Using watermills to grind maize and buckwheat flour was a popular practice among the people of Kangpar Gewog in Trashigang. This tradition is now on the decline. Today, most families have switched to using machines to grind flour as it is more convenient and time-saving.
Several watermills in Zordoong village under Kangpar Gewog have remained unused for years. From more than 80 households, today only around three families still use watermills to grind flour.
Forty-six-year-old Dechen Dorji is one of them.
Although he owns a flour grinding machine, he still prefers the traditional method.
“The machine-ground maize flour isn’t very tasty. It also goes bad fast so we can’t store them for long periods. But the flour from the watermills tastes better and can also be stored for a longer time,” he said.
Dechen has his own watermill outside his home on which he has made a few modifications.
Unlike the old watermills, Dechen does not have to feed the grains to the mill manually. It does so by itself.
Like Dechen, his neighbour Tshewang also prefers using the watermills which are cost-efficient as well as less-risky to injury.
“I can afford to buy the machines, its costs about Nu 9,000-10,000. But I heard the flour from the machines don’t taste that good so I didn’t buy one,” said Tshewang.
In the past, the watermills were used in turns by the villagers. But now with hardly any users, most of them are unused and ignored.
Dechen Dorji says without many users, some of the watermills have become damaged and there is no one to take care of them: “The number of users has been decreasing every year. Young people don’t even know what they are. it could all disappear soon”.
Meanwhile, Kangpar Gup Sangay Wangdi says his office has been requesting the people to practice the traditional ways and use the watermills to grind flour.
He said, “Although we haven’t made any new mill, we tell the villagers to at least take care of the existing watermills”.
For the limited number of users, having a continuous water supply to power the watermills used to be a challenge, especially during winter. But this too was resolved after a drainage system was constructed last year. The only challenge that remains now is restoring interest among the people to return to this fading tradition.
Sonam Darjay, Trashigang
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
