The sand stocking yard and dredging work in Tshogkorna of Barp Gewog in Punakha has created inconvenience for the residents. Some of the residents said due to the dredging, the land above the Punatsangchhu started eroding. Moreover, sand blown by the wind from the stocking yard is damaging the crops in the village. The yard is located near the Punatshangchhu in Tshogkorna Chiwog.
50-year-old Kinley Wangmo is one of the residents who is affected by the dredging works. She said portions of her land started eroding and since then she kept it fallow for years.
“Land is eroding gradually. Now, it’s been around 10 years that we left the land fallow.”
This isn’t the only issue. Transporting sand from the yard is causing another nuisance. The constant movement of trucks transporting sand has damaged the road which the villagers use. More than 150 truckloads of sand are supplied from the yard every day. Today, over 50 truckloads are being transported amid the pandemic.
“Earlier, they told us that they will blacktop the road. But they did not do that and instead, they maintained with concrete which did not last. So it is difficult for light vehicles to travel. A landlord at Lhamoi Lungpa also lost her all tenants due to bad road conditions,” said Dago, Tshogkorna Chiwog Tshogpa.
“They agreed to pile sand till the height of the CGI sheets. But now, they have piled up the sand beyond the level of the CGI sheets and the wind carries the sands into the nearby fields. It is causing several problems in the community,” said Nado from Tshogkorna.
Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Development Corporation Limited (NRDCL) compensated around Nu 2.3 M to 18 households in the chiwog for damaged crops.
However, the office could not carry out any works regarding the reduction of the dust pollution from the road and the yard due to budget constraints. Officials added that the tractor which sprinkles water is also malfunctioning.
A 200-meter long wind barricade was also constructed along the river to block the wind but didn’t serve the purpose.
“As a pilot project, we are constructing an embankment with river gravels. So, if it is successful, we also have plans to construct the river embankment at the affected places,” said Mani Gyeltshen, the Branch Manager of NRDCL Branch in Wangdue Phodrang.
However, he added, that the river embankment works can be carried out only during winter when the water level subsides.
Currently, there are three sand extraction sites along the Punatsangchhu River in Wangdue Phodrang. The SHA region is the main source of sand for western and central parts of the country.
ChangaDorji, WangduePhodrang
