Ancient Himalayan village relocates as climate shifts reshape daily life

SAMJUNG, Nepal (AP) — The Himalayan village of Samjung did not die in a day.

Perched in a wind-carved valley in Nepal's Upper Mustang, more than 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) above sea level, the Buddhist village lived by slow, deliberate rhythms — herding yaks and sheep and harvesting barley under sheer ochre cliffs honeycombed with “sky caves” — 2,000-year-old chambers used for ancestral burials, meditation and shelter.

Then the water dried up. Snow-capped mountains turned brown and barren as, year after year, snowfall declined. Springs and canals vanished and when it did rain, the water came all at once, flooding fields and melting away the mud homes. Families left one by one, leaving the skeletal remains of a community transformed by climate change: crumbling mud homes, cracked terraces and unkempt shrines.

The Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountain regions — stretching from Afghanistan to Myanmar — hold more ice than anywhere else outside the Arctic and Antarctic. Their glaciers feed major rivers that support 240 million people in the mountains — and 1.65 billion more downstream.

Such high-altitude areas are warming faster than lowlands. Glaciers are retreating and permafrost areas are thawing as snowfall becomes scarcer and more erratic, according to the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development or ICMOD.

Kunga Gurung is among many in the high Himalayas already living through the irreversible effects of climate change.

“We moved because there was no water. We need water to drink and to farm. But there is none there. Three streams, and all three dried up,” said Gurung, 54.

Climate change is quietly reshaping where people can live and work by disrupting farming, water access, and weather patterns, said Neil Adger, a professor of human geography at the University of Exeter. In places like Mustang, that's making life harder, even if people don’t always say climate change is why they moved. “On the everyday basis, the changing weather patterns ... it's actually affecting the ability of people to live in particular places,” Adger said.

Around the globe, extreme weather due to climate change is forcing communities to move, whether it's powerful tropical storms in The Philippines and Honduras, drought in Somalia or forest fires in California.

In the world's highest mountains, Samjung isn't the only community to have to start over, said Amina Maharjan, a migration specialist at ICMOD. Some villages move only short distances, but inevitably the key driver is lack of water.

"The water scarcity is getting chronic,” she said.

Retreating glaciers — rivers of ice shrinking back as the world warms — are the most tangible and direct evidence of climate change. Up to 80% of the glacier volume in the Hindu Kush and Himalayas could vanish in this century if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t drastically cut, a 2023 report warned.

It hasn't snowed in Upper Mustang for nearly three years, a dire blow for those living and farming in high-altitude villages. Snowfall traditionally sets the seasonal calendar, determining when crops of barley, buckwheat, and potatoes are planted and affecting the health of grazing livestock.

“It is critically important," Maharjan said.

For Samjung, the drought and mounting losses began around the turn of the century. Traditional mud homes built for a dry, cold mountain climate fell apart as monsoon rains grew more intense — a shift scientists link to climate change. The region's steep slopes and narrow valleys funnel water into flash floods that destroyed homes and farmland, triggering a wave of migration that began a decade ago.

Moving a village — even one with fewer than 100 residents like Samjung — was no simple endeavor. They needed reliable access to water and nearby communities for support during disasters. Relocating closer to winding mountain roads would allow villagers to market their crops and benefit from growing tourism. Eventually, the king of Mustang, who still owns large tracts of land in the area nearly two decades after Nepal abolished its monarchy, provided suitable land for a new village.

Pemba Gurung, 18, and her sister Toshi Lama Gurung, 22, don’t remember much about the move from their old village. But they remember how hard it was to start over. Families spent years gathering materials to build new mud homes with bright tin roofs on the banks of the glacial Kali Gandaki river, nearly 15 kilometers (9 miles) away. They constructed shelters for livestock and canals to bring water to their homes. Only then could they move.

Some villagers still herd sheep and yak, but life is a bit different in New Samjung, which is close to Lo Manthang, a medieval walled city cut off from the world until 1992, when foreigners were first allowed to visit. It's a hub for pilgrims and tourists who want to trek in the high mountains and explore its ancient Buddhist culture, so some villagers work in tourism.

The sisters Pemba and Toshi are grateful not to have to spend hours fetching water every day. But they miss their old home.

“It is the place of our origin. We wish to go back. But I don’t think it will ever be possible,” said Toshi.

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A herd of sheep passes through an alley as they are taken for grazing near the hills at the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A woman takes a break from her work at the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Kunga Gurung plants an apple tree at the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Villagers walk towards a field to plant apple trees in the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A prayer flag and lock are placed on an abandoned door of a house in the village of Samjung, in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A dried up water tap is seen in the abandoned village of Samjung, Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A woman washes her hands in a river at the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A man carries hay for his livestock in Kagbeni, Mustang region,462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal,Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Monks play badminton in front of a monastery at Kagbeni, Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Women walk with prayers beads at the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A woman makes thread from cotton at a relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A stream which is the main source of drinking water flows through the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Villagers take a break while working in a field at the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A woman collects water at the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

An abandoned monastery is seen in Samdzong, in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Worn out shoes are strewn in a field in the abandoned Samjung village, Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

An elderly woman reacts while being photographed at the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjungvillage in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The locked door of a house is seen ain the abandoned village of Samjung, Mustang region, 462 kilometers west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A signboard points the way to the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The abandoned village of Samjung, with ancient caves carved in the cliffs in the background, is seen in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A dried up river bed is seen on the way to the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Tashi Angmo, 41, performs her morning prayers with water before collecting it for daily use at the newly relocated settlement of the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A dirt road through a barren mountains leads to the abandoned Samjung village in the Mustang region, 462 kilometers (288 miles) west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 14 of his game-high 31 points in the final quarter and the Boston Celtics rallied from a 20-point, second-half deficit for a 103-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

Derrick White finished with 19 points, and Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons each had 11 for Boston, which won its third straight game.

Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 25 points, and Andrew Nembhard had 20. Indiana, the NBA’s worst 3-point shooting team, missed 19 of its 20 attempts from beyond the arc in the second half in its fifth straight loss.

Brown’s best shot in the final quarter came on an off-balance 3 right in front of Boston’s bench, pushing the Celtics ahead 96-91 with 2:25 to play.

Nembhard’s 3-point play with 3:49 left had tied it at 91.

Trailing 82-74 entering the fourth, Boston went on an 11-2 spree, taking its first lead since the first half on Brown’s reverse layup.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters early in the second half with the Pacers up 69-49.

The Celtics whittled the Pacers’ edge to eight points after three. Brown and White reentered with a minute left in the third quarter.

Brown was out due to an illness in Boston’s last game, a victory at Toronto on Saturday, when Pritchard scored 33 points.

Coming off a 19-point loss at home against New Orleans on Saturday, the Pacers hit 60% (12 of 20) of their 3-point attempts in the first half and led 61-43 at the break. Boston, meanwhile, came in second in the league with 15.7 made 3s per game and was just 5 of 18 in the opening half.

The loss delayed Rick Carlisle’s run to his 1,000th NBA head coaching victory. The Pacers have lost five straight since beating the Sacramento Kings 116-105 on Dec. 8, and Carlisle stands at 999 victories over 24 seasons.

Pacers: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Celtics: At Indiana on Friday.

AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle reacts to a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers guard Ethan Thompson (55) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)