Solukhumbu, December 19
Eking out a living is a costly affair for the people of Phortse, Khumjung-9, Solukhumbu district. Here, a kilogram of iodised salt costs Rs 180.
A kilogram of Mansuli rice costs Rs 240-250. Ang Chhiring Sherpa of Forcha says: Here, market prices are 10 times higher than in Kathmandu. Up to Solukhumbu district headquarters Salleri, goods are transported in trucks. From there, the supplies are airlifted to Syangboche. After that point, people either carry the supplies up to Jokpe. People also use mules to transport the supplies from Salleri to Syangboche.
Either way, the cost of transportation is pretty high.
Nothing grows in Phortse except for potatoes and buckwheat. Most male members of the households are high-altitude climbers or porters. The porters go up to base camps of the Himalayas carrying loads.
Pasang Nuru Sherpa, who has scaled the Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, five times, says members of almost every household work as porters here.
Eighty-five families live in Phortse, Khumjung, which is known as the lap of the Himalayas. The place looks beautiful, but living here is difficult.
Educated people are hard to find in this village. While some of the people from the village climb the mountains, most of the villagers work as porters and cooks.
The mountaineers earn around three lakh rupees in a year, whereas the porters earn far less. Given escalating market prices, these people are finding it hard to make a living.
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