Every dry season, residents of Yangtshipam in Martshala Gewog, Samdrup Jongkhar, worried whether there would be enough drinking water for their families. Years of relying on an unreliable water source are now over. A newly constructed water supply system is providing the remote village with a more reliable and sustainable source of drinking water.
The sound of clean water flowing from household taps is a welcome change for the people of Yangtshipam. Ten households had been relying on a shared water source from the Tsholingkhar Community temple since 2004.
Over the years, the supply became insufficient, especially during the dry season.
To address the problem, the Martshala Gewog administration constructed a new water supply system that draws water from a more dependable source.
“Earlier, we did not have enough water. Now, with the support of the gewog, we have a new water supply. I think we will now be able to grow vegetables and improve our farming,” said Karma Seldon, a resident of Martshala Gewog, Samdrup Jongkhar.
“Since the previous water supply was not sufficient, we requested the government to provide a new water supply. The government responded to our request, and now we believe the new supply will be enough to meet our needs,” said Ugyen Dorji, another resident of Martshala Gewog, Samdrup Jongkhar.
“We are very grateful for the new water supply. We faced water shortages for a long time, and we are very happy that we now have enough water for our daily needs,” said Pema Gyaltshen, also a resident of Martshala Gewog, Samdrup Jongkhar.
The new water supply system includes about three kilometres of pipeline and a 6,000-litre water reservoir tank. Martshala Gewog administration spent Nu 300,000 on the project, which was completed in two months.
According to the National Water and Sanitation Report 2025, Bhutan has achieved near-universal access to improved drinking water sources, with only 0.78 per cent of households remaining unserved. Most of these are in remote and water-stressed communities.
The completion of the Yangtshipa water supply project is one example of the ongoing efforts to bring reliable drinking water to these remaining communities.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Sonam Pem
