About 60 families in Tingtibi town of Zhemgang are grappling with water scarcity for almost a month now. They say they face water shortages in the past years but not for such a prolonged duration. And without water, residents said they cannot maintain cleanliness. They want the dzongkhag municipal office to intervene and solve the problem at the earliest.
In Tingtibi town, water taps remain dry most of the time. Some people store water in a container after fetching it from the nearby streams. And it has become more challenging for hoteliers.
“Before, we used to get water for an hour or two in three days. But now it has been weeks since we didn’t get water at all. When we don’t have water, we cannot cater hotel services to our customers,” said Aita Maya, a hotelier.
“Due to water shortage, we cannot keep the toilets clean and cannot wash the dishes on time. The water shortage has affected us. We now fetch water from nearby streams,” said Tshering, a shopkeeper.
Along with a few volunteers, municipal staff visited the water source on Monday which is located about five kilometres from the town.
They reworked the diversion of the water source through the proper channel and cleared the debris from the tanks. Volunteers said the water source is not properly maintained.
Meanwhile, Dzongkhag Municipal officials said the water supply was disrupted because of an access road construction near the water reservoir tank. Officials added that the pipes were damaged due to excavation work.
However, the problem is expected to be resolved soon as the municipal office will carry out restoration works. The office procured pipes and other materials to replace the damaged ones.
Pema Samdrup, Zhemgang
Edited by Tshering Zam
