105 NHDCL households in Pekarzhing struggle with acute month-long water shortage

About 105 households residing in National Housing and Development Corporation Limited (NHDCL) housing colony in Pekarzhing, Phuentsholing, have been facing acute water shortage for about a month due to  the breakage of water pump from frequent power cuts.

About 1,000 people have been affected by the recent water shortage. The residents of Pekarzhing comprising of 105 households were being supplied water from a source at Pasakha. They went to NHDCL to seek their intervention but an official from NHDCL advised the residents to approach Phuentsholing Thromde as water related issues were looked after by the thromde.

Upon approaching the thromde, the residents were promised of maintenance, yet for two more weeks the problem persisted and the thromde replied to the matter without effect.

The residents stated that there had been water shortages from time to time for a quite a while but this had been the first time they were left without water for over a month.

A representative of the resident stated that, in a day, each person need about 135 liters of water for cooking and washing and the means provided by the Thromde to resolve the issue by providing 2 tankers of 6000 liters in two to three days’ time was not sufficient as the consumption rate was comparatively higher.

He also said that, they were not happy with the response given by the Thromde and felt neglected as Thromde they did not actually put emphasis on the seriousness of the matter.

In response to that a Thromde official said that, “Pekarzhing does not fall in the urban zone and it is not under the thromde’s jurisdiction.”

The residents’ feelings were otherwise, as they were supplied water from the thromde in the past but in times of drought the thromde ignored claims of it being in their mandate.

Phuentsholing Thrompoen Uttam Kumar Rai said that there are water shortages in many places in Phuentsholing including Pekarzhing colony and the are trying their best to resolve the issue.

He stated that the problem is due to the low water table and the frequent BPC power cuts.

“Our efforts to solve the problem is not limited to Pekarzhing but the entirety of the region, with only three tankers at our disposal, there is not much we can do about it,” he said.

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