The community of Lower Khasakha and Tarayana Foundation collaborate to end water shortage

Dechen Dolkar

Some 32 households of lower Khasakha village under Mewang gewog, located 20 kilometres from Thimphu city, are finally set to receive drinking water at their doorsteps after battling severe water shortage for many decades.

With over 200 households, and emerging constructions, Khasakha village has reached a crisis point due to the lack of reliable water sources. The village is situated around one and a half kilometres above Khasadrapchu town.

The Tarayana Foundation has stepped into provide essential construction materials such as cement, pipes, and sand for the construction of two reservoirs and two filtration tanks. Meanwhile, the 32 households are contributing labour to make this long-awaited project a reality.

The water source, located at Domsangnye above the Khasadrapchu hydroplant reservoiver, is approximately 2.6 kilometres from Khasakha Village. This source currently benefits over 70 households in the gewog, with some individual households having taken private initiatives to access drinking water privately from this source.

Mewang Gup Tandin Pem said that the gewog requested support from the Tarayana Foundation, which promptly agreed due to the  longstanding water crisis in the village. “For now, only the lower part of Khasakha village will have access to drinking water, as the water pipes will be connected from a lower elevation to a higher one,” he explained.

The Gup said that with this water project, drinking water crisis will be solved, and the upper part of the village will receive sufficient drinking water from the old water source.

He also mentioned that the gewog has proposed a new drinking water project in the 13th Plan to include a source from Tshelunye for Khasadruphu chiwog, including Khasakha village, using the central government budget.

Dawa Gyeltshen, 48, the coordinator of the drinking water project construction for Khasakha village, said that construction of the project began about a week ago and is expected to be completed within a month.

The community has already completed 90 percent of the 4,500-litre reservoir and filtration tank at the source. A 20,000-litre reservoir will also be constructed in the village to ensure equal distribution of water.

Dawa Gyeltshen said that the community has gained new skills and knowledge on filtration at the source using bamboo and charcoal. “Earlier, we used to connect water directly to the reservoir,” he said.

The water user group contributes labour, and those households unable to contribute labour provide money equivalent to the daily wage of Nu 500.

Dechen, 53, a resident of the village, recalled fetching water from a nearby stream when she was young, a practice that continues due to the persistent water scarcity in the village.

She currently fetches drinking water from the nearby stream by car every day for several hours. “With the water scarcity, we cannot even grow vegetables. Last year, all my chilli plants dried up without water,” said Dechen.

Passang Tobgay, Senior Field Officer at the Tarayana Foundation, said that the Foundation engaged in community consultations and conducted awareness on springshed management.

“Tarayana Foundation is providing technical assistance for constructing water tanks within the community, integrating traditional water filtration methods using bamboo charcoal, gravel, and sand,” he said. “The community members are being trained in water management techniques.”

This initiative is a part of the “Living Landscape: Securing High Conservation Values in South Western Bhutan” project, implemented by the Tarayana Foundation in collaboration with WWF Bhutan. Funding support for the project comes from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection and the International Climate Initiative.