For most residents of Upper Chhiya chiwog under Udzorong Gewog in Trashigang, fetching drinking water from a nearby source is a daily routine. It is more common during the dry seasons. The community has a proper water supply, but as the villagers claim, it is neither reliable nor enough to cater to the increasing number of households in the chiwog.
Some water taps have run dry while in others, the flow is down to a trickle. Drinking water is a scarce resource in Upper Chhiya.
Today, most villagers fetch water from a source that caters to the households in the lower parts of the valley. They have to descend for about 10 to 15 minutes on foot to get to the source.
“The water shortage is severe here. I come to fetch water six to seven times a day since I have to feed my cattle as well. There is no water supply to our taps anymore,” said Sangay Zangmo, from Upper Chhiya in Udzorong Gewog.
“If we have enough water, we can grow vegetables instead of having to buy. We tried growing garlic, spinach, and radish but without adequate watering, the crops do not grow well,” added Choning Dorji.
They say, without water, maintaining proper hygiene and sanitation is another problem.
The water for Upper Chiya is drawn from a source located around 12 kilometres away in Khenthong Mani. And the villagers say, it has to be maintained frequently, which adds to their water shortage problem. The source is drying as well.
According to the Chhiya Tshogpa, the water crisis left some 20 households in the community severely affected.
However, the problem is expected to be resolved soon.
“Our gewog identified seven different water sources from Khaling Gewog and we received Nu 15 M for the project. As of now, we completed the survey works. Once the project is complete, we hope our chiwog’s water problem will be solved,” said Pema Wangda, the Tshogpa for Chhiya.
Upper Chhiya received the existing drinking water supply in 2013. The government spent Nu 13 M for the works.
Sonam Darjay, Trashigang
