Stinking, pungent and unpleasant- definitely not a smell one can stand for long. The stench has people covering their faces even a hundred metres away. The culprit- an open sewer pipe right in the heart of Thimphu town.
The foul smell from the open sewer pipe near the main traffic on Norzin Lam is a health hazard to passersby and nearby residents. The odor worsens towards the afternoon.
The open sewer pipe has also become an eyesore. Nearby residents including shopkeepers say the sewer line has been lying open for more than a year now.
Some said they even talked to the Thromde officials about it but nothing has been done so far. “I think this will affect people’s health,” said Namgay Dorji.
“For us, who stay here, sometimes the smell is too strong and it comes even while we are eating our meals.”
“It is not a good sight for the tourists,” said Tashi Gyeltshen, another resident. “Those of us who live nearby, we don’t have to go anywhere to get diseases. Apart from the foul smell, we are also breathing in feces dust from the dried sewage. The disease is right there at our doorsteps.”
Some residents said a pipe was connected once but has been washed away. The Thromde office said they are looking into solving the problem.
