Back to news
17 Nov 2015 | News

Water Assessment in Tsirang, Bhutan

2 mins Read

70% Complete

The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with the Local Government, Tsirang District, Bhutan conducted a rapid scenario assessment of water in five chiwogs of Barshong Gewog, 5-11 October 2015. The assessment was part of the Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation Programme in the Himalaya (Himalica) initiatives financed by the European Union, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Bhutan.

The assessment comprised a checklist for focus group discussion designed by ICIMOD experts and centred on water availability, consumption patterns and demand, and water management practices. Seventy-two participants from six communities participated in the focus group. Field observations were also included in the assessment.

All communities enjoy having to piped water for drinking purposes but water availability in the communities is seasonal in nature. Two communities located in the higher elevations were found facing critical water scarcity despite seasonality. Adding to the plight of drinking water scarcity, the assessment revealed that most people in these communities use water sourced from springs for drinking purpose to also grow vegetables, kitchen gardens and water their animals. Focus group participants said the demand for water rises during the winter vegetable growing season when water is more scarce.

Participatory water resource mapping

Apart from simple water source protection techniques and watershed management, most focus group members were unaware of efficient small-scale water management practices such as rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, plastic-lined conservation ponds, and water recharge ponds. Participants showed interest in adopting more efficient techniques and were keen to see  demonstration sites in the communities.

One interesting finding from the focus group was the existence of a traditional water sharing system for irrigation known as ‘Kulos’ (canals). More than 40 irrigation canals in four communities exist benefiting up to 18 households. The Kulos are governed by a traditional water sharing system — use, maintain, repair, and appropriate. There are also drinking water groups in some communities also bound by informal agreements among the users.

The study also found that no single household has left the locality due to water scarcity. Participants said with the decline of water availability every year, they switched from cultivating water intensive crops, like rice, to less water intensive crops, like maize and millet.

The study found that the overriding challenge in Barshong Gewog is the lack of efficient management practices than the availability of water itself.

Group discussion in the Gewog office, Barshong

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related contents

Continue exploring this topic

11 Jun 2018 REDD+
India’s first State REDD+ Action Plan in the making

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has tried to build capacity to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest ...

14 Dec 2015 KSL
Toilets Clean up Kailash Sacred Landscape

  The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) Foundation and Central Himalayan Environment ...

6 Dec 2017 News
MOPE, EU, and ICIMOD host International Conference on Resilient HKH

Resilience is the ability of communities and ecosystems to be prepared for shocks, recover from shocks, and “bounce forward” to ...

16 Mar 2015 Atmosphere Initiative
ICIMOD strengthens collaboration with national science academy

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain ...

8 Sep 2016 Gender in Koshi
Ratu River Communities Prepared for Flash Floods

A team from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) visited community based flood early warning system (CBFEWS) sites ...

18 Dec 2015 HKPL
Regional consultation on Karakoram-Pamir-Wakhan Landscape Initiative

A regional consultation workshop on programme development for Karakoram-Pamir-Wakhan Landscape Initiative jointly organised by the Wakhan Corridor Initiative and the ...

30 Oct 2018 Cryosphere
Collaborative research on the Ponkar Glacier with Kathmandu University

The team conducted measurements at the lower parts of the glacier to quantify ice melt amount under debris layers and ...

12 Apr 2018 News
AGORA Workshop in Nepal (29 -30 March, 2018)

Introduction The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United ...