A year on from the devastating flood in Dechencholing Satellite Town in Thimphu, and the dangers still linger, especially during the rainy days. Nearly ten months after the flood, Dechencholing road was repaired, but no mitigation works were carried out for the bridge. As a result, a part of the area was affected by heavy rainfall yet again earlier this week.
The recent road blacktopping brought some relief to residents. But heavy rainfall has once again exposed the risks.
The area was flooded with heavy rainfall on Monday night. Some tenants’ apartments, located just below the road, were flooded. Water entered their shops and as far as their bedrooms.
Although the residents refused to give on-camera interviews, they shared that fear lingers and they are not certain when the mitigations will come into place.
Most say that the existing hume pipes are the culprit. They say that the hume pipes cannot handle the water volume when it pours down heavily, and the bridge would have eased the situation.
Moreover, the road in front of the buildings is not in good condition, and the absence of a proper drain makes it worse when it rains.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport had plans to replace the hume pipes and construct a bridge over the stream. But the plan has yet to materialise.
According to a Thromde official, while the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is responsible for preparing the bridge design, the actual construction has to be carried out by the Thromde.
BBS reached out to the Thromde for details on the bridge construction, the estimated cost, and other mitigation plans, but has yet to receive a response.
Devika Pradhan
Edited by Sonam Pem
