The economic development and population growth is putting pressure on the land, states Bhutan State of the Environment Report, 2016. It says the pressure is further compounded by steep topography and mountainous terrain.
The population density of Bhutan is quite low with 16 people per square kilometre. But, when it comes to arable and settlement areas, the density is 85 people per square kilometre.
The report also says only 3 percent of the total land in the country is used for settlement and cultivation.
“We are facing a lot of pressure on the limited land,” said the Climate Change Division’s Chief of the National Environment Commission, Thinley Namgyel.
From the land which belongs to the state, the highest demand is for infrastructure development for power transmission lines, road construction, and leased land for development activities, mostly for mining.
Human settlements and related infrastructure, classified as built up areas, have been increasing. It doubled in 2010 from 1994.
The report says urbanisation poses pressure on the land. It says the urban population is likely to grow by 250,000 in the next four years.
“When the new Thromdes come up it should not be just an exercise of planning the urban areas but we need to see the social, environment, and economic impacts.”
Thinley Namgyel said the Strategic Environment Assessment will be a way to see positive and negative impacts and minimise the negative.
He said NEC has been initiating a couple of programs and the initial focus is to look at Thimphu structural plan.
They suggest carrying out land capability mapping as soon as possible to identify land that can support agriculture and other developmental activities.
