Says the road was damaged due to poor geological and soil conditions

Thimphu thromde would take the responsibility to rebuild the damaged road that runs above the Olakha automobile workshop area leading to project DANTAK office, the thrompon said.

About 20 meters of the road and the roadside drain towards the hillside developed cracks last month, damaging the road and closing it to traffic since November 22. It also disrupted water supply in the locality.

Thimphu thrompon Kinlay Dorjee said that the thromde would rebuild the road as it was damaged due to poor geological and soil conditions.

He said that reconstruction of the road would begin once the shear wall below the road is completed. “We have advised the people to start their construction immediately. Their building design already had a shear wall at the back of the building.”

Thrompon said that the plot owners only have to bear the cost of removing the soil to construct their building. “Once the shear wall of about five meters is completed, the space would be filled with soil.”

He said the thromde is yet to estimate the time of completion and cost estimates for the reconstruction.

The thromde, on December 15 notified in the media that due to the disruption of the pipeline at the site, water supply had been cut off for the residents below the old highway in Babesa.

Thrompon said that the full reinstatement of water would be possible only after the completion of the road.

However, the thromde has laid pipes from the tank near DANTAK camp as a temporary measure. The tank is supplying water to most households below the old highway.

For the damaged pipes at the site, thrompon Kinlay Dorjee said that the thromde had made arrangements to keep the water pipes from sliding. “But somebody had cut the wire holding the pipe which made the pipe to slide down causing disruption in water supply. We are trying to fix that again.”

He said that the thromde is also in the process of laying another pipeline from Royal Thimphu College (RTC) to the water tank above Thimphu TechPark. “We are trying to get another line from Serbithang that will cater to the households above the old highway.”

Meanwhile, most Babesa residents have been without water for more than a week.

One of the restaurant owners, SB Subba, said he has been fetching water in drums from RTC every day. “It takes more than an hour to fetch water, which delays our opening time.”

Another resident, Mon Maya Rai, said she has been borrowing water from others with tanks, and from people who have private water sources.

She said that when she asks repeatedly, people get annoyed. “But there is nothing we can do. We need water.”

Thrompon Kinlay Dorjee said that although water supply is inconsistent, the thromde is trying to provide the minimum water requirement to the residents.

Karma Cheki