of the most beautiful valleys in the
Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
. It saw an average of 20,000 visitors a year, making it Nepal's third most popular
trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain hu ...
area.


Government

The purpose of Village Development Committees is to organise village people structurally at a local level and to create a partnership between the community and the public sector for improved service delivery system. A VDC has a status as an autonomous institution and authority for interacting with the more centralised institutions of governance in Nepal. In doing so, the VDC gives village people an element of control and responsibility in development, and also ensures proper utilization and distribution of state funds and a greater interaction between government officials, NGOs and agencies. The village development committees within a given area will discuss education, water supply, basic health, sanitation, and income and will also monitor and record progress which is displayed in census data. In VDCs, there is one elected chief, usually elected with over an 80% majority. From each ward, there is also a chief that is elected along with these there are also four members elected or nominated. Prior to the 2015 Nepal earthquake, there was a clinic located in Langtang, which served the local villages. Prior to 2000, there was no medical care available in the region.


2015 Nepal earthquake

The village was entirely destroyed by a massive
avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...
resulting from an earthquake on 25 April 2015, during the height of tourist season in the valley. The night before the earthquake, locals from villages throughout the valley had gathered in Langtang's monastery for a ghewa ceremony to mourn a recently passed village resident. A large overhanging glacier was struck loose during the earthquake, sending debris down the valley. The disaster also included a
landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...
and pressure wave that flattened part of the village and many nearby trees. Langtang village was feared to be the hardest hit village in Nepal, due to its location in the valley and proximity to the
epicenter The epicenter (), epicentre, or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Determination The primary purpose of a ...
. The neighboring village of Kyanjin Gompa, located further up the valley, was also badly damaged, though not as much as Langtang. Reportedly, even survivors who had been in nearby villages during the event were shocked by the magnitude of destruction at Langtang. Reports from the area indicated that the village had only one structure remaining, a house that was sheltered beneath an overhang, and significant parts of the village were buried beneath a landslide. most of the village's inhabitants were "presumed to have perished". (includes video) While awaiting rescue, relations among survivors grew tense after locals accused several foreigners of looting the wreckage of houses. By 6 May 2015, survivors searching the rubble had recovered 53 bodies. However, even several months after the village was destroyed, approximately 100 bodies were still unrecovered. After 4 days stranded in the valley due to
aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in Epicenter, the same area of the Mainshock, main shock, caused as the displaced Crust (geology), crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthq ...
s, surviving tourists and locals at Langtang were rescued by helicopter. The official death toll lists 310 deaths, 176 of which were village residents and 80 of which were foreigners. In the aftermath of the disaster, survivors were evacuated to
Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
, though many continued to return to search for loved ones who were still missing. Many later returned to the valley, although others remained unhoused in Kathmandu. Although the original village at Langtang remains a barren site several years after the disaster, new buildings had been erected in the valley close to the original site by 2017, including several
guest house A guest house (or guesthouse, also rest house) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), a guest house is a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the e ...
s. The site of the old village contains a memorial to those who perished. However, after the earthquake, many tourists began to bypass Langtang for the less heavily impacted Kyanjin Gompa. Locals have expressed fears that the lack of tourism will force them to return to subsistence farming. Eight years after the earthquake, the renovation of the Langtang village has been completed. The new settlement has shifted about 500 meters away from the original village, and a new settlement has been built from scratch. About 150 families reside in the village and all of them were provided with new homes. Now there are more than 15 hotels for travellers, all built with earthquake-resistant materials, thus making it more comfortable for tourists than before. Kyanjin Gompa also has new hotels and better facilities for the accommodation of locals and tourists. Langtang village can now accommodate 1500 tourists at a time while Kyanjin Gompa can accommodate over 2000 tourists at a time. Himalayan Climate Initiative (HCI Nepal) launched the biggest initiative for rebuilding the infrastructure of Langtang, including the Mundu primary school.


References


External links


UN map of the municipalities of Rasuwa District
{{Rasuwa District Populated places in Rasuwa District Natural disaster ghost towns Landslides in 2015 Destroyed populated places Populated places destroyed by earthquakes