Agency: For decades, residents of Zhemgang town have lived with water scarcity, turning on taps only to find them dry every other day. Farmers in Trong-Dangkhar chiwog have watched their once-productive paddy fields lie barren, abandoned to the lack of irrigation. Now, hope is flowing back with the launch of Zhemgang’s largest-ever water project.
The Nu 579.74 million integrated water supply and irrigation project, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is halfway complete and promises to bring lasting change to both homes and fields.
Once finished, the project will ensure 24/7 access to safe drinking water and revive fallow farmlands across Tingbipam, Crespipam, Dangkhar, Dungbi, and Wangdigang, directly benefiting over 2,000 people.
“As you can see, Zhemgang town is on a hilltop and there is water shortage not only for drinking but also irrigation. Most paddy fields in this hill areas have remained fallow for several years. After the project is completed, we will have enough water for both the town and farming,” the Zhemgang Dzongda, Kesang Jigme.
He shared that currently, residents depend on alternate-day water supply, which disrupts daily life and forces families to ration water. Farmers, meanwhile, have been unable to plant rice and other crops without reliable irrigation. The new project aims to change that ensuring better health and hygiene for the town while restoring agricultural productivity in the surrounding chiwogs.
Initially, planners considered sourcing water from the Sersong stream, but it was found to be too small. Instead, the Wangdigang water source, 22 kilometers away, was identified as sustainable enough to meet the town’s needs. Water will be transported through a 630 mm HDPE main pipeline.
To improve quality and reliability, the scheme includes construction of a new sedimentation tank, upgrades to the existing slow sand filter, and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system that will allow automated monitoring and control of the entire distribution network.
The contract for the project was awarded to Construction Development Corporation Limited (CDCL) on 26th August 2024 with completion scheduled for 26th August 2026. The Project Management Unit (PMU) under the Water and Sanitation Division of the Department of Infrastructure Development is overseeing the work, with the Dzongkhag Administration serving as the Project Implementation Unit (PIU).
So far, CDCL has begun laying new distribution lines in the urban core, maintaining the slow sand filter, and constructing a brake pressure tank and sedimentation tank. The main distribution pipelines are also being installed.
This is the largest-scale project ever implemented under the Dzongkhag Administration.
The Zhemgang Dzongda said that it is not just about water supply but about transforming livelihoods, reviving long-abandoned paddy fields, increasing fruit and vegetable production, and improving food security.
For residents, the project symbolizes a long-awaited relief. After years of managing with scarce water, many are hopeful that Zhemgang’s dry days will soon be over.
If all goes as planned, by August 2026, Zhemgang town and its neighboring chiwogs will see water flowing freely, quenching both thirst and the hunger for agricultural revival.
