The Boston Globe has just published 'when the glacier left', a timely article on climate change and the village of Kumi. The story accurately documents the water deficit that the Kumi-pa have been facing over the last couple of decades, and their efforts to relocate the village with a view to regaining water security by tapping the Lungnak river. The article is optimistic about their relocation prospects although it does point out the spectrum of problems that they face, from the spiritual technicalities of moving the family household to the environmental constraints of cultivating the unimproved, rocky soils next to the river.

Personally I think the greatest problem for the Kumi-pa will be the creation of agriculturally viable fields and the maintenance of the irrigation canal headworks, which are currently destroyed every spring by the rush of meltwater in the Lungnak. Yulang, on the opposite side of the valley is the only other village in Zangskar that draws water from one of the main rivers. Taking water from the Stod, Yulang does not have a water shortage, but even with a favorable topography their canal demands regular maintenance. Kumi's canal is a lot harder to maintain than Yulang's and for some distance it contours through a crumbling conglomerate cliff.

The Kumi-pa have their work cut out and they have yet to make the jump in full to their new settlement. Every spring they now decide which fields will receive their attention. As there was plenty of snow last winter they decided this year to cultivate their ancestral fields, their judgement proved correct and this autumn they reaped a good harvest. The temptation to farm the old fields and use the established irrigation network is understandable, but will no doubt delay the development and overall viability of their new fields. Indeed, I wonder if the Kumi-pa will ever make a complete transition, or whether Zagnskar's rapidly modernising economy will give the younger generations an alternative to creating viable fields at the new village.