YK Poudel

Dagana-Surja Man Rai, a 48-year-old farmer from Loongsilsa Chiwog, is among the remote residents of Dagana’s Lhamoizingkha gewog grappling with a decades-long water shortage.

The village’s 133 households rely largely on a nearby stream and overflow from a Water Treatment Plant (WTP) that has yet to serve the community effectively.

The old water supply is damaged by wildlife, especially elephants, and seasonal landslides.

“The water shortage is severe during winter, forcing the residents to fetch water from the stream,” he said. “The stream has been drying up, making it tough for the people.”

Villagers typically grow potatoes, spinach, garlic, and onions, among other crops, but only for their own consumption.

The dungkhag built a water treatment plant with a capacity of 200 cubic metres under the Water Flagship Programme

“After a month or two, we have to buy vegetables for consumption,” he said. “When drinking water is a problem, irrigation water is out of the question.”

While the new WTP offers hope, he emphasised the need for proper pipeline connections and distribution. “Poor planning and distribution would make it useless for residents in remote villages like Loongsilsa,” he said.

The drungkhag built a WTP with a capacity of 200 cubic metres under the Water Flagship Programme funded by the Government of India. It was completed in May this year.

The WTP, which is planned for temporary distribution next year, would cover 383 households benefiting over 2,292 individuals.

Sher Bahadur Gurung, drungkhag engineer, said that though the Local Area Plan (LAP) was approved, the construction of buildings had yet to begun as the entire dungkhag consisting of three gewogs namely: Lhamoizingkha, Nichula and Karmaling falls under Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC). “Therefore, construction under yenlag thromde area is kept on halt in order to align its plan with the master plan of GMC.”

“Until such time, the Lhamoizingkha Dungkhag Administration has proposed for the temporary distribution line to have the proper utilisation of funds and the water,” he said. “Moreover, to switch to permanent pipelines would not only waste the government resource, it will also create haphazard planning of distribution lines.”

The dungkhag administration, he said, would come up with a comprehensive and integrated system that includes water supply distribution, power and other cable distribution, once the master plan of GMC is approved.

There are three tanks: Lhamoizingkha area tank (tank one), lower Loongsilsa Chiwog tank (tank two), and upper Loongsilsa tank (tank three).

The temporary distribution line will cater to the areas: tank one – Lhamoizingkha throm, dungkhag, school, hospital, Bhutan power corporation limited, police campus and residents of farmgaon. The tank two will benefit communities of lower Loongsilsa, and the third tank will be supplied towards Pendecholing Dratshang and upper Loongsilsa.

“The plans and estimates for the temporary connection have already been prepared and are awaiting budget. The works will be executed once we get the budget from the government,” Sher Bahadur said.

The project worth Nu 50 million has constructed 200 cubic metre reservoir tank, water collection chamber, stilling chamber, flash mixer and flocculation tank, back wash-system, sedimentation tank, panel house, two-unit staff quarter, filter house and rapid sand filter, street lights, lab room, office and store, fencing along the site with gate and approach road.

The drungkhag administration will manage and monitor the usage.

“Currently, the dungkhag administration is facing challenges with wildlife damaging the structures. We have proposed appointing a caretaker to the dzongkhag administration and expect to have one soon,” he said.