Water scarcity at Sarpang resettlements

Fields have fallen fallow and farmers look for manual work

No flow: A dry tap stand in Umling

21 December, 2009 - The temperature has dropped and the rains that caused streams and rivers to swell and block roads have stopped. It is a perfect winter in Sarpang’s Umling and Tarithang, located at the foothills of the black mountain range. But, at this time of year, water is scarce in the gewogs.

Villagers, mostly resettled from eastern Bhutan, are not happy. The acute shortage of drinking and irrigation water for their winter crops has made them do a rethink. “We could have been happier in our village,” said a villager. The only drinking water source is drying up quicker than they thought, according to villagers.

Not long after many farmers were resettled, the rural water supply connected 124 houses in Rijung and Gaden villages of Umling with drinking water, but today all the taps run dry. Tshogpa Tshering Zangpo said that the water source is lower than the villages and today villagers walk to other villages to fetch water. Although the fields are fertile, some villagers have already left, looking for non-farm work.

“If only there’s enough water, our men won’t have to go out in search of manual work and we could have been self-sufficient,” said a farmer, Sonam Zangmo, 40.

The mother of six said that they buy everything from Gelephu with their fields are becoming fallow. The vast flatlands of the two gewogs are fertile and best suited for paddy cultivation but, without enough water, the residents of the 11 villages in the two gewogs grow maize instead of rice. They plant maize out of an obligation not to leave their fields fallow.

In Tarithang C, not even a single household of 24 houses cultivated paddy. The people of Dungmin in Umling also could not cultivate. In Thongazor and Tashithang, paddy cultivation was discontinued after the heavy monsoon washed away the irrigation channel constructed in 2000. “We request all the officials, who came to our village to do something, but nothing has been done till now,” said a village tshogpa, Tashi.

Gups said that they are aware of the problem and have raised the issue to the dzongkhag. “We’ve received the materials and construction will begin soon,” said Umling gup, Ugyen Norbu. In Tarithang, the gewog prioritised the irrigation channel construction, but the funds were not approved from the department of budget. “People here think that the gewog don’t want to give them water and it’s difficult to convince them,” gup Dorji Wangdi said.

Meanwhile, Gelephu town is also suffering from water shortage for more than a week. Residents say that there is not enough water to wash their faces, forget cleaning. “We’re losing customers as we can’t keep our hotels clean,” said an hotelier.

Gelephu municipal engineer, Chophel Dorji, told Kuensel that the water shortage was caused because two submersible pumps were damaged on November 20. “Since then, we’ve been supplying water through pump,” he said. As of now, water is supplied on a rotation basis.

Chopel Dorji said that residents would have to bear with the rationing until new pumps are procured. He said that the water problem would end once the new water treatment plant starts functioning, which is expected to be by the end of this month.

By Tashi Dema in Kuensel

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