The erratic water supply faced by residents of Debsi in Thimphu is no more. After several years, residents are finally breathing a sigh of relief thanks to the recently completed water project. The project which was officially inaugurated yesterday is supplying continuous water to the residents.
The water storage and filtering structure has been constructed at the water source at Ngabirongchhu above the Royal Thimphu College.
The Debsi Water Flagship Programme started in June of last year. A similar project was planned in 2021 but was cancelled due to approval issues.
About 150 DeSuups worked to complete the project. It is now supplying uninterrupted water to more than 3,000 residents in the area. The project is expected to cater to more than 10,000 people which is the projected population of Debsi in the next 25 years according to the project manager.
“Today the water supply is being handed over to the Debsi community from the district. So for the next six months to a year, we are expecting a few problems such as water leakage from the pipes and other small things, but it won’t cause much inconvenience. The community will receive water for 24 hours,” said Chenga Dawa, project manager of the Debsi Water Flagship Programme.
The project was estimated to cost more than Nu 90 M but was completed for Nu 55 M.
Residents have been receiving 24/7 water supply for the past two months which was tested as a trial period.
The former plumber did not fix the pipelines properly, there would be leakage in between the pipes. The Debsi community went to the source and fixed the pipelines. Then, it improved a bit. However, after the project, the water supply has become much better. I am happy that the water is cleaner and comes 24 hours,” said Bhim Ray Ghalley, community plumber of Debsi.
According to the Chiwog Tshogpa, people started to experience water shortages in 2014. He added that was also when the population of the community started to increase drastically. There were only about five households in 2008 while there are more than 200 households today.
In the past, we did not have water at times; there used to be problems at the water source, and the pipeline was not good. It would be better in the winter, but in the summer, when it rained, the water became very unclean. And we had to fix the water connection time and again. We could supply water for a few hours, such as four hours in the morning and the evening,” said Dorji Wangdi, Debsi Tshogpa.
With a reliable water supply, nine fire hydrants with hose pipes have also been installed in Debsi to be used during fire incidents.
According to the district office, people can break the glass of the hydrants and use the hose to contain fires. Fire brigades can also easily access water through the fire hydrants during emergencies.
Singye Dema
Edited by Yeshi Gyeltshen