The combined effects of climate change, land use alterations, and environmental degradation have contributed to a decline in the quality and availability of spring water sources in most places. Considering the rural communities’ reliability on spring water for livelihoods and health, and the springs fast drying up, the Tarayana Foundation has intervened to support rural communities. This is to help revive and restore their vital water sources. One such project has benefited over 40 households at Kemgang village in Thimphu.
About an hour’s drive from the capital, lies the village of Kemgang in Maedwang Gewog. For years, the community grappled with water issues, leading to frequent waterborne diseases.
“We did not have a clean and proper water source in the past. Moreover, with the changing climatic conditions, the spring was also shrinking. Water used to be contaminated in the monsoon and dried up during winter. On top of that different wild animals caused damage to the spring and we were facing acute water issues,” said Choki, a resident of Kemgang, Maedwang Gewog.
Thanks to Tarayana’s water security project, the community’s water woes have been addressed for good. Now, new tanks are constructed with proper distribution lines. The project used nature-based materials such as bamboo-charcoal, stones, and sand for water filtration, ensuring clean and sustainable drinking water for the village.
“I have been serving as the chiwog tshogpa for almost 15 years now. However, I was unaware of the solution. It is not about extracting rocks or chopping down trees while renovating the tanks but aligning with nature and keeping it as it is. The project officials also assessed the source and how removing rocks or trees could impact it. Therefore, I am not only grateful but also taken aback by this initiative,” said Gyem Tenzin, Tshaluna Tshogpa.
“The water issue has been resolved as new pipes have been installed and new tanks have been constructed. With that, all of us in the village will now have sufficient water,” said Gyem Bidha, a resident of Kemgang.
“Earlier, especially women here relied on the caretaker to look after the source and we never went to the source. However, now we also go up to the source and clean it from time to time to prevent waterborne diseases. Moreover, we have adopted nature-based solutions,” said Choki, another resident of Kemgang.
The village had reservoirs in the past but they were unable to take proper care of them.
“We gained new knowledge and learned how to take care of our water source. We realised the old method had to be changed and we needed to construct a new tank. So, we discussed with Tarayana officials and went all the way up to the source to check the best possible approach,” said Chencho Tshering, also a resident of Kemgang.
The community is trained to utilise nature-based materials and they carry out most of the work. For instance, they have minimised the use of cement and instead used wooden boxes, rocks and bamboo to construct the reservoirs and filtration plant.
“We have three compartments here. In one compartment, we have bamboo charcoal, sand in the other one and stones in the last compartment. With three different filtration processes, water will be purified when it flows into the main tank,” said Partiman Rai, field officer of Kemgang.
He added that the system has been tested to last up to 90 years, providing a long-term solution for the community.
The project also took wildlife into account, creating areas for cattle and wild animals, and planting marigolds to repel insects from infesting the water system.
The project was carried out in collaboration with WWF Bhutan’s “Living Landscapes: Securing High Conservation Values in South-Western Bhutan” project, funded by the International Climate Initiative.
Tarayana has similar projects employing low-cost technology and nature-based solutions in nine other districts.
Devika Pradhan
Edited by Kipchu
