To regulate the number of sawmills, Haa Dzongkhag Tshogdu decided to allow two sawmills each for the three gewogs of Sangbay, Gakiling and Samar. This is following the concerns amidst growing number of sawmills in the dzongkhag. With 23 stationary and three mobile sawmills, Haa has the highest number of sawmills in the country today.
People from the three gewogs will be required to fulfill certain criteria to get sawmill operating license.
“The permit will not be approved based on who comes first with the proposal or based on personal connections. As we get the proposal letter, we will assess the impacts on the environment, the capacity of the owner to run a sawmill and how it is going to help the people. If they pass these, then we will recommend the concerned authority to approve since we don’t have the authority to issue license,” said Haa Dzongda Kinzang Dorji.
The dzongkhag also said that no new sawmills will replace the existing sawmills if they default.
Besides degrading the environment, sawdust from the sawmills is another issue that is bothering the locals there. It has been a couple of years since the dzongkhag stopped approving sawmill operating license.
“Even when we stopped approving permit, there are many proposals put up to environment office seeking for approval. People has requested in last Dzongkhag Tshogdu to allow new sawmills in Haa. But if we keep on approving all the proposals, it is really going to affect our environment. We are a small dzongkhag but we have the most numbers of sawmills compared to any other big dzongkhag,” said Thinley, Haa Dzongkhag Tshogdu’s Chairperson.
Sawmills operators in Haa donates Nu 25,000 to the dzongkhag administration annually, which is used for various purpose including tree plantation and cleanup campaigns.
Sangay Chezom
