People are all smiles with the completion of a five-kilometre ring road that connects all the villages in Nubi Gewog, Trongsa. But for farmers of six households in Bji Pam and Jongthang villages, the story is different. The debris from road construction buried the irrigation channel last year. And this has worried the farmers as it has delayed the paddy transplantation by almost a month.
“The paddy fields below the road takes the water from the irrigation channel below while others take from here. But now we are planning and working on to take water together from this single source and divide upon reaching the terraces,” said Wangchuk, one of the affected farmers.
“We have two irrigation channels. The one below the road is completely buried by the debris and the one above the road is also damaged while excavating. And even the pipes installed there were all displaced,” added Jurmey, another farmer.
“Located in the highland areas, the delay in paddy cultivation results in poor yields. So, when such irrigation issue arises, the aim of achieving self-sufficiency in agriculture is hampered,” added Chimmi Dorji.
“Our hope is that the dzongkhag and gewog will come up with some innovative solutions and clear the debris from the irrigation channel at the earliest,” said Zongchu.
The Dzongkhag provided two pipes of about one kilometre as a temporary measure. The contractor executing the road construction said the problem will be resolved once a drain along the stretch of the ring road will be constructed in about a few months.
Meanwhile, to reap the benefits of the ring road, people said there is a need for a bridge.
“We have proposed a budget for bridge construction in the 2021-2022 financial year as directed by the agriculture minister. So, if all goes as per the plan, we are hoping to get a bridge that will immensely benefit all the villages in Nubi gewog,” said Ugen Tenzin, the Nubi Gup.
The road construction works began in January last year with funds from the government of India.
Passang, Trongsa
