Phuentshogling, a popular winter getaway for most Bhutanese, is now battling severe dust pollution. Residents are raising concerns about the parched, dusty town, especially the Amochhu area, where clouds of dust rise with every traffic movement.
This is the Amochhu area, where vehicles passing each other can barely see beyond the haze.
A thick blanket of dust engulfs this stretch of road, swallowing cars in drifting clouds as they move.
The route from Phuentshogling town towards the Amochhu bridge that remains soaked in mud and water during summer now lies dry, uneven, and choking with dust.
Trees, plants, and even nearby homes stand coated in fine layers of whitish powder.
Beyond the damage to homes and properties, people fear a heavier cost, the toll on health, should Phuentshogling be forced to breathe this way every dry season.
“It is a bordering town, and when we take the tourists around, it is dusty everywhere. We would like to request that the relevant offices work on this. The road is in very bad condition, and as vehicles ply on the road, we cannot even see the road with heavy cloud of dust. So, I feel this stretch of road should be improved in the first place,” said Duba, Taxi Driver, Phuentshogling, Chhukha.
“Phuentshogling town was not like this years ago. Now, the roads are bumpy and very dusty. Tourists are also raising concerns over the dust and say it would be a nice place if it were not dusty. They say Bhutan is said to be clean and green, but here it’s very dusty,” said Bapi Barman, an Indian Tourist.
“The roads are dusty and also bumpy. Our new vehicles get damaged by the uneven road. People are also having a tough time with dust pollution and are getting sick,” said Durba Kumar Pradhan, Bus Driver, Samtse.
The Phuentshogling Thromde attributes the dust pollution issue to large-scale infrastructure development activities.
Moreover, the thromde says the Amochhu road, constructed by the Department of Surface Transport, was not originally for the continuous movement of heavy export vehicles.
According to the Phuentshogling Thrompon, although such decisions were taken at higher levels without adequate consultation with the thromde, the thromde is actively coordinating with the Bhutan Exporters Association and the RBP to address the issue. The thromde is investing over nine million ngultrum in maintaining and improving the Amochhu highway stretch and the surrounding truck parking areas.
The thromde assures that the public can expect significantly improved and smoother road conditions along the Amochhu stretch up to the STCBL fuel station by the end of this financial year.
The road beyond the STCBL fuel depot is expected to be maintained by the Department of Surface Transport as it falls under the dungkhag administration.
As the landscape remains quietly buried under the season’s dust, residents say, unless timely measures are taken, the town risks becoming a place where every dry season arrives not with warmth, but with clouds of dust and unanswered questions.
Kinley Dem, Chhukha
Edited by Phub Gyem
