Rooted & thriving: 2 Bageshwar villages defy Uttarakhand's migration tide
Bageshwar: While thousands of people continue to abandon their ancestral homes in Uttarakhand and migrate out due to lack of infrasture or for economic opportunities, two villages — Khati and Wachham — in Bageshwar district's Kapkot block have bucked the trend and carved out a rare success story of sustainability and growth.
Home to 75 families and 232 households respectively, Khati and Wachham stand out in a region marked by migrations. Here, the usual exodus has been replaced by thriving tourism, active farming, and a younger generation determined to stay and shape their future locally. The villages buzz with homestays, trekking services and animal service for expeditions — ventures that create jobs locally, boost incomes and foster community pride.
Jeetu Danu, trained at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, leads treks to the Sundardhunga and Pindari glaciers. His seven-member team recently completed the demanding 5,654 m Sundardhunga Khal trek, a route untouched since 1934.
Unlike other high-altitude villages where young people often leave, Khati and Wachham highlight the role of youth in sustaining community vitality.
"No one here wants to leave. We have everything — nature, tourism and tradition," says 27-year-old Kailash Danu, the village head of Khati.
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Apart from adventure tourism, residents also earn livelihoods through seasonal herb collection, helping them maintain deep ties to their land.
Prakash Singh, a resident, highlighted the economic potential of the activity: "In just two months of gathering summer herbs, a person can earn Rs 80,000-90,000. Imagine what an entire family can earn." The result, he says, is real financial independence.
District tourism officer P K Gautam confirmed that over 100 homestays are operational in the area, with more than 2,000 tourists visiting since April.
The villages are now part of a growing ecotourism corridor.
Local schools also report healthy enrolments – a critical marker of long-term sustainability in the hills. "The moment local biodiversity becomes the foundation of livelihoods, and the community becomes its protector, migration loses its meaning," said Prof K S Rawat of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Bageshwar.
Khati and Wachham offer a compelling model of how mountain communities can adapt to modern challenges, from climate change to economic stress, without losing their roots. The two villages were absent in the 2022 Migration Commission report which listed 1,726 villages in the state as partially or fully deserted.
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