The construction of the new water distribution network is expected to solve the problem

Neten Dorji

Samdrupjongkhar—Besides the scorching summer heat, residents of the sleepy eastern town of Samdrupjongkhar are dealing with another perennial problem –  lack of 24-hour clean drinking water supply.

Despite the construction of a new water treatment plant by Samdrupjongkhar Thromde and the initiative by Desuung Water Project to address the water shortage, many pockets of the thromde still do not have access to 24-hour water supply.

Sonam, a long time resident of the thromde, said that while the town has developed by leaps and bounds in recent years, water supply continues to be a major issue.

And with the onset of monsoon, residents are bracing up for more water outages.

“Monsoon aggravates the water crisis as frequent landslides wash away pipelines. We have to store rainwater or fetch water from Dungsam river or our neighbours,” said Sonam.

A house owner, Sangay Pelmo, said that when the water problem persists for an extended period of time, tenants start looking for new apartments. “We can’t do anything because tenants can’t do any household chores without water.”

Water shortage is also affecting business establishments in the town.

Paul Chhetri, a restaurant owner, said that the water shortage causes a lot of  inconveniences for businesses that require continuous water supply. “Without water, it is difficult to run a restaurant,” she said.

The water shortage in Samdrupjongkhar Thromde is mainly due to the poor distribution network as the current water supply network is several decades old. Most of the pipelines in the town were laid in the 1990s.

The Thromde has already started construction works on the new water distribution network.

According to Samdrupjongkhar Thrompon, Thinley Namgay, about 90 percent of the distribution network in the town is completed. “Thromde has tried to solve the issues, especially drinking water supply over the years. We expect improvements because we are replacing the old pipelines,” he said.

The Thrompon said that Local Area Plan II and III have severe water problems due to pipeline leakage compared to other areas of the Thromde. “We are working to solve these issues,” he said.

The Asian Development Fund supported the Thromde with a Nu 137 million fund to build the water distribution and sewage network.

Samdrupjongkhar Thromde – extending from the main gate till Dewathang town, with six constituencies – was declared as one of the four Class A thromdes by the Parliament in 2010.

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