Residents in Bumthang are doing their part by collecting their waste every month. But with no reliable system to take it to the district dumping yard, waste has been piling up at collection points for months. Local leaders are now calling for an urgent solution to what they describe as a growing waste management problem in the gewogs.
Every month, communities across Bumthang Gewogs bring their household waste to designated collection points. But what happens when there is no system to take it away?
For the four gewogs, that is where the waste management chain breaks down.
For months, waste has been piling up at the collection points. And in some areas, the designated sites are overflowing, with waste spreading beyond the collection areas.
The problem, local leaders say, is not collecting the waste. It is getting it to the district dumping yard.
“Wherever we look, we can see sacks of waste. We don’t know whom to approach, as we don’t know who is dumping the waste. Even in forests, we see a lot of waste wrapped in clothes. This shows that there is a serious problem with waste management,” said Kezang Dorji, Chumey Mangmi, Bumthang.
“The gewog administration has identified designated places for people to dump the waste. Now, those identified yards are full. With no space left to dispose of their waste, some people have started dumping it outside the designated areas. This is the problem we are facing now,” said Chimi Tobgay, Ura Gup, Bumthang.
Previously, a compactor truck and a DCM truck were used to transport waste. But the compactor truck broke down more than five years ago, has remained idle, and is considered beyond repair.
For many gewogs, budget constraints made regular transportation difficult. And distance has added to the challenge.
Ura, for example, is about 48 kilometres from Chamkhar town, while the district dumping yard at Kikila is nearly another 10 kilometres away. With no regular transportation
The issue was raised during the recent Dzongkhag Tshogdu. The meeting resolved to send the DCM truck to the gewogs once a month to collect waste.
“We have one waste collection truck currently. I feel we can send the truck to the gewogs once a month to collect the waste and transport it to the dumping yard,” said Ratna Bdr Gurung, Bumthang Dzongda.
However, with only one truck serving four gewogs, maintaining regular collection remains a challenge. The district has ordered a new compactor truck, but it has yet to arrive.
Until then, local leaders hope the monthly collection service will prevent waste from piling up and spreading into surrounding areas.
Thinley Dorji, Bumthang
Edited by Sonam Pem
