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147 Water Sources Dried, 2,317 drying up in Bhutan
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THIMPHU, 29 May 2021, (TON): Watershed Management Division of the forest department revealed a study “6,555 water sources in the country, 2,317 (35 percent) are drying up while 147 sources have dried up.”
Springwater (4,048) and streams (2,191) are major sources of drinking and irrigation water with lakes, rivers, ponds, and marshes contributing a negligible portion.
With the rapid drying of these sources due to changing climate, and Agriculture Research Specialist Mahesh Ghimirey, said that it could jeopardise the agriculture sector on which 69 percent of the rural population depend.
At the climate series last week, severely affected dzongkhags like Samtse, Tsirang, Mongar, Wangdue, and Dagana need interventions to reverse or halt the process.
Bhutan was economically water-stressed and has enough water resources with 94,500m3 per capita water availability, 500-6,000 mm rainfall, and four major river basins but lack adequate infrastructure for use or management.
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