With the existing water source drying up, the residents of Marlung in Thaedtso Gewog under Wangdue Phodrang are facing an acute water shortage. Despite trying, the worried residents have failed to secure a resilient drinking water supply. They now say the government needs to invest in finding other sources to resolve the issue.
The water taps remain dry most of the time. The water from the existing source is enough to fill only a few empty barrels in the village. The residents depend on rainwater for cooking and washing.
“I didn’t even do my dishes. Forget about watering the vegetable garden, we don’t have enough water to wash our hands,” said Tshewang, a resident.
“It is difficult for us to maintain hygiene. We only get little water from the source, that we store and use later,” added Chencho Dorji.
“I have a newborn baby and I need a lot of water. Without enough water, it is a problem,” said Lemo, one of the residents.
“The water is never enough. We store irrigation water in the evening and use it the next day,” said another resident, Choden.
In 2008, the community was connected to a water source from Nabchhed in Lingmukha Gewog in Punakha. They constructed two water reservoirs just above their village. Since the water source is drying up, the caretaker says it is difficult to fill up even a reservoir now.
“I release water at around 6 AM but people call me asking to release the water. When I go back to the reservoir, the tank would be empty. We don’t have enough water from the source,” said caretaker, Kumar Rai.
“When we first sourced water from here, we had enough water. Within 13 years, our source is drying up. If we look at the water here, it wouldn’t be enough for a single household,” said one of the residents, Ugyen Dorji.
People say if the source of water is from the Zenchhey stream in Lingmukha which is about nine kilometres from the village, it would resolve the water shortage.
However, the gewog administration says it cannot promise to connect water from a source in Punakha without discussing it in the Gewog Tshogde.
“As per the directives from the dzongkhag administration, Gewog Tshode is planning to discuss the water shortage in Marlung. After that, we will propose it to Dzongkhag Tshogdu,” said Thedtsho Gup, Chador.
Besides, the village also face an irrigation water shortage, which made farmers leave their farmlands fallow. Marlung village is home to about 20 households and is two kilometres from Bajo town.
Changa Dorji
Edited by Sangay Chezom
