With a growing population and a rising number of visitors, communities in Khothangkha under Wangdue Phodrang are facing increasing waste problems. Residents say that if action is delayed, the valley’s rich environment could be threatened and its natural beauty degraded.
Khothangkha Valley is known for its quiet hills, flowing streams, and scattered houses. Its forests, plain valley, and sacred sites draw visitors from across Bhutan for leisure and pilgrimage.
Yet, along the valley’s roads and trails, rubbish has become a growing problem.
Visitors often leave plastic bottles, food wrappers, and other non-biodegradable items by the roadside, in open fields, and even among the forest undergrowth.
In Sheley village, waste piles have started to resemble small dump sites.
Residents conduct monthly waste collection and burn non-degradable items, but much of their effort is undone when outsiders leave rubbish behind.
“Picnickers and travellers leave bottles, chip wrappers, and other litter in the fields and along the roadside. Our community does not dispose of waste this way. We take care of our own waste,” said Yangka, a resident of Khothangkha.
“Some visitors come to collect prayer flag poles from the forest. They bring drinks with them, and empty beer and juice bottles are often left scattered among the trees,” said Lhakpa Tshering, another resident.
Khothangkha Tshogpa Karma Dorji said, “Many people from across Bhutan, and even foreign tourists, come here. Without proper disposal facilities, waste is thrown along the road behind Tashila or left in open areas. Only items that can be sold are taken care of; everything else is discarded on the way back.”
Authorities are now preparing a dedicated waste management site in the valley. The facility will separate biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, and clearing work has already begun.
Residents emphasise that controlling waste depends on individual responsibility. Most litter comes from visitors, highlighting the need for awareness and accountability.
Without careful management and stricter adherence to waste rules, locals warn that Khothangkha could lose its natural environment and visual charm.
Changa Dorji, Wangdue Phodrang
