Water: While the former thrompon is busy campaigning for a second term, residents of his constituency will have to bear the water shortage for a while.

For the past four days taps in Babesa remained mostly dry. Residents resorted to all sorts of ways to meet their families’ needs. Tenants say the problem has been going for sometime now. About a month ago, there were some problems at the source and the communities were left without water for almost nine days.

Frustrated tenants are looking for buildings with private water supply.

“We can’t live like this having to worry unnecessarily about water when we pay such huge amount for rent,” a tenant said.

Thimphu Thromde officials said that they are trying their best and that there were no complaints to him.

The thromde’s water caretaker for the area, Buddha Ram, said that there is not enough water from the source.

“Even after filling the tank for two days without supplying to residents, we are not able to even half fill the tank,” Buddha Ram said.

He released the water yesterday at about 11am but had to close the supply lines at the distribution tank near the DANTAK office before 5pm.

The water level has fallen  below the distribution pipes of the tank. Water would be released from the 735,000-litre tank 5pm today.

Buddha gets more than a hundred calls every day, which has intensified in the past few days, complaining about the water shortage.

The main tank with a capacity of 360,000 litres above Babesa primary school is not even half-filled yesterday afternoon.

The former thrompon said that if elected he will initiate the USD 5-million World Bank-funded project to solve the problem of water shortage in the city.

Thimphu thromde’s water in-charge, Samten Lhendup said ice had disrupted supply to the area in the past few days.

“After the recent snowfall at Chamgang, we sent some people to remove the ice to clear the water supply,” he said.

The treatment plant at Megaypang, Chamgang supplies water to Babesa and lower Thimphu city areas.

Staff Reporter