Thame : A Nepalese link with NZ under threat

On 16 August 2024, a glacial flood caused massive damage to the village of Thame, at 3,300 metres in the heart Solukhumbu in the Everest region of Nepal. Alexander Hillary, General Manager of the Himalayan Trust, and grandson of Sir Edmund Hillary, talked to Dr Anita Perkins about the impact of this event on the local people and how the Trust is joining international efforts to respond. In 2018, Anita took part in a trek to Everest Base Camp organised by the Trust, visiting the school and medical centre in Thame Sir Ed built, both of which are now gone.

Initial news of the flood: “It was really, really shocking”

On 16 August a glacial lake burst its banks, causing extensive damage to the school, the clinic and a number of houses and hotels in Thame. The impact was huge for the village which is home to more than 300 people (increasing to around 370 during trekking season with seasonal employees).

Back in Aotearoa, Alexander Hillary was at a family reunion for his Dad’s birthday when he received the news. His whole whānau was in shock. “We were all just horrified and pretty speechless really. We all have a great affection for Thame, and all of us had been there within the last year at the monastery and spending time in the village. So the news struck pretty deep.” It slowly emerged that there were no casualties as part of the flood, which was of great relief to the Hillary family.

Thame Before The Flood/ Image supplied

Thame village as a shining example of  Nepal – New Zealand relationship

Going back about 70 years, the special relationship between Nepal and New Zealand, built foremost on people to people connections, was largely founded on the work of Sir Edmund Hillary, and his climbing partnership with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

Ten years after Sir Ed and Tenzing’s successful world-first ascent of Mt Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali or Chomolungma in the Sherpa language) , Sir Ed received a request to build a school in Thame, a childhood home of Tenzing Norgay and home to a number of Sherpa people. Sir Ed also built the local clinic.

For decades the clinic has provided medical services to the people of Thame and surrounding villages, including by the first Sherpa to receive a medical degree, Dr Kami Temba Sherpa, and volunteer doctors from New Zealand.

Flood damage in the village has been extensive/ Image supplied

Sir Ed’s legacy – a partnership approach

Alexander first travelled to the Everest region when he was 12 and it totally changed the way he viewed the world. “Ed's legacy has had a colossal impact on my life. It transformed the way I thought about my privilege as a New Zealander.

I was just so moved by how humble and hard working the people are. The connection between Ed and the people of the region was incredibly moving to me. It gets in your blood”. Alexander’s family legacy has stayed with him through to his current leadership role with the  Himalayan Trust. “The value of what Ed began is the empowerment and support of what the people of Solukhumbu are trying to achieve in terms of education, healthcare, the environment, the economy, and their livelihoods. That is an important string through the entire history of the Trust. Everything we do is based on that strength in partnership.”

 The immediate response following the flood: school students and medical care

The Himalayan Trust New Zealand is working together with the Himalayan Trust in Nepal, and other international organisations to respond to the floods. Nepali army personnel have also been helping the villagers.

 One of Alexander’s immediate concerns was for the children attending Thame School. The school and the hostel, which housed around 40 of the school children from other villages, were destroyed. He explains: “these kids are far away from their family homes. They've lost their accommodation and all their clothes and possessions. Some of these kids are under the age of five so that was incredibly concerning.”

Students of Thame school with drawings from their NZ penpals./ Image supplied

Alexander and other members of the response team were keen to ensure the students received safe accommodation, clothing and a sense of normality. In a short space of time the students were relocated to a school in Khumjung.

“The chair of the Himalayan Trust Nepal was at the school yesterday and sent me a photo bringing a huge box of chocolates for the kids because they're all set up now." he said.

"They've got their own beds, new clothes, schoolbooks and all that sort of stuff. It was nice to see them having some luxuries because I think it's been a pretty traumatizing series of events for them.”   

 Another immediate priority was the provision of medical care for the village with the clinic and supplies having been washed away. Remarkably, within 24 hours of the floods, a tent had been set up for this purpose and was providing treatment. Two staff members from Khunde hospital assisted the Thame community medical assistant and brought in medical supplies.

 Long term impacts of the flood

Understandably, some villagers are not certain whether Thame is a safe place to live any longer. There are still substantial questions over the future of the village. Alexander explains that it's an incredibly hard and unforgiving place to live without the tourism revenue that's generated through the three passes trekking (a trek through three high passes, Kongma La, Cho La, Renjo La), the primary source of annual income.

The economy is also agrarian and reliant on growing potato crops or trading with yaks over into Tibet. “Life there is a very challenging existence, and what they have managed to build – this whole village, the businesses, the tea houses – takes a huge amount of time. To have that all wiped away in just a click of your fingers really is utterly devastating. The safety nets that we enjoy in New Zealand – good insurance, government, disaster relief – it doesn’t exist to the same extent in Nepal.” Dr Kami’s house has been damaged, and his planned speaking tour to New Zealand cancelled.

 In it for the long haul: the ongoing response

Alexander says the response team is working out the best way to provide payments to households that have incurred household and business loss. In addition, serious questions are being worked through concerning the viability of the land, the threat that's posed by the glacial lakes uphill from the village, and how and where remediation and rebuilding work should be done.

Climate change and an unseasonably warm monsoon period add to the future uncertainty. Geological surveys, rebuilding the clinic and seeing a thriving school again are all priorities.

 What New Zealanders can do

Alexander sees the partnership between New Zealand and Nepal as something very special. “You've got two countries that are really shaped by mountains. Most people involved in the Himalayan Trust are drawn to it through their love for the mountains and adventure in the outdoors, and then love for the people of the region.”

The Himalayan Trust has been active in the region since the 1960's, assisting with health and education for local people/ Image Himalyan Trust

The Himalayan Trust has set up a Thame Flood Relief website for donations and Alexander says the Trust greatly appreciates the amazing outpouring of support they’ve had so far.

If you’d like to contribute you can visit https://thame-flood-relief.raiselysite.com/.  He also highly recommends the Everest region as a future travel destination. “The Sherpa people are incredibly resilient, and they will bounce back with trekking offerings. If people are considering wanting to go to Nepal and supporting the economy in future seasons, that's a great thing to do to support the local people.”

+Banner Image/ A Perkins +

Asia Media Centre