First Tibetan Village Dungti Near LAC in Ladakh gets electricity by GHE

• 10, Feb 2021

In eastern Ladakh, on the Line of Actual Control bordering India and China the lesser-known Tibetan village of Dungti is electrified now.  In 1962, Tibetans families migrated to Ladakh and settled in Dungti to form a TR (Tibetan refuge) village of Ladakh. These Tibetans are pashmina herders, and their only livelihood is through selling fine quality Pashmina to the market. The villagers have also been guarding the Indian border for decades from any foreign incursions. The village till date has had no electricity and have been living in darkness for almost half a century since 1962. There are also only three toilets in the village and requires development on many fronts.

But this all changed on the night of 4 February 2021. A Local GHE team of Engineers comprising men and women took 3 days, in the freezing temperature of minus 25 Degrees Celsius, to bring life and hope to 51 households of this Tibetan village of Ladakh. Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), that has electrified more than 100 hamlets in Ladakh for over 8 years, brought Solar based DC electricity to the village of Dungti through the help of their CSR Supporters. Every house received a solar Nano grid with 3 LED lights and 2 LED Batons along with USB charging facilities making it a 8.6KW setup for the whole village.  10 Solar LED Street Lights were set up in the village to allow for community lighting.

Among the team that electrified the village, there are two Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) trained Ladakh women engineers. They have been instrumental in providing electricity to more than 50 villages while working with GHE over the last 5 years.

The Electrification of the TR Village Dungti becomes important as it brings light to the border area villages, the basic need for development and to boost the security in the borders of India. The facility also stops the villagers from migrating to towns. With the Ladakh now a Union Territory the thrust towards development of border areas will be a major task at hand.

Sources : News on AIR