The project will complete in February next year

Phurpa Lhamo | Wangdue

The project to bring water from Muktshulum water source, located about 6.6km away from Rukha chiwog, has begun.

According to a farmer in Rukha, Chekila, the new project would benefit over 20 households in the chiwog.

Chekila added that he owned over seven acres of land, most of which are dry land. “The land is being developed to start irrigation work. Definitely paddy cultivation work would be more beneficial for us.”

In Rukha, paddy season starts in July. Due to lack of enough irrigation water, cultivation season is extended until October.

Chekila said that for a household to receive their second turn of irrigation water during paddy season, it took more than 20 days. “For rye, it is okay as it doesn’t need much water. But other plants don’t ripe well. Also, maize plantations are commonly attacked by the wild animals such as wild pigs and deer.”

The current water source is located about 2.1km away from Rukha.

Engineer Singay Dorji said that although the current irrigation uses high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, water from the source doesn’t reach the delivery point.

Also, the existing water source is small.

In the current project, larger HDPE pipes will be used to replace the existing irrigation canal.

The project work is executed with fund support of Nu 27.54 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The GCF-funded project began in February this year.

The work is expected to be complete in February next year.