The long-standing water supply issue in the Jalikhar and Gongkhar townships of Bumthang Dzongkhag Throm is still not addressed. The erratic water supply has been ongoing for several years now. Water pipes getting cut off due to the ongoing road widening works have aggravated the situation. However, a new water facility has been built in Tamzhing which is expected to solve the issue.
House owners have placed tanks to store water but due to the inconsistent supply, the idea hasn’t helped much. Farmers in Jalikhar and Gongkhar which are the two villages integrated into the new Bumthang Throm mostly rely on their old community water sources. However, the water from the community sources also gets disrupted.
“In the past, there were no issues regarding drinking water as all the households were given a tap each. There were not many people living here back then. Now the old taps are becoming dysfunctional and the population has increased. That’s why the supply is becoming unreliable. We don’t get water for weeks sometimes,” said Singye Dorji, a resident from Jalikhar.
“Sometimes we don’t receive water for months. Most often we get little in the evenings, that’s when we can clean our toilets. We have to stay up late into the night and fill up containers. It becomes very inconvenient when we have guests at home and we receive no water,” said another resident, Sithar Wangmo.
The water service for Jalikhar and Gongkhar is currently provided from a source in Lamioegoenpa, which also feeds the supply for the entire Bumthang town. A new water facility for Jalikhar and Gongkha was under construction since mid of 2020 in Tamzhing with a budget of Nu 1.5 M, yet people have no idea when they will have a reliable supply from the new source.
“We are yet to get a good water supply from the new water source at Tamzhing. We often hear plumbers saying the pipes have been burst and the supply gets cut off often,” said Singye Dorji.
The Dzongkhag’s site engineer, Pema Rinzin said construction works were complete a couple of months ago. The new water supply was even released but the project encountered pipe bursting and breakage issues. He said the contractor has rectified the defects and the water pipes will be tested before water is released again within a week. Meanwhile, the Dzongkhag Administration has proposed additional funds to construct break pressure tanks to minimize the bursting of pipes.
Kipchu, Bumthang
