After decades of struggle, locals of Tokarong village under Orong Gewog in Samdrup Jongkhar are hoping to have their water shortage issues finally resolved. A Nu 1.2 M project is nearing completion which will provide sufficient water supply for all residents.
Works started in January and expected to be complete by this June.
People of Tokarong say they have been struggling with a shortage of water for the past three decades. Villagers had connected the village with water pipelines from a water source located at Shikpashing. But they say the water supply is not enough for all. During the monsoon season, locals harvest rainwater and use it for cooking and other purposes.
Metshi Wangdi, a farmer in Tokarong, says because of the long distance and limited supply at the source, the water is not enough for them. “We connected the water supply to our village by ourselves. During the winter season, we would get water from 7 am morning till 12 noon from the water tank, but in summer, we don’t get enough water,” he added.
“Till now we have been using water supply which we constructed with the little money we collected from amongst ourselves. The water source is located about 5 kilometres from here, water is not enough,” added Seyna, also from Tokarong.
Villagers are waiting eagerly for the project to finish in June which will put an end to their woes. While the government is providing the funds, the locals are carrying out the work. The source for the current project is located at Morong which people say is much bigger than the old water source. According to the Orong gup, around 70 per cent of the work has been completed so far.
Kinley Wangchuk
