Hoisting 108 prayer flags in memory of the deceased is deeply rooted in the country’s cultural practice and tradition. However, as times change, this sacred practice is contributing to deforestation, with thousands of young trees cut down each year. To address this, the idea of using reusable iron flagpoles in communities was proposed during the National Assembly’s question hour session today.
Nganglam MP raised concerns that this practice could undermine Bhutan’s constitutional mandate to maintain at least 60 per cent forest cover. He urged the government to address this issue in its developmental plan.
“There are risks if trees are cut down and used at the same rate. In total, around 540,000 trees are cut down annually. If this is continued, it may lead to several environmental challenges,” said Lamdra Wangdi, Nganglam MP.
He added that reusable iron flagpoles would serve the same spiritual purpose and suggested that the government provide them in gewogs with budget support for the purchase.
Meanwhile, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Gem Tshering shared four sustainable alternatives.
First, he encouraged reusing old prayer flag poles. The minister said that forestry officials will assess and reuse poles that are still in good condition instead of discarding them.
Second, he suggested using trees that are removed through scientific thinning, a method used to manage forests in a healthy and sustainable way.
“Thirdly, it is not necessary to use pine (Thongphu) and other trees from the forest as poles. Instead, the use of bamboo is conveniently available these days. Bamboos can be planted and harvested in a short span. Moreover, it does not decay easily. So, we are also looking into this alternative with the forestry sector.”
The fourth alternative, the minister proposed, is using reusable iron flagpoles. However, the minister said people are not welcoming of this alternative.
“As raised by the MP, reusable iron flagpoles, also known as monopoles, have already been piloted by the Druk Holding and Investments. If you look above Kuenselphodrang there are two monopoles with 108 prayer flags each. But people are not receptive while trying to create awareness of it.”
He added that the government will work on raising public awareness and look into ways to compensate people to encourage the use of iron flagpoles.
Devika Pradhan
Edited by Sonam Pem
