The residents of Tading Gewog in Samtse are struggling to manage waste due to the lack of waste collection services. With no better option, many have resorted to burning waste, raising environmental and health concerns in the community.
Without waste collection services, the waste management challenge continues to grow with over 5,000 residents in the gewog.
“When we burn waste, it causes a lot of harm to people living nearby and to the environment. But we have no choice. It would be better if a waste collection vehicle could be made available at least once a week,” said Ugyen Lhamo, a resident.
“We don’t have waste collection services here in our gewog. As such, we end up burning most of our waste. People say this can pose health risks, but we have no other options,” said Ugyen Pelzom, another resident.
“Every month, we collect all the waste around the village and burn most of it. Likewise, we also burn waste that piles up near our houses. It would be better if a designated area is allocated for dumping waste,” said Ram Bdr Pakring, also a resident.
Meanwhile, the gewog administration is planning to discuss solutions with the Samtse District Administration to address the issue.
Additionally, they are also exploring the possibility of acquiring a waste collection vehicle from Phuentshogling, which is closer than Samtse, a two-hour drive away.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
Edited by Sonam Pem
