To address the drinking water shortage facing the residents of three constituencies in Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde, the Thromde Administration is initiating measures. Currently, construction of additional infrastructure is underway to ensure reliable water supply. For years, residents of Kipse, Bangtsho and Samdrup Gatshel constituencies have been facing water shortage, especially during the dry season.
Residents of Kipse, Bangtsho and Samdrup Gatshel have to remain without water for days sometimes.
This is mainly because the capacity of water reservoir is less.
Also, during rainy season, the water pipes are often damaged by landslides cutting off water supply for the residents.
Currently, Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde has three water reservoirs with a combined capacity of 175,000 litres.
To address the water shortage issue Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde is constructing two additional water reservoirs with water distribution and household connection by spending 23 million ngultrum. It is funded by the government.
The construction of the reservoir with 275,000 litres capacity at Bangtsho is complete.
And the construction of 169,000 litres tank at Samdrup Gatshel is underway as of today.
The construction of a water distribution pipeline and household connection is also going on.
The work is supposed to be completed in about three weeks from now.
However, the contractor says it will not complete on time since work got hampered due to labour and material shortages.
The contractor says they are trying to complete the work in two months if rain does not hamper the work progress.
“Water supply is not reliable here, so sometimes we use stream water. The water supply is not good and we are facing problem,” said Wangda, a resident.
“Before we had more than 100 households which increased to 200 now. So, we are facing water shortage. Moreover, the water source is old and shared with gewog which is why we are facing water problem,” said Karma Tenzin, another resident.
As the current water source at Lemsorong is small, the Thromde Administration is also carrying out water augmentation at the new water source at Morongchhu. Water augmentation is done to ensure secure additional supplies for both current and future water users.
Work has been awarded to a contractor in May and it is scheduled to complete by November next year.
It is being carried out by spending more than Nu 124 M funded by the Asian Development Bank.
“The water augmentation works from Morongchhu is supported by the Asian Development Bank. It won’t take much time, as it is supposed to be completed in 18 months. Moreover, we are requesting the contractor to expedite the works so it can be completed before the deadline,” said Thinley Namgay, Samdrup Jongkhar Thrompon.
Once all the projects are complete, residents of Kipse, Bangtsho, and Samdrup Gatshel constituencies can expect adequate water supply.
This development will positively impact various aspects of their lives, including agriculture, sanitation, and overall quality of life.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Phub Gyem