More than two months of waiting, the residents of Tingtibi town in Zhemgang continue to grapple with erratic water supply. The people have been fetching water from the nearby stream. And with the onset of the rainy season, people live in constant fear of being affected by water-borne diseases.
It has been a struggle for more than 200 people to manage water. They store water whenever the water supply gets better. Hoteliers are the most affected.
The water supply was disrupted because of an access road construction near the water reservoir. And the pipes were damaged due to excavation work.
While the restoration work to fix the water problem is still underway, a few of the residents have been receiving insufficient water supply.
“Despite all the efforts, the recently restored water supply source lasted only a day or two. And then the problem was back to square one,” said Tshering, a shopkeeper.
“We would be grateful if we receive water even once a day. But it is a different story. Running a hotel without a continuous water supply is difficult as we have to carry out a lot of errands. And maintaining hygiene is impossible,” said Aita Maya, a hotelier.
“There is a need for efficient management. This is because we have seen adequate water at the source. It’s the proper management and utilisation from the source till the end that needs to be worked upon,” said Thinley Wangdi, another hotelier.
Meanwhile, the dzongkhag municipal office said they have already deployed officials to replace the damaged pipelines for proper water distribution and solve the issue once and for all.
Pema Samdrup, Zhemgang
Edited by Sonam Pem
