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Save the Thame Village

Thame is the last Sherpa village to the border of Nepal and Tibet in Khumbu known as ‘Namgpala’. Thame and its neighbor Thameteng (upper Thame) are small Sherpa villages in Namche Village Development Committee (VDC) of the Solu-Khumbu District in Nepal. These were the last year-round villages on the salt trading route that existed between Tibet, Nepal and India. It is the home to many famous Sherpa mountaineers, including Apa Sherpa, who holds the world record for summiting Everest 21 times and Ang Rhita Sherpa who also holds the world record in the late nineties. Thame is home to Late Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first Sherpa to climb Mt. Everest along with Sir Edmund Hillary. Other famous people such as Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the Lawudo Lama, the Head od the FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition) were also born in this village. The Thame monastery is one of the oldest in the Khumbu region, and is also famous for the annual ceremony of Mani Rimdu festival. The villagers are content with its uniqueness and aesthetically pleasing scenes of the village in Khumbu. However, since the village is situated beneath huge peaks like Teng Khampoche, Panaya, DigtheragoShar, Pharchemo and TashiLapsta, they live in fear that a huge risk of water floats occurring may wash out the village.
River in Nepali is referred to Khola and thus Thame Khola means Thame river. Thame Khola follows from the peaks stood above the village.

The river in spring, winter and autumn is small but during summer the volume of water becomes high and depth quite deep. In the past, the river went through the Thame village changing its original river route for a few times but did not affect the village back then. The people of this village have a big request of putting a stone diversion around the river that follows from the top to the end of village. The villagers sleep with a big fear due to the threat of water floats. If there is a diversion on the river for about 3 km, then this village can be safe, even during the times of summer season, when there is a big rain that can produce a bigger river.