To address the pressing issue of drying water sources facing the residents of Tading and Dophuchen in Samtse, the Tarayana Foundation has launched a springshed development and management project in the two gewogs of the district. The initiative is set to revitalise five water sources, providing the much-needed adequate drinking water to over 220 households of the two gewogs. A springshed management programme is primarily designed to identify recharge areas and restore and revive drying springs and lakes.
About 100 residents of Khempa_Pangzhing Chiwog of Tading Gewog rely on a water source. With the water sources drying up over time, local residents have been worried.
“The lack of water in our village is not very severe during the monsoon. But it gets very acute during winter as we don’t get enough water. Due to water shortage, we also face challenges in growing vegetables and other crops,” said Dilip Ghalley, a resident.
“We do face a lot of challenges in getting adequate water supply. Moreover, our water sources are now drying up,” said Roop Kumar Bhujel, another resident.
The introduction of the springshed project is expected to solve the water woes of the people in the two gewogs.
“In this project, we first identify springsheds. After that we build small trenches or dams and collect rainwater. This way the water is prevented from being run off and contributes groundwater to a spring,” said Thinley Bidha, field officer of Tarayana Foundation.
Residents were actively involved in the project, as they dug trenches or constructed small dams strategically positioned just above the two water sources.
The trenches effectively prevent soil erosion and water runoff, while facilitating increased water infiltration and discharge from springs.
To ensure the project’s success and sustainability, a dedicated water community comprising chairman, secretary, accountant and skilled plumbers has been formed.
“As of today, many say that the water source is drying up which is just their observations. There is no proper data to justify it. But we are now collecting data on how the water sources are changing every month. With this data, we will be able to know how the water source is changing over time,” said Thinley Bidha.
She added that they will collect and examine data this winter to study the project’s success.
The foundation is also planning to introduce such projects in other gewogs of Samtse.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
Edited by Phub Gyem
