Lhakpa Quendren

Sarpang—Barely a month after completing the Rural Water Supply Scheme (RWSS) in Lhayul village, Chhudzom, Sarpang, the project is struggling to supply water to the community due to joint failure leaks at multiple points along the main transmission line.

At least five major joint leaks have been identified on the main transmission line channelled from Sotey. The total number of joint breaks is expected to be even higher across the entire line, including the distribution channels, according to local government leaders.

Kuensel visited the first location of a major leakage at the outlet joint of a supply tank below the Shivalal turning on the Chhudzom gewog centre road, and at a reservoir tank in upper Lhayul that remained empty.

Leakage at the outlet joint of a supply tank below the Shivalal turning on the Chhudzom Gewog center road

A reservoir tank in Upper Lhayul remains empty

Lhayul Tshogpa Narendra Ghimeray, along with three locals, inspected half of the 22-kilometre main transmission line. “There would not have been such issues if the technical teams had visited the site more often to inspect,” he said.

The six-month project was inaugurated on September 9, over a month later than scheduled for July 18. “The intake and reservoirs remain empty because all the water is leaking out from the pipe breaks,” he added.

Frustrated residents expressed that the pressure to rush the inauguration before the project was completed had contributed to the ongoing issues. “The campsite coordinator had even proposed rescheduling for a later date, given that the project was not ready,” said a resident.

The village Tshogpa, along with 23 beneficiaries, wrote to the Chhudzom Gup two days before the project inauguration, requesting an investigation into the project before it was officially handed over to the gewog administration.

The appeal letter states that the project was scheduled for inauguration without being properly completed, and there was no water supply from the project. “Moreover, there is no proper trenching, as the pipes are exposed in several places.”

“The project was concluded with water supply to only some upper parts of Lhayul. We were told that the water would take a week to reach the villages, but leaks affected the water supply,” said the Tshogpa.

With the springs already drying, which the residents rely on during the wet season, the residents, especially in Lower Lhayul, are already worried about drinking water in the winter. Tika Maya Acharya said, “We continue to use the earlier source, and it serves us well for drinking purposes. However, most of our neighbours will face water scarcity during the dry season.”

“It has not been even a month, but the project has already started having problems, and we don’t know what will happen in the long run. The tanks are also broken, and the project has not benefited us so far,” said Budha Mani Kafley, a resident of Lower Lhayul.

Chhudzom gewog administration, in collaboration with the beneficiaries, will carry out the rectification work following discussions with the Sarpang Dzongkhag administration. Mangmi Prem Bahadur Ghalley said that the issue was reported to the relevant stakeholders, and the rectification work was discussed during the closing event.

“We will carry out the rectification work once the farmers finish their cardamom work, possibly by mid-November. We have full support from the public, although they have raised concerns about the quality and sustainability of the project, which incurred a huge amount,” he added.

Beneficiaries urged stakeholders to investigate the alleged misuse of pipes sold to locals at cheaper rates. “I have no evidence, but some remaining pipes were sold,” said a source. “They need to determine how many pipes were procured and laid for transmission.”

The project officials declined the Chiwog’s request to distribute the remaining pipes to the eight households in Lower Lhayul, which were not included in the project, according to locals.

The village Tshogpa said that water cannot reach Lower Lhayul because of too many Y-fittings in Gurung Gaon. “Therefore, we proposed a tank above the school so that it can adequately supply water to the school and Lower Lhayul,” he added.

The officials of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT) could not be contacted for comment.

Chhudzom Gewog Administrative Officer Yenten Jamtsho said that the gewog administration will construct a tank for the remaining households in Lower Lhayul using their old pipes. He also added that all beneficiaries were asked to construct their own tap stands. “Many residents have not yet constructed their own tap stands, and some have not connected to the pipeline.”

The Lhayul water project was set to serve a population of 1,337 across 156 households in eight villages, including Lhayul Primary School, the local Basic Health Unit (BHU), and a community mandir.

This project, under the water flagship programme implemented by MoIT in collaboration with the Desuung office, was completed by 77 desuups within the budget of Nu 7.89 million.