The residents of Dhangkhar village in Zhemgang are facing a growing waste issue. The village does not have a proper waste disposal site and as such the residents have been disposing of it in a nearby forest. But this has led to dire consequences with the once fresh forest emitting a filthy stench and people are also blaming the unmanaged waste for illnesses.
Without a proper place to dump their waste, villagers of Dhangkhar have been throwing their garbage in the forest which is just a few metres away from the village. They have been doing this for the past five years, and today, the nearby forest is filled with trash. The situation has worsened to the point that the stench is now also filling up the village.
Moreover, villagers say their actions have also led to the local deities getting offended which is resulting in the villagers often getting sick.
“People have been dumping waste in the forest for so long and it has started to upset the local deities there. People have started to fall sick. It would be great if the waste trucks would come here, we can properly dispose of our wastes then,” said Ugyen Lhaden, a resident.
“We would be grateful if a garbage collector truck can be arranged for us,” said Chophel, another resident.
“The reason we need a proper waste disposal site is because the local deity is not happy with us dumping garbage in the jungle, and as a result, villagers are getting sick. That is what we found out during our astrology readings,” said Dungtru, who is also a resident.
Dhangkhar residents say these issues started to arise about a year ago. And since then they have been requesting the local authorities for intervention.
Meanwhile, the Trong Gewog Office says they are not aware of the issue as they have not been informed about it. BBS talked to the Chiwog Tshogpa who said he is planning to bring up the issue in the upcoming Gewog Tshogde.
Dhangkhar is located just a few kilometres away from Zhemgang town.
Pema Samdrup, Zhemgang
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
