Even the Prime Minister’s (PM) residence has fallen victim to drinking water shortages, attributed to the failure of Bhutan’s rural water supply scheme (RWSS). Residents steal from each other’s water supply and even the PM’s water pipes have not been spared. The PM’s drinking water tank is said never to be full, forcing his staff to drink water from an irrigation channel. Villagers living in the same district get their water from a polluted stream.

About 88 per cent of houses in Bhutan are supposed to be covered under the RWSS, but of that only about 36 per cent work without a problem and some 31 per cent are non-functional. The latest annual health bulletin (AHB) reports that the number of diarrhoea cases more than doubled in 2008. Failures are blamed on drying water sources, population growth, poor maintenance, a lack of trained personnel, and restrictive traditional water rights. The proposed national Water Act is expected to address most of these issues. The government has also given high priority to drinking water in the tenth plan. A recent RWSS report recommended an assessment of the programme every three years and the reinstatement of dedicated district drinking water engineers.

Related news: Bhutan: rural water supply schemes falling into disrepair, Source South Asia, 09 Oct 2008

Contact: Dr. Ugen Dophu, Director, Dept. of Public Health, Ministry of Public Health, Bhutan, drugendophu@health.gov.bt

Source: Tenzing Lamsang, Nima Wangdi, Kuensel Online, 11 Apr 2009 ; Sonam Pelden, Kuensel Online, 23 Apr 2009

Tags: policies & legislation, rural wash, south asia