Once upon a time, people in Bhutan depend on the streams
nearby their village for daily consumption of water. Looking behind more than a
decade it is the history of water works in Bhutan that has galloped a long way.
Water supply system of Bhutan is a small business because most of the people
use water from natural sources to consume. When maximum of its population are
in rural area, people are benefited and supplied water through Rural Water
Supply Scheme (RWSC). The very source of the supply is perennial streams and
rivers.
Due to the introduction of five years plan and the
democratically elected government almost all the nook and corners of the
country is supplied and facilitated with pure safe drinking water supply.
With the increase in population in the urban areas, the need
of water plant was then born. Cities like Thimphu and Phuntsholing has water
supply which is limited to commercial premises such as hotels and factories.
Water plant of Thimphu has a capacity of 6,500 cubic meters per day. And still
Samdrup Jongkhar town doesn’t have the facilities of water treatment plant.
However the source of raw water in the country obtained from
the mountains are clean and pure. It is not necessary to go through process of
filtration, sedimentation, or the use of chemicals in the treatment process.
The crisis of water is still a big question. Recently
villagers of Mongar district are in court for the damaging and deflecting their
water source by another village.
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Most of the towns and cities are now complaining and crying
foul over shortage of water supply. The size of the cities and the types of
gentry and habits of people are increasing which demand huge quantity of water
which are required for maintaining clean and healthy environment. If the cities
are provided with flush system, water consumption will be more than the old
conservation system of latrines is adopted, which directly deal with
development of sewerage facilities.
Water demand for industries will be huge considering the
plan of up-coming industries in the country. And in the thickly populated and
industrial areas, fire generally breaks out, which requires huge quantity of
water for firefighting squads.
The quality of water and pressure in the distribution system
determines the amount consumption too. Better the quality more the consumption
will be. If the pressure in the distribution pipe is high and sufficient to
make the water reach at 3rd or even 4th story, water
consumption will definitely be more. And also due to the daily variation of
temperature which always keeps on increasing leads to increment of more usage
of water because more bathing, cleaning, air coolers, air conditioning etc are
involved.
The very critical issue is the perennial streams and rivers
that are used in the villages as direct sources for supply are getting dried
up. Their volume decreases yearly accounting water shortage even in the homes
of the far away villages.
The knowledge and training to improve water treatment
process, training to develop the management waterworks skills both the water
quality and technology in the laboratory to determine water quality, consulting
ground water, innovation of small waterworks, preparing a master plan for
waterworks in city, knowledge of water meters and water storage costs, the
expansion of production capacity of the plant, using GIS applications in the
pipeline system and management the loss of water etc should become the real
need of long term water development of water work in Bhutan.