Mustang, April 27 -- In the stark and arid landscapes of Upper Mustang, climate change has begun to redraw the map of human habitation. Entire villages-some centuries old-are now being emptied as springs dry up and water for drinking, irrigation, and livestock becomes scarce. In an unfolding humanitarian and ecological crisis, Samjong and Dhe, two ancient settlements, have been largely abandoned, their residents forced to relocate in search of water and survival.

Eighteen families from Samjong in Lomanthang Rural Municipality-2, totalling 85 individuals, began their exodus in 2014-15, resettling on the banks of the Namsung river within the same ward. The new site, dubbed 'New Samjong', lies on a riverbed once belonging to the former king...