The recent heavy rain has caused havoc in several gewogs of Tsirang, damaging properties and causing roadblocks. Among the affected is a piggery farmer. The heavy rainfall destroyed his piggery farm, resulting in a loss of around Nu 1 M.
Around 7 am on Sunday, a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall partially destroyed a piggery farm in Gosarling Gewog’s Pelrithang chiwog in the district.
Out of ninety piglets and pigs, the piggery owner managed to rescue only five, all with minor injuries.
“The landslide could have washed us away if we had been working on the farm that day. We usually spend a lot of time there since it is mainly for breeding. Fortunately, I went to the farm a little late that day and that’s when the landslide occurred,” said Bir Bdr. Tamang, a piggery owner.
The carcasses remain buried under the landslide. The farm owner is requesting machinery support from the gewog administration to clear the debris to avoid further casualties.
“Clearing off the debris and boulders cannot be of much help to the buried pigs and the structures. However, the clogged drains need to be cleared for proper flow of rainwater. This would help safeguard my remaining pigs on the farm and a few settlements below. I would also be grateful if the government could help me with subsidised construction materials like in the past to restart my piggery farm,” added the piggery owner.
The Gewog administration has been informed about the situation and has promised assistance once suitable machinery is available as the farm is located on a slope where standard excavators cannot reach the site for clearing works.
In addition, the incessant rain has led to roadblocks along several stretches of Barshong Gewog Center, making it inaccessible for commuters.
People are currently using alternate routes to travel to Damphu town and other parts of the country.
Similar challenges are affecting farm roads connecting various gewog center roads in the district.
In another incident, two individuals were hospitalised at Damphu Hospital after their vehicle was struck by a falling boulder on Tuesday in Mendrelgang Gewog. They were later discharged.
Meanwhile, an official from the Department of Surface Transport’s sub-division office in Tsirang said that clearing work on Barshong Gewog Center road will commence once primary national highway clearing works are completed.
Pema Tshewang, Tsirang
Edited by Sonam Pem
