The business community and residents of New Doksum Town in Trashi Yangtse are calling for a reliable drinking water supply and other basic amenities in their town. More than 200 households reside in the new town area, which was relocated at the beginning of 2022.
Business owners, civil servants, and project staff residing in the new Doksum town have been facing frequent drinking water shortages.
This time, the water supply pipeline got damaged near the source, leaving the town’s residents without water for almost a week.
People fetch water from a nearby stream in vehicles and store it in containers. Besides the water issue, residents struggle with poor drainage, lack of streetlights, and incomplete blacktopped roads.
“We get water only twice a week and have to go without it for almost three days. I have started a restaurant here, and we need water to cook and wash dishes. It is very difficult to maintain cleanliness. Sometimes customers visit, but they leave because we cannot prepare anything. We cannot run the hotel properly and end up facing difficulty paying rent,” said Choki Wangmo, Restaurant Owner, Doksum, Tashi Yangtse.
“It is an everyday affair to fetch water. I am constructing a house, but due to the lack of water, I could not continue the work for almost five days,” said Tshen Dorji, Resident, Doksum, Trashi Yangtse.
“Some customers complain about foul smell from the sewerage leakage near my shop, and a few customers even leave without buying anything. This hampers my business,” said Kinley, Shopkeeper, Doksum, Tashi Yangtse.
District officials said a recent landslide near the water source eroded the water supply pipeline. However, for now, they have started using an irrigation channel to temporarily supply water.
The district has allocated around Nu 20 M for the installation of streetlights and high-end CCTV cameras, completing the blacktopping of the roads and for constructing footpaths in Doksum town.
The infrastructure development work will be carried out in the current financial year.
Sonam Darjay, Tashi Yangtse
Edited by Phub Gyem
