Letter from Thimphu

UNDP in Asia and the Pacific
6 min readJul 5, 2024

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From Bhutan, the land of the thunder dragon, UNDP Resident Representative Mohammad Younus shares an inspiring story of how UNDP worked with the government to end decades-long struggle of two remote communities gripped by water scarcity, reviving large swathes of land left fallow, restoring lost livelihoods and touching the lives of many vulnerable farming populations.

Imagine a place gripped by acute water shortage for decades, pushing people into hardship and despair.

It can be hard to believe that such a place exists in water-rich Bhutan with one of the highest per-capita availability of water in the world. But this was a reality for Gyem and many others in Phangyul and Kazhi communities in Wangdue Phodrang district until recently.

The problem was grave, so much so that the community became synonymous with water scarcity. It has also given birth to a popular saying, which goes, ‘Nothing can be as dry and barren as Phangyul’. And people like Gyem had only one wish and that was to see the longstanding water crisis solved for once and for all.

Gyem, 88, from Phangyul prayed for water every day. Her prayers have been answered finally.

Gyem, 88 years old now, told me that the water shortage was not a new problem, particularly in Phangyul where she hails from. It’s been there since her parent’s time. What has changed is that the problem worsened in recent decades, and climate change is partly being blamed for it.

Let alone water for farming, there was barely enough drinking water. The crisis not only forced farmers to leave large swathes of their farmland fallow but also to abandon their villages. 65-year-old Kinzang is one of the many who left their villages in search of a better life. Others like 45-year-old Sumcho Pem who stayed back had given up hope of ever tending to her vast 10-acre land, a significant portion of which lay abandoned due to severe water scarcity.

Sumcho, 45, from Phangyul owns 10 acres of paddy fields and 80 percent of it remained fallow until recently.

Undoubtedly, it’s been a tough life for the people of Phangyul and Kazhi, who rely on farming for livelihood. The good news, though, is that the water issue is now a thing of the past.

Last month, a new 38-kilometer piped irrigation scheme for the two communities, supported by UNDP with funding from the Green Climate Fund and co-financing from the government, was inaugurated amidst lively celebrations at Phangyul Goenpa. UNDP joined the minister of agriculture and livestock, district and local government officials and the communities for this historic inauguration, which marked the end of decades-long water struggle and start of a new beginning for the people of Phangyul and Kazhi communities.

Farmers transplanted paddy to celebrate the arrival of water.

A dream come true

The people were palpably overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. For Gyem, it was a dream come true. Her daily prayers for water have been answered at last. Gyem thought she may not live long enough to see this day.

In the same vein, Kinzang never thought she would ever return to her village, but she did after 16 years, and is elated to be back and reconnect with her roots.

Grinning from ear to ear, Sumcho Pem jokingly said she might have to relearn how to transplant paddy because it’s been more than 30 years since she last cultivated rice. The local leaders shared incidents of how the people in the two communities fought over water with some of these feuds landing up in the court.

Kinzang left Phangyul almost two decades ago and returned recently.

As I listened to their stories, I could not help but feel deeply humbled and proud at the same time of this profound, transformative impact of UNDP’s work. Nothing can be more rewarding than seeing remote, vulnerable communities like that of Phangyul and Kazhi, who languished under the weight of water scarcity for as long as they can remember, finally beaming with joy and hope.

I say transformative because the scheme will change the lives of 2,485 people for better. It will help irrigate 1,241 acres of land, reviving land left fallow and restoring lost livelihoods. At the inauguration, the agriculture and livestock minister Younten Phuntsho said that this much-awaited irrigation scheme would not only uplift the lives of the locals but also enhance the country’s food security.

Building climate resilience of farming communities

The irrigation scheme for Phangyul and Kazhi is one of the 44 such schemes that UNDP has or is supporting across 11 districts in Bhutan in partnership with the Green Climate Fund, Global Environmental Facility and the Government of Japan. These pressurized piped irrigation schemes are designed to better withstand extreme weather conditions.

Farmers from Kazhi community

In Bhutan where landslides and floods are common due to its hilly and mountainous landscape, and now exacerbated by climate change, the conventional open irrigation channels often get damaged by slides and floods, resulting in huge maintenance costs for the government as well as the communities.

The other problem with open irrigation channels is the significant loss of water along the way due to blockage caused by slides and water seepage.

The piped irrigation schemes, on the other hand, ensures uninterrupted water supply with zero loss of water from the source till distribution points. They are also environment friendly. For instance, only 70 percent of the water from the source is tapped to maintain 30 percent environmental flow in the lean period as mandated by the Water Regulation of Bhutan, 2014.

These schemes also use integrated technologies, including nature-based solutions, such as bio-engineering plantations, for structural stability of infrastructure. This helps to enhance resilience, ecological sustainability, and overall protection of water catchment areas.

Also, the investment in pressurized piped irrigation schemes is a high-return investment. For example, the investment on the scheme for Phangyul and Kazhi is expected to be recovered in two years’ time.

Farmer prepares his fields for paddy transplantation in Phangyul.

The dawn of a new future

Back in Phangyul and Kazhi, as the water breathes new life into parched fields that had long been abandoned, the once distant dream of a brighter future — one where the fields teem with abundance and the communities thrive — no longer seems far-fetched.

For UNDP, this will remain one of the key milestones from the sixth decade of our partnership with the Royal Government of Bhutan. What we have achieved in Phangyul and Kazhi will serve as a perpetual reminder of our purpose in Bhutan, instilling in us the passion and drive to serve Bhutan and its people even better.

Personally, Phangyul will remain etched on my memory forever as the place where I got to plant paddy with communities reborn with a gift of water.

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