People from Lunana migrating to the lowlands to get away from the harsh cold winters will now have safe and reliable drinking water in their new Kidu settlement at Chhubesa in Goenshari Gewog of Punakha. The De-suung National Service Water Project at the area was completed recently.
The water from the Tholungchhu stream is piped to a 50,000-litre reservoir above the settlement.
Over 30 DeSuups along with armed force personnel executed the project from the end of June this year. They completed the project ahead of the timeline with a month to spare.
His Majesty The King granted the land kidu at Chhubesa to more than 190 households of Lunana in 2019. The kidu settlement spreads over 25 acres of land.
“In winter people from Lunana come down to Punakha and Wangdue. They live in tents pitched in the fields and roadsides. However, the land kidu from His Majesty will help them to live safely and comfortably now,” said Thinley Wangdi, the Dzongkhag Tshogdu Chairperson of Gasa.
With the completion of the water project, the government plans to start other developmental works soon at Chhubesa.
“Hereafter we are planning to construct a road to help them settle fast. The contract is also awarded. Other development in the area will also follow,” said Kezang Wangchuk, the Gasa District Engineer.
“In the recent Dzongkhag Tshogdu, we requested for a temporary school here for the people of Lunana. The DT has accepted it and we will implement the plan once people settle here. The temporary school will cater to students for about two months while they are here,” said Kuenley, the Chief Dzongkhag Education Officer in Gasa.
After completion of the basic facilities, they are expected to start the construction. Each household got a kidu of a 13-decimal plot to construct a house.
Changa Dorji, Punakha
Edited by Sonam
