People of Phuentshogling Gewog’s Pachu Chiwog in Chhukha will no longer have to walk for hours to fetch drinking water. Thanks to the completion of a water pumping project, they can now access clean drinking water more easily. The project inaugurated yesterday will benefit about 90 households.
The settlements in Pachu Chiwog are all situated on a slope, making it difficult to access water sources located far away or downhill. Previous water projects have failed due to this challenge.
To address this issue, the gewog and dungkhag authorities decided to go for a special water project.
“The community faced a severe water shortage due to distant water sources and previous unsuccessful projects. To tackle this issue, we installed water pumps below the settlements as per the topography of the villages,” said Karma Jurmi, Phuentshogling Dungpa.
“Although the place is very near to Phuentshogling town, people have not been able to raise domestic animals like cows due to severe water shortage in the area. This project will greatly ease this issue,” said Birkha Bdr. Rai, Phuentshogling Gup.
The water source is located about 1,200 metres below the settlements. Electric generators pump the water up to the reservoir from where it is distributed to the households.
“We would like to thank the government for the project. Before, we had to carry water on our backs and it took us an hour to fetch 20 litres of water. And it was difficult for elderly people,” said Baliman Rai, a resident of Pachu.
“We had a severe water shortage. Forget about water for animals, we did not even have enough drinking water for ourselves. As a student, I used to walk for hours to fetch water which ultimately affected my studies. We now have water at the doorsteps of every household,” said Pharmith Lepcha, another resident.
The Nu 18.7 M project includes the construction of three reservoir tanks, two pump houses, and public tap stands among others.
Kinley Dem, Chhukha
Edited by Sonam Pem
