Rural residents will have improved access to water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management. This will be made possible with the new Water and Sanitation Information System. The infrastructure and transport ministry developed the system with support from the SNV Netherlands. The system was launched last week, marking 15 years of SNV’s assistance to Bhutan’s water, sanitation, and hygiene sector.
The system provides policymakers with comprehensive information on water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management in rural areas. A similar system is already in place for urban areas.
Gewog engineers will upload data on the current status of sanitation, water, and solid waste in their respective gewogs.
“This system will be helpful for the planners, designers, and local leaders for the right intervention in their respective chiwogs and gewogs,” said Gem Tshering, executive engineer, Water and Sanitation Division, MoIT.
As part of its broader efforts, the ministry also developed and integrated a rural water management model.
The model, piloted in 40 rural communities across Trashigang, Dagana, Chhukha, and Zhemgang, includes the formation of Water User Associations and training programmes for water caretakers. Over the past 15 years, the SNV’s initiatives have provided more than 215,000 Bhutanese in rural areas with access to improved water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.
“We have heard a lot of presentations about how something very small has grown into something very big. We have recently released our South Asia Development Plan by our Foreign Minister. And this will guide our efforts in working very closely with Bhutan in future to support development and our close links,” said Carly Patridge, minister counsellor, Australian High Commission, New Delhi.
The SNV has received over eight million Australian dollars from the Australian government to fund water, sanitation, and hygiene projects in Bhutan since 2010.
Namgay Dema
Edited by Phub Gyem
