According to official reports, access to safe drinking water is still a struggle in some parts of Thimphu city. This is the case in places, which are supplied drinking water from old water treatment plants. Studies have found that water supplied from these plants get contaminated quite often.
As of now, there are five Water Treatment Plants supplying drinking water to residents in Thimphu Thromde. These plants are located in Motithang, Jungzhina, Dechencholing, Chamgang and Taba.
Of the five, drinking water supplied by water treatment plants in Dechencholing, Chamgang and Taba meet the Bhutan Drinking Water Quality Standard.
According to the Bhutan Drinking Water Quality Standard 2016, developed jointly by the National Environment Commission (NEC) and the Health Ministry, there is a certain limit for water turbidity, which is the clarity of water for human consumption. Any trace of the E. coli bacteria is also not acceptable in drinking water. Its detection indicates contamination of water by either sewage or animal wastes. This standard is in line with the WHO’s Drinking Water Standard.
But when looking at the water quality report from both the Royal Centre for Diseases Control (RCDC) and the Thimphu Thromde, it has been found that water treatment plants in Jungzhina and Motithang are not able to effectively maintain the turbidity and E. coli levels of drinking water.
The Thromde’s water quality report for last year found that the Motithang treatment plant fails to maintain the standard turbidity level of drinking water
Last summer, water turbidity was triple the standard levels.
The treatment plant in Motithang, which was constructed in the 1970s, supplies drinking water to upper and lower Motithang, Changangkha, NPPF colony, JDWNRH and Yangchenphu.
The residents in these areas say finding yellowish water with unpleasant odor during summer is nothing new.
Lhamo Sherab, a Motithang resident says it is fine during the winter but during the summer, the water they get from the tap is yellowish in color. “We even find sand particles in the water. We can’t drink the water before we filter and boil it. If we don’t boil the water, the water even has a peculiar odor to it.”
Mon Bdr Waiba who also lives in Motithang said that tap water is so dirty in summer that people have to use cloths to cover the tap in order to filter the dirt coming from the water. “And it is difficult to manage since we run a restaurant. Thromde should know this and that there is a need to improve the treatment plant,” he added.
“Every summer we face issues with the drinking water. The water is murky and even smells. We have to filter it and cooking food becomes a hassle,” Tendi, a Changangkha Resident said.
Similarly, the Water Treatment Plant in Jungzhina is unable to control E. coli presence in its water supply.
Water Test Results by the RCDC detected presence of E.coli in water supplied from the Junzhina Treatment Plant on at least 4 occasions last year.
The Jungzhina water treatment plant supplies drinking water to houses in Hejo, Tashichoedzong area and parts of core Thimphu town.
When BBS reached out to the Department of Water under the NEC, they said no action has been taken since the rate of drinking water not meeting the standard is low.
But drinking water issues in these areas still continues during summer, with an official from the RCDC saying their office has been requesting the Thimphu Thromde to either upgrade the treatment plants or build new ones that can cater to the today’s population.
The Thromde says they do not have any plans to build new treatment plants or upgrade the old ones at Motithang and Jungzhina.
Karma Samten Wangda
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
