Bhutan is known for its abundant water resources, so much so that the main export of the country, electricity, is the product of water. Yet there are many places where water is so scarce that every drop is deemed precious. One of such places is Bartsham Gewog in Trashigang. With the water woes haunting them for more than a decade, some even contemplated relocating to other places.
A serene hamlet in Bartsham, Bargoenpa village is a feast for the eyes. However, the village is plagued by a drinking water crisis. With around 30 households in the village, their only source for drinking water is from groundwater located at around an hour walk from their village. Today most of the water taps in the village have little or no water running from them, forcing the people to collect water and save it in their own reservoir tank.
But it gets worse during winter. Without rain to feed the groundwater, the little water at the source does not reach the village.
“We are facing acute water shortage here; sometimes we don’t even have enough for water offerings. We can not go to the water source for maintenance as it is quite far away, and even if we go and do servicing, the little water that comes will be so dirty,” said Tshangmo, from Bargoenpa village.
“Without water, we cannot stay clean. And it is awkward when a guest shows up as we don’t have enough water. We don’t have proper water sources and sometimes we think about moving away but we cannot as we have settled here for so long, we will be grateful if we get water supply,” added Tshewang Pemo, from the same village.
Like Bargoenpa village, all villages in Bartsham Gewog have the same problem. To address the issue, the gewog administration has even constructed a water reservoir tank to manage the scarce water supply. With sources drying up, the intervention is not very effective. The gewog had also approached the Dzongkhag for help.
“We have submitted a proposal to the Dzongkhag. The Dzongkhag has then submitted it to the ministry. The ministry has also sent experts to do a survey on water sources where we also joined the team in search of a source; we are happy that the experts have positive feedback,” said Kezang Dawa, the Bartsham Gup.
They have identified a drinking water source from Rallang toed, under Phongmed Gewog, which is almost 30 kilometres away from the gewog. While it will be quite some time for the water woes to end for Bartsham, people can now look forward to having enough water one day.
Sonam Darjay, Trashigang
Edited by Sonam
