Seven structures, passing as buildings, in the heart of Tsirang’s Damphu town stand like relic from the past. Constructed 20 years ago, the buildings haven’t seen an iota of renovation, since its inception.
The ramshackle buildings do not have proper roofs making it difficult for tenants to keep out rainwater in summer. And when it is not raining, the water from toilet seeps through walls into other rooms.
A tenant, Chinith Lepcha said it is challenging not only to keep the bugs away from their home but also burglars. They never had a door and the open windows never had glasses.
“I cannot leave the house unattended even for a minute.” Chinith said she used tins and carton boxes to cove the windows and door. “I fear the burglars will get into the house. We already have a bad experience in the past.”
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Another tenant, Jiwan Kumar, who occupies the ground floor, said his house is always damp. He said it was used as cowshed before he moved, in a few years ago. The floor is not cemented and walls are cracked. “At this time of year when it is raining continuously, our rooms get flooded with rainwater coming directly into the house through the unsealed holes through the walls.”
In another part of the town lives Suk Maya Das in another such building. The walls of her house are covered in moss. She said they do not have proper drains and it is difficult to manage the kitchen waste. “When it rains, we cannot even stay indoors,” she said.
The National Housing Development Corporation said that they have plans to roof the buildings and carry out other maintenance in consultation with the Dzongkhag and the Municipal Office. The maintenance works for the seven buildings are expected to be carried out next year.
