Climate Change Reporting: Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Climate Change Reporting: Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan
Climate Change Reporting: Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 1 | Contents Haaps fear extinction of yak herding practice 24
Conserving water resources with PES, an example from Yakpugang 33 Trading White Gold 36 Background Selected grantees with the mentors for A fungus, A Community and 05 Climate Change Reporting Grant Features its Culture 39
Water shortage a national The lost mandarin growers concern 07 of Bhutan 44 Pangtse shing benefits rural communities but faces threat 11 from deforestation
Containing our glacier-lake 15 ticking time bombs
Danger of wrathful waters 21 in Lhuentse ᭴་讐་蝴ན་བ讟ན་གནས་ཐབས་轴་ སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ལམ་轴གས་ག筲་བ杴གས། | 2 | Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 3 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan ༢༩ Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Background
>> Selected grantees with the mentors for Climate Change Reporting Grant
Bhutan Media Foundation (BMF) completed its first round of Climate Change Reporting (CCR) Grant within the period of four months from August to November, 2020. The main objective of CCR Grant is to produce well-researched, in-depth stories on the impact of climate change on vulnerable rural communities of Bhutan.
The grant has sent the eight reporters across the length and breadth of the country pursuing various climate change stories. Travelling across rural Bhutan is always challenging. This year, it was made worse by travel restrictions due to COVID-19. Yet, the reporters persevered and the result is a critical mass of stories climate change stories. The stories were also possible due to the guidance of three mentors who sharpened the focus, improved the structure, and added depth to the stories.
In the second round of the grant, the same grantees will link their climate change stories with the public policies of the country, thus completing the narrative.
A total of eight stories, including two documentaries, were produced and published/ aired across the Bhutanese media. The Climate Change Reporting Grant is funded by Earth Journalism Network under the project titled ‘Linking Climate Change BHUTAN MEDIA FOUNDATION | 2020 | Reporting with Public Policy’.
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 4 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 5 | The lost mandarin growers of Bhutan
Sonam Penjor, Reporter Bhutan Times | 15 November 2020
range is no longer colorful Because of the perennial drop in now. production pattern, which almost seems irreparable and the constant efforts put in Farmers growing by the government to help people adapt mandarin around the to better practices through advocacy, countryO are lost like never before facing locals generally attribute the reason to an uncertainty about growing the once global warming. Lhawang Dorji says reliable source of cash income. For more global warming has resulted in erratic than a decade now, the fruit has been rainfall, which has mainly triggered the attracting new diseases and the trees have decrease in production as well as the started beating altitudes and the yield has falling quality of the yields. >> Selected grantees with the mentors for Climate Change Reporting Grant been going down making no economic sense to continue growing the once Almost sentimental, a mandarin famed cash crop. grower from Tashiding Gewog in Dagana, Samdrup Dorji, 56, reminisces how his Despite efforts made by the 300 plant-orchard used to bring enough government, mandarin growers don’t cash to last his family of five for a whole know how to adapt. year. Production soon fell and the yield became inconsistent. He also lost some The Chairperson of Dagana parts of the orchard to citrus greening in Dzongkhag Tshogdu, Lhawang Dorji, 2015 by when he realized that he could recalls explicitly how most of the not continue growing mandarin. mandarin growers used to hire “trucks” to take the fruit to Phuentsholing in the Following a government advocacy to past. “Now most growers only hire Bolero focus on cardamom, he converted his pickup trucks,” he lamented and added, orchard to growing cardamom together “and for many growers, it is a challenge to with his neighbors who made the same even fill up one Bolero truck.” decision. “We also started to grow litchi, avocado and mangoes,” he said. This year,
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 6 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 7 | he is worried nonetheless because his emotional reasons as the fruit trees had few pockets where the fruit is still giving a cardamom yield has also started dying. been the legacy of their family for more reason of hope to growers. “We are really doomed,” he said. than one hundred years.” With few exceptions, Over the hillocks of Dorokha in Hundreds of kilometres eastwards to most mandarin In Mendrelgang in Tsirang, Sangay Samste, a young and robust mandarin Shumar in Pemagatshel, Thinpay Sherab, Lethro, 45, still grows about 100 grower, Khesar Dhakal, 27, recounted 68, converted his 4-acre mandarin growers are looking for mandarin trees but says he is very that a few years ago many growers fell orchard a decade back to grow fruits alternatives as they are doubtful that the yield would bring in down the old trees when they realized like avocado, pomegranate, mango, and cash income. He attributes the main that it was not bearing fruit and replaced pineapple. Once a proud mandarin plagued by decreasing reason to erratic rain- fall and admits that it with new saplings most of which grower, he said the mandarin trees started the growing mandarin is not as profitable has come of age to bear fruit. “I expect dying for no reason. “I still don’t know production, emergence as in the past. bountiful produce from this year for every the reason but I doubt global warming,” of multiple diseases, resident of Dorokha,” an optimist Khesar he says. In Tsirang, the annual mandarin said. trees dying for unknown production in 2019 was 3,388 MT, which His orchard had about 1,000 was a decrease from the previous year that An effective way to improve mandarin trees and it fetched him an reasons and many more. saw 4,300 MT. Some major challenges in productivity is by providing balanced average of about Nu 200,000 more than growing mandarin in Tsirang dzongkhag manure and timely fertilization because a decade ago, which made him financially include deteriorating soil condition, old productivity is directly linked with comfortable. It all ended abruptly. village under Martshalla Gewog in age of trees, poor management and pests orchard soil fertility level, said the Thinpay Sherab noticed that mandarin Samdrup Jongkhar, a university graduate, and diseases, said the District Agriculture Program Director for Agriculture trees were beating altitudes and growing Ugyen Dorji, 42, wonders how mandarin Officer, Dorji Gyeltshen. Research and Development Centre, in much colder areas where it never grew cultivation has literally died down in his Bajo, Pema Chofil. He attributed the in the past “and it started dying in our village and also neighbouring villages in The Gup of Tashiding Gewog in declining mandarin yield in Bhutan to areas which was historically al- ways ideal the gewog. “More than two decades ago, Dagana, Namgay Pelden, said that people “improper and inadequate manuring place to grow mandarin.” everyone in the gewog grew mandarin are giving up mandarin cultivation and and fertilization under rain-fed farming and it was the most reliable source of cash moving on to grow other fruits. She said aggravated by pests and diseases.” He said With farm roads connecting Shumar income,” He recollects, “today, only few that growers could still produce good mandarin performs best in sandy loam only in 2012, Thinpay Sherab fondly growers remain and everyone has moved yield if all advices of agriculture experts soils with pH ranging from 5.5 to 6.5. recollects his entire life story of growing on to cultivating ginger,” and emotionally are followed. Generally, soils with low nutrient content the fruit, carrying it personally and on adds, “Mandarin business is dead.” Ugyen will have high response to fertilizer Even district agriculture offices horse backs to the nearest road point and Dorji says that villagers could no longer application than soil with high nutrient are constrained to offer effective then transporting it to Samdrup Jongkhar hold on to cultivating mandarin as the content. interventions to growers. The District to auction it for export. crop had become unreliable to fetch cash Agriculture Officer of Dagana, D C income. “Production drastically dropped, As early as 2004, an executive order of “I often fantasize how we would have Bhandari said that District offices often a range of diseases crept in, quality the agriculture ministry establishing the conducted our mandarin business today lack the capacity to carry out detailed became inferior, trees started dying and National Citrus Program acknowledged with the roads connecting our village. research for declining production. started growing at much higher altitudes, that mandarin has been grown in the It would have been such a lucrative country for more than a 100 years and and it made no sense to continue growing While most mandarin growers all business,” he shrugs. notes that the production is low and the fruit,” he said, “those who continue across the southern parts of the country singles out two primary reasons – poor Going further east to Kakpadung growing mandarin do so because of face the similar predicament, there are
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 8 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 9 | orchard management and diseases. It Mandarin in Bhutan 2019, published by says growers are not dedicated in orchard Agriculture Research and Development management aspects including “regular Centre (ARDC), Bajo in Wangdue. Pangtse shing benefits rural and timely irrigation, fertilization, weeding, basin making, pruning, disease The report states that a large control and selection of right cultivars.” proportion of citrus growers in the country are still not aware of canopy communities but faces threat The order also notes, “Soil fertility and management technologies and other nutrient management in mandarin is still required practices. It also says, “The low at its infancy, hence, compromising the yield is attributed to inadequate and from deforestation production per unit area and quality of limited adoption of suitable orchard mandarin. Without the sound knowledge management practices. Citrus growers of nutrient requirements, farmers in Bhutan still continue with traditional Choki Wangmo, Reporter
continue to inject just a few loads of cow system of orchard management, mostly Kuensel | 6November 2020 dung per tree with no other supplements. leaving to the forces of nature.” Appropriate fertilizer recommendations for different citrus agro- ecological zones The report notes that mandarin need to be put in place with immediate farmers in the country hardly prune Pangtse Shing has been intrusmental in mitigating climate change effect.” their trees because of the myth that trees impacts in Kabesa would die if branches are removed or In 2009 the Department of pruned. Even if they do prune, they don’t Agriculture issued a directive to regulate use proper equipment and end up using “abandon and neglected orchards” and it sickle, knife, dagger or even axe which stated that “These neglected, abandoned, damages the tree. or poorly managed orchards threaten the very existence of our citrus industry, if Overall, the country has noted a regulatory measures are not implemented decrease in production in recent years at the earliest.” and the government attributes it to citrus greening, phytophthora rot, and citrus A government report notes mandarin fruit fly and powdery mildew infestations. as a major horticultural crop grown in 16 Reports officially note that mandarin has Dzongkhags by over 22,158 households. started growing in higher altitudes. As of 2018, mandarin was grown at a total area of about 16,407 acres with an Growing mandarin for commercial estimated production of purposes received a major boost in the 1960s with the establishment of 26,500 MT. In the last 11 years Department of Agriculture and overtime preceding 2018, the average annual became one of the most important cash export was 21,000 MT generating an crops for farmers in southern Bhutan. average annual income of Nu 450 million. The above figures are reflected in the Canopy Management Guide for Citrus
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 10 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 11 | etari in Punakha had resilience, particularly towards mitigating Sonam Wangyel Wang who is from was a lesson to conserve local resources recorded no incidence the impacts of climate change. It can Punakha remembers applying pangtse to avoid threats to livelihood. of severe drought, water sequester carbon, bind soil, reduce soil makhu or oil to keep the skin moisturised shortage, or soil erosion for erosion, and landslides, as well as regulate when he was young. “Up until I went to Sonam Wangyel Wang who is looking aeons. The chiwog has the highest density temperature and water, directly assisting school, pangtse makhu is the only oil into the project to commercialise pangtse P oil production also donated a machine of Symplocos paniculata, a tree species in adaptation and mitigation efforts. besides mustard oil that I have known. It with significant socio-economic and is a high grade and 100 percent organic but it couldn’t be used either. In 2008, ecological benefits to its residents. He said that adaptation to climate oil that has huge potential to earn the forest department also funded oil change was quickly moving towards revenues.” “The oil is highly coveted and expellers in the gewogs but couldn’t be Symplocos paniculata, locally known ecosystem- based pathways coupled with used for special occasions such as losar, used for the intended purpose. as pangtse shing, is a large-or medium- smart mitigation options. Planting trees nyilo, local festivals, around the country The villagers, however, said that the sized deciduous tree that can grow up at vulnerable sites is the best example even,” he added. to 5-10 metres in height, found dotting of ecosystem-based adaptation and bitter flavour, which was an important the terraces of paddy fields of Petari. mitigation. “In Bhutan, it is a special The first pangtse makhu extracted was attribute of pangtse oil could be retained Almost every 35 households have 7-20 tree that has ecological, economic, and used to make mengay. The Bhutanese when produced from traditional trees depending on their field size. cultural value.” cuisine made from the Symplocus oil procedure rather than using machines. The tree flowers in April and May and is considered a speciality in resorts The traditional practice for extracting starts fruting between September and Tshogpa Pema Tshering said the across the country. The oil from pangtse pangtse makhu is found to be labour November. Oil is extracted from the tree and paddy fields share a symbiotic is non- refined, natural, and is used to intensive. Grinding the pangtse seeds seeds. relationship. The yield of pangtse shing is substitute for other refined oils although and expelling oil is a tedious and time- higher along the terraces while the trees the practice is decreasing in the backdrop consuming, which results in very low The naturally occurring plant began provide feasible condition for the paddy of imported refined oils at cheaper prices, yield, Pema Tshering said. to spread throughout the paddy fields to grow well. The trees provide shelter said the villagers. of Punakha. The tree is highly adaptable and habitat for avifauna and insects Threats and challenges and grows naturally on barren, salty, and that provide important services such as Pema Tshering said that a mature severely arid soil like degraded land and pollination and pest control. pangtse shing produces about 20-30 The traditional ethnobotanical dry areas but the yield is higher among kilograms of round-shaped fruits. He said knowledge on plants and their uses, A villager, Namgay Dem, observed that those on the terraces, said the villagers. that people extracted oil and sold it for which is the result of thousands of there was less incidence of erosion where Nu 500 a litre. “The price is attractive.” years of experience passed through Pangtse Shing has been instrumental there are pangtse shing in her field. “In my The villagers said that for higher yield, the generations, is rapidly disappearing. This in mitigating climate change impacts in field, spring water flows from under the tree has to be pruned, maintained, and is as a consequence of socio-economic Kabesa, Punakha. trees but it doesn’t happen in many fields.” the root areas should be burnt, and barks development and land use changes. Petari has 80 acres of paddy field. removed. Petari tshogpa, Pema Tshering, said Almost everyone in the village said that they would cut down the trees gradually. that there were no extreme events of land Socio-economic benefits The oil extracted through the degradation, soil erosion, or landslide in traditional method retains a maximum Pema Tshering said, “For centuries, Namgay Dem said that the yield this the village. capacity to produce two litres of oil per people in Punakha have extracted pangtse year was low since she stopped pruning day from 20 kgs of pangtse. A conservation biologist and research makhu since it has a high oil content. The and care for the trees years ago. “We didn’t collect the seeds in the last few professor at Korea University, Sonam trees also have multiple use household Kabesa Gup, Tshering Penjor, said, so years and the quality deteriorated.” She Wangyel Wang (PhD), said that the use, natural dye, medicinal benefits, and far no one had optimised cultivation and has seven trees in her field. tree can improve social and ecological biofuel.” oil extraction but the Covid-19 pandemic
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 12 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 13 | Nakum, 88, said that she had been fields topped with additional plantation, cutting the old branches and pruning institute a community-based programme the 20 trees in her one-acre paddy field. for cultivation, provide technical and She said that compared to her younger financial support for cultivation using the days, the population of the species has community forest model. drastically reduced due to increased cutting. Currently, there are no recorded breeding technique for pangtse shing. Many farmers complained that the “On the production side, we will need trees blocked sunlight for paddy field to develop appropriate technology to resulting in poor paddy yield.“The species harvest and dry the seeds, machines is threatened by deforestation,” Pema to expel the oil and, more importantly, Tshering said. purification and refinement,” he added.
Last year, the government conducted a Symplocos is a genus that has 350 community awareness programme on the species distributed in Asia, Australia, importance of the species. The increased Polynesia, and America. Among them import of cheaper oil from India has 77 species are found to be grown in the be- come a hindrance for domestic mountainous region of eastern China. In production. Bhutan, it grows at an elevation of 1500- 3000 metres above sea level. Future prospects
However, the villagers are willing to cultivate it on commercial scale if the government introduces such conservation and socio-economic benefit- ting projects.
The Covid-19 also created panic among people about self-sufficiency. “What if imports are stopped? Then what?” asked Gup Tshering Penjor. Containing our glacier-lake Since pangtse is a native plant and grows naturally, people said that growing the plant won’t be a challenge. ticking time bombs Sonam Wangyel Wang said that the cultivation could be promoted by Karma Wangdi, freelance encouraging farmers to look after the pangt- se shing currently growing in their Published: Bhutan Times | 8November 2020
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 14 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 15 | s we tackle climate change reality which is potentially becoming a Department of Geology and Mines Karma, the chief of cryosphere in the high Himalayas, the reality. (DGM), the following areas fall in division of NCHM said the hazard resurgence of GLOFs still the red zone: Chhimi_Lhakhang till zonations mapping was done in the 2008 remain a potential threat to Currently there are 17 potentially Lhamoidzingkha. and that he is in doubt whether it is still the lives and properties of communities dangerous lakes, the most risky being used. A Thorthormi which is rapidly retreating A total of 117 building, with 558 living in its paths downstream because of global warming. Should people, 28 livestocks, 16 monuments, “To revise the hazard zonations In 1994, the Lugge Tsho breached Thorthormi form into a complete lake, 2 bridges in the area of 13.21 km2in mapping, first and foremost thing is the its boundaries and flooded the Punakha and if the moraine dams breach its addition to a cultivated land of 0.42km2 availability of budget. Till 2008, there valley claiming 21 lives and left a boundaries, there could be unimaginable and arid land (Barren, open, scrubs) of was no much of developmental activities trail of destruction along its pathway consequences downstream as millions of 1.36 km2 and forest cover of 2.2 km2 and at Punatshangchhu basin, now with the downstream. It was the biggest natural cubic meter of water will inundate lower built up area of 0.11 km2 falls under red coming up of the PHPA- I and PHPA- that struck the country in recent history. valleys in Punakha. zone. II, the whole topography has changed,” Karma said. “Only after this incidence, the In 2008, the government had carried As for dangers posed to people’s lives, government took action and the Early a thorough study of the low-lying areas they are in danger both inside and outside Wangdue Phodrang district’s Dzongda Warning System (EWS) was established alongside the river basin and mapped the their houses as well the structures are in Sonam Jamtsho said that they are not in 2010 and 2011,” says the national area into red, yellow and blue zones.In the danger of being destroyed. allowing any permanent structures director of country’s National Center for red zone, no permanent structures were to be built alongside the river banks. Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM). to be built, however adherence has been Similarly, in the yellow zone; a total He said while there is no permanent poor and there is clearly much homework of 173 buildings, with 1399 people, constructions along the course there are NCHM’s glaciologist Karma warned left to be done by policymakers. 220 livestock, 6 historical monuments, still a few who had not adhered with the that should there be any future glacial 6 bridges in the area of 5.78 km2. A regulations. He said the cases have even lake outburst flood (GLOF), the “In the demarcated areas of hazard cultivated land of 1.26 km2, arid land forwarded to the court for those who are Thorthomi Lake spilling into Raphstreng zonations, there is no permanent (barren, open and scrubs) of 0.573 km2, not willing to relocate to new settlements. and breaching its natural and physical structure. However, there are structures forest cover of 1.16 km2 and a built up boundaries will spell disasters for such as Farm Machinery Corporation area of 0.32 km2 in yellow zone area. He added that currently there is no communities living downstream of the Limited (FMCL), Druk seed, an agro- clear directive from the government Phochhu valley. based farm which lies at the extreme side In this zone, people are in danger where the construction of houses are of the river basin. Those infrastructures outside their houses and buildings may allowed or not alongside the river basin. The magnitude and volume of this were built long time back and we have suffer damage and possible destruction flood to that of 1994 GLOF, which was no clear directives from the government depending on construction characteristic “Nevertheless, we have exhausted 18 million cubic meters of water, will whether it needs to be relocated or feature. all of our efforts to ensure the safety for be around three times in magnitude or not. I feel there are potential risks for the lives of our people. For instance, the “Bhutan’s settlement pattern for approximately around 53 million cubic government infrastructures but there is Young building materials (YBM) were agriculture, infrastructure or any kind meters of water will be displaced. lesser risk on human lives,” says Passang asked to shift their site, and owing to of developmental activities is mostly Dorji, the planning officer from Wangdue water backflow from the Punatsangchu It is a a study done by a group of along the river valleys which accounts Phodrang district. Hydro-electric project authority Austrian experts in collaboration with for more than 70 percent of the country’s (PHPA-I). Similarly, Construction Department of Geology and mines. The In accordance with the hazard settlements. It clearly shows about the Development Corporation Limited experts has termed it as ‘the worst case zonations mapping done by a group of importance of the GLOF and the flood,” (CDCL) office will be relocated to a safer scenario should the situation occur in Austrian Experts in collaboration with the NCHM director highlighted. zone,” he said.
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 16 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 17 | In the structural plan of Bajo town, the be able to work independently on our project. We are hopeful that we would kingdom of Bhutan.” developmental activities at the low lying master plan. receive assistance from the centre,” said areas are fully restricted and there are no Tashi Dhendup, a planning officer from The study reveals that the peripheral private land holders as well. Punatshangchhu Hydro-electric Gasa district. effects of 2009 cyclone Aila caused authority PHPA-I’s managing director major financial losses in Bhutan. The “Alongside the river embankments N.C Bansal said that in terms of Dam Early warning system awaits total cost caused by the cyclone Aila was we are going to come up with football construction, the overall physical upgradation approximately Nu 722m. Most of the ground, greeneries, walking spaces and progress is at 69.87%. The total distance damage was to infrastructure and other river front development. Basically, to of water backflow from the existing dam NCHM’s Director, Karma Drupchu assets and could not have been avoided beautify the place and for recreational is approximately 16 km which is two said the government has established Early by an efficient EWS. areas,” Bajo municipal Engineer, Sangay hundred meters beyond the confluence of Warning System in 2010 and 2011. While Lhamo said. She also shared that some Toeb Rongchhu and Punatshangchhu. the system is functioning the life of the additional classrooms are attached for censors, which is mostly 5 to 6 years, Khuruthang technical training institute. “In case of sudden floods, there is a needs to be replaced. However, with the provision in the dam to discharge the support of the government and Donors NCHM’s Director, “Previously, I did not allow for same by opening of 5 numbers of under we are replacing the censors but it is high Karma Drupchu said additional structures. For any new sluice gates and one spill way gate. In case time that we need to replace the early infrastructure is simply a loss. They of PHPA-I, the gates are designed not warning system.” the government has have built a wall, and come up with only for the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood additional structures. The institute had (GLOF) of 4,300 cumecs but also for the He said GLOF is a hazard likely to established Early later managed to get approval from the Probable Maximum Floods (PMF) of happen any time, and particularly the Warning System in Dzongkhag. This is a clear regulatory 11,500 cumecs.” Punatshangchhu basin is vulnerable and communication gap, when there is no at high risks. 2010 and 2011. While firm policy to regulate the developmental The managing director clarified that “We have number of Mega projects the system is functioning activities to come up,” she added. the delay in the project construction is due to extra ordinary geological going on and the great historical the life of the censors, There is, currently an ongoing building challenges on its right bank of the dam. monument, the Punakha Dzong and construction at the Samthang technical However, PHPA believe that flood Agriculture lands at potential risks at which is mostly 5 to training institute. For this, the Dzongkhag discharge capacity of the project can the low lying areas. At present we don’t 6 years, needs to be planning officer did not comment on this be ensured for any future glacier lake have a dedicated funding. We have coming up of additional structures as the outburst flood. submitted proposals to a number of replaced. However, hazard zonations map is yet to be revised. Donors to upgrade the EWS system. As a mitigation and strategic plan for The government and the Gross National with the support of Punatshangchhu project hampers risk-reduction management, the Gasa Tsa- Happiness (GNH) have endorsed the the government and implementation of master plan chu, river which lies along the Mo-chhu proposal to donors and we are hopeful river basin, the Dzongkhag has planned that our funding may come through Donors we are replacing The policy and planning officer for a river diversion project. soon,” Karma Drupchu said. highlighted that the delay of the censors but it is Punatshangchhu hydro projects has also “We have submitted a proposal to In 2014, a Finnish Meteorological hampered our master plan as we have to Gross National Happiness Commission Institute compiled a technical report on high time that we need calculate the distance of water backflow Centre (GNHC) for the river diversion “Socio-economic study on improved to replace the early from the PHPA-I dam, only then we will project. There is a green signal for the hydro-meteorological services in the warning system.”
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 18 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 19 | The director also said that the biggest “We’re better prepared” challenge that the country is facing was communication which is the backbone of The Dzongkhag Disaster Management EWS. focal person, Sonam Wangchuk said that “if at all there are sudden floods “Between 2008, 2010 and 2012, they are hopeful to evacuate and save Lunana was still not connected to lives. He stated there are 700 and more mobile networks. If we have the mobile Desuups and the Royal Bhutan Army network, the reliability is not good. If wing-Xll is also based at Wangdue, while you remember 2008, there was a huge the Puntshangchu hydro projects have earthquake. The EWS is for disasters like enough human resources to mitigate the GLoF, so we should have a very reliable situation. communication service and we decided to go for satellite communications,” As of September 2020, the overall Karma added. Punatsangchu project progress stood at 87.10% and the technical capacity of the A jog down the memory lane project will assist in constructing flood discharge structures and take care of Ugyen Penjore, 44, recounts his GLOF and PMF. memory while he was in his 10th grade in Punakha Higher Secondary school in NCHM director said: “At present 1994. we have the detection system, so the Danger of wrathful waters reliability of EWS is high. If the lakes October 7, 1994: The school ground above breach, it will transmit the was readied for the sports day that was information instantly. Besides, we have approaching soon. It was at the time of put automatic system in the lake and in Lhuentse morning study. number of censors around the valley. Even if one of the censors doesn’t detect Sonam Lhendup, Freelance Journalist “I was at the back of the classroom the other censors will detect and display Published: Kuensel 17November 2020 when I heard the loud and deafening roar the data.”He said at present, there are 10 of the river. I was thinking that a convoy censors and 18 sirens installed at different of vehicle was moving while others were locations. ow-lying areas of Lhuentse face twin risk of GLOF and artificial dam panicking. burst “However, we are not able to carry “I ran out and we found out that was out an intensified monitoring due to Autsho town in Lhuntse faces the risks of glacial lake outburst flood a huge flood. By then I saw the river challenging Himalayan geology where (GLOF) from the source of Khomachhu and an outburst flood from an carrying huge debris. I was young at that artificialL dam formed by Tsatichhu. altitudes ranges are higher than 4500 time and we never realized that a lake had meters above sea level.” breached its boundary in Lunana,” Ugyen The town is located in the Kurichu basin at 868 metres above sea level and 85 said. metres from the river bank. It covers 200sq. metres and is populated by more than 1,000 people making up 72 households, including 14 shops and Autsho Central School.
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 20 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 21 | Flood Hazard Assessment for Lhuntse A geologist from the DGM, Uygen hydropower project from the possible ICIMOD in 2016 reported that the Dzongkhag conducted by the Ministry Namdol, said that weathering of angular flood. biggest climate-related threat in Bhutan of Works and Human Settlement in 2019 boulders and prolonged inundation was GLOF. The centre reported that underlined Autsho’s vulnerability to coupled with saturation caused by The Disaster Management Committee Bhutan’s 24 weather stations showed a flood as ‘the most critical and identified extreme weather conditions would lead of Lhuntse Dzongkhag said that it had rise in temperature of about 1 degree to need to produce hazard map’. The the dam wall to give way. not monitored the dam since 2004 dam Celcius in summer and 2°C in winter study recommended the creation of failure. But it has plans to monitor the since 2000. flood hazard maps for the settlement and Another study carried out by the dam. update them regularly. DGM on the stability of the Tsatichu Bhutan Glacier Inventory 2018 by dam from July 10-19, 2004, assessed the Lhuntse Dzongda, Jambay Wangchuk, NCHM identified 90 glaciers covering Threat from Tsatichhu artificial dam downstream hazard from the dam. The said that climate is unpredictable and 55.29 square km area in the headwaters of study found that heavy rainfall could the risk reduction methods for low-lying Kurichu described as the most dominant The Tsatichu dam was formed in feed supplementary inflows which would areas will be conducted based on research type of mountain glaciers in the basin. September 2003 when an entire hillside cause the water level to rise and burst evidence. slid down and blocked the course of the wall. The study warned of serious In the event of a GLOF from Terjatse Threat from GLOF Tsatichu stream in Jaray Gewog. The dam threat to settlements and infrastructure Tsho, besides Autsho and other low- is formed by 33 million cubic metres of lying areas downstream Kurichu, the downstream. Autsho town and other low-lying areas debris. It is 1.4 sq. km, 113 metres deep flood could damage settlements by the in the Kurichhu basin also face risks from and contains 12.5 million cubic metres of Ugyen Namdol said an eventual banks of Khomachu such as Khomagang, GLOF. water. Tsatichu dam failure could be similar Dhenchung, and Tsikhang. to the cloud burst that occurred at A study on re-assessment of glacial The dam was initially thought to be Khomagang is located at 2,126 Punatsangchu II, adding that the hillsides lakes in Bhutan piloted by National stable but it partly burst on July 10, 2004, metres and 80 metres away from the are made up of ‘graphitic phyllite rock’ Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology resulting in a massive flood. The flood bank of Khomachu. The village has eight or loosely structured rock which tends (NCHM) in 2019 listed Terjatse Tsho submerged part of Autsho town with households and experiences frequent to crack and disintegrate at any irregular as potentially dangerous. The lake water level reaching up to the second flash floods due to extreme weather earth movement. In such an event, a huge feeds Khomachu, a major tributary of floor of some houses. After the burst, the conditions in the mountains. landmass can fall into the dam leading to Kurichhu. water level of the dam decreased by only an outburst. Dhenchung village is located at 2,292 five metres. Terjatse Tsho is located at an elevation metres and 50 metres from the river If the dam bursts, besides Autsho, the of 4,373 metres. The latest images show The chief geologist of the Department bank. Tsikhang Army outpost is around flood or, as the locals put it, the ‘wrath of the lake has a surface area of 167,450 of Geology and Mines (DGM), Ugyen 500 metres upstream of Dhenchung and waters’ could damage low-lying areas such square metres. International Centre Wangda, said a heavy downpour that is about 45 metres from the river bank. as the farm road to Ladrong and Khuling, for Integrated Mountain Development loosens the soil will cause in the wall of Khomagang, Dhenchung, and Tsikhang paddy fields in Rewan, and perennial (ICIMOD) reported 161,706.43 square the dam to burst. are collectively known as Tsangno. landslide area of Rothpazhong. metres surface area in 2001. A field study carried out in May 2004 A severe flash flood in July 2011 Moreover, the Kurizampa bridge, Glaciologist Karma Toep from by a taskforce from the DGM alongside damaged some swatches of land in which is about 8 metres above the water NCHM said that Terjatse Tsho is consultants from Kurichu Hydropower Tsangno which will face the brunt of a level, and Kurichu Hydropower are at potentially dangerous due to steep Project found that the landslide that GLOF. serious risk. morphology at the outlet of the lake. An formed the dam measured 2,354 metres attempt at ground verification could not on the top and 1,710 metres at the base. However, Druk Green Power be successful due to avalanche. Corporation says it sees no risk to the
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 22 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 23 | Without a lucrative source of income According to livestock statistics, the such as cordyceps and horse businesses number of herders decreased from 99 in like other highlanders, yak herders of 2013 to 57 today. Haa are finding it hard to adapt to the changing times. Rangeland degradation
Abandoning the mountains The degradation of rangeland due to poor management is a concern. Many Haaps have returned home and hired herders from other parts of the The traditional management practice country. of rangeland burning is prohibited. Before this, local yak herders used rangeland Tobgay, 58, returned to his village, burning as the primary rangeland Bangayna in Haa 14 years ago. Scarce management tool. fodder and lack of educational opportunities were some of the reasons. Ugyen said that the restriction resulted “And the income from yak is small.” in the proliferation of shrub species, reducing the amount of grazing land for Today, with improvement in yaks. livelihoods, families are sending their children to school. Many are acutely Climate change is known to have a Haaps fear extinction of yak aware that their children will never prefer synergistic effect on the already existing to live in the mountains, herding yaks. challenges of dwindling yak populations, yak husbandry, degradation of high- herding practice Ugyen from Dumcho is one of the altitude pastures, and shortage of feed last six herders from his gewog. He tends and fodder, and even on changing social Phub Dem, Reporter to his herd only during migration and norms. Published: Kuensel | 21 November 2020 emergencies. “No one is willing to stay. It is becoming difficult by the day.” Climate change, according to the director general of the International If the situation remains the same, Centre for Integrated Mountain encho, a young herder altitude alpine grassland between Bhutan he said that there was a risk of such Development (ICIMOD) and rangeland who dropped out of and Tibet. Today, the domestic yak (Bos indigenous practices becoming extinct. expert, Pema Gyamtsho (PhD), has school to help his family grunniens) and the indigenous herders “Everyone is planning to sell their a profound effect on the condition of rear yak, might be an are facing an uncertain future. animals.” rangelands. example of hope for many highlanders. K Changing environment as a result of But Kencho finds it hard living alone in Of the six gewogs in Haa with more He said that the composition of the mountains. development and climate change, among than 500 households, only 57 households the vegetation was changing because others, have altered the practice, isolating from three upper gewogs rear yaks today. of warmer temperature and reducing For hundreds of years, nomadic yak and fragmenting herders and their There are only 4,915 yaks in the area. snowfall. “Alpine grass and herb species herders of Haa moved between the high- traditional pastures.
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 24 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 25 | are being replaced by invasive species of According to a report “Yak on the Land Act (2007) nationalised rangelands Bumthang, Paro, and Wangdue to shrubs and weeds from lower areas.” Move” by the ICIMOD, shortages of through a generous compensation evaluate the vulnerabilities of yak herding winter fodder, a decline in the number of scheme. communities. The receding of the snow line, he said, yaks as well as young herders, restrictions exposes the alpine screes to erosions and on mobility and exchange, and climate Grazing allotments under a leasehold Herders noted that weather events landslides. “Increasing rainfall replacing change are some of the challenges shared system are yet to be implemented. such as flash flood have become snowfall is further leading to degradation by the herders of Himalayan Hindu increasingly unpredictable and severe. To address the fodder scarcity in of the rangeland through increased Kush region. It states that climate change Many also said that water sources are winter, the herders buy supplementary erosion.” is known to have a significant impact drying gradually and water availability has feeds such as Karma Feed and locally on species distribution and diversity dwindled. The country is also experiencing available feeds likebuckwheat flour, patterns. “Warming temperatures in increasing temperatures, leading to a mustard oil cake and barley grains, among Activities under highland development the high elevation region can harm significant change in tradition of herding others. programme yak populations because of their lack yaks. of tolerance for heat, the reduction in Drying up of spring and high-altitude The National Highland Development A finding from the analysis of habitat, and decline in yak survival and wetland Centre focuses on interventions related historical climate between 1996 to 2017 reproduction.” to livestock in the highlands after the by the National Center for Hydrology The highlanders of Haa have witnessed government flagged off the highland With experts predicting a severe and Meteorology indicated increase a considerable decrease in snowfall in the flagship programme. impact of warming temperature on in temperature both at mean seasonal last couple of years. mountain natives, Sonam Jamtsho from and annual scales. The overall trends Yangthang said there was no choice but to Springs and high-altitude wetland, in rainfall showed a more considerable abandon the practice. His yak population one of the significant sources of water are variability and decrease in rainfall. has doubled over the years. Shortage reportedly depleting. Such incidences Two decades ago, although the of fodder, especially during winter, is a are increasing by the day, especially The receding of the facilities were limited, there never was concern. during the long dry season, posing a shortage of natural resources, according threat to people’s livelihood and the rural As Sonam’s herd resides right next snow line, he said, to herder Ugyen. “Around 20 households economy. to the China border, he said that he would be herding more than 500 yaks in exposes the alpine could not migrate further due to border Ugyen said that he had to walk for the same grassland. Today, although there restrictions. According to studies hours to reach the drinking water source. screes to erosions and are only four herders with less than 300 conducted in different parts of the “In winter, I melt snow to cook and yaks, there is a shortage of winter fodder.” landslides. “Increasing Himalayan region, climate change is drink.” The herders have also observed the forcing communities to migrate to higher rainfall replacing A study published by Mountain proliferation of warm-climate plants like elevations in search of productive grazing Research and Development titled “Signs snowfall is further the rhododendron and other lowland lands, with an early start in the upward of climate change through the eyes of yak trees encroaching upon pastures where migration due to shortening of the winter leading to degradation herders in northern Bhutan”, reveals an yaks graze. period. increase in temperature, glacial retreat, of the rangeland Sonam Dorji, a herder from Hatey, He said that the only solution was and ascension of the snow line. through increased said it was challenging to find fodder in for the government to lease tsamdro to Major yak herding communities were places where it used to be abundant. the yak herders before it is too late. The erosion.” selected from the districts of Thimphu,
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 26 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 27 | The initiatives to enhance the Meanwhile, the Yak Breeding Centre highlanders’ livelihood include making in Haa will also initiate the use of artificial groups and cooperatives, product insemination to promote good breeding diversification, disease control, and practice in yaks. Due to inbreeding ᭴་讐་蝴ན་བ讟ན་གནས་ཐབས་轴་ improving the high-altitude rangeland. practice, he said that a lot of dilution in the yak breeds was happening. “We also Chief livestock officer with the want to start processing yak semen so that སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ལམ་轴གས་ག筲་བ杴གས། research and extension division, Tawchu we can conserve and upgrade the genetic Rabgay, said that the programme targets material of our yaks. ” བཀྲིས་坴ན་歼གས། enhancing the livelihood prospects of the highlanders based on income-generating In an attempt to improve the degrading opportunities from yak rearing. rangeland, the centre is currently studying the nature of the grass and is planning to He said that the programme includes propagate the existing grass, as it was not value-adding and branding yak products viable to introduce new grass species. from across the dzongkhags to target both the regional and international Tawchu Rabgay also said that the market. “For a consistent supply chain, centre was in the process of introducing we are focusing on yak groups and a feed block which would be taken up by cooperatives.” the cooperatives and distributed to the highlanders. Improvement of nutrition for the yaks, elimination of GID and measures to The National Land Commission, he prevent and control the zoonotic disease said, was in the process of returning the are some of the initiatives under the tsamdro to the genuine yak herders as per programme. The programme has plans their user right thrams. to set up a processing unit in every yak rearing dzongkhag. In the meantime, most herders are of the view that with government changing With more than five yak herders after every election cycle, different cooperatives, a national-level federation policies come up and this does not help of yak herders would also be developed solve the problem. 捼ང་鮒ར་ཁྲོམ་སྡེ荲་ འ䍴ང་᭴་བསགས་མ潼ད་ཁང་། under the programme. Many said that although the The yak federation, according to government provided them with ༉ ད་歴ན་றི་བར་ན་ ፼ས་འ潲ན་ཅན་றི་ ཁྲོམ་སྡེ་歴་ནང་ སྡོད་捲་歴་ 䝺་འབདཝ་ད་ 捼ང་鮒ར་རྫོང་ཁག་୲་ ག蝴ས་ཚན་ᝲག་ནང་ ཁྱིམ་ Tawchu Rabgay, would be an apex body tarpaulin, woodstove, milking and 轴་ ᭴荲་སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ བཀལ་蝼ད་捲་䝺་ འ䍴ང་᭴་歴ལ་辡ན་སྦེ་ འ潲ན་ ୴ང་༡༠༣ 轴་ ᭴荲་སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ སྤྲོད་ད་པ荲་ ལམ་轴གས་བ罼་捲་ to preserve, promote and protect yaks churning equipment, little could they be སྐྱོང་འབད་佲荲་䝼ན་轴་ꍲན་པས། 䝺་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ནང་ 捲ག་ད卺་轴་ གྱུར་蝼དཔ་མ་ཚད་ 䝺་୲ས་ லོང་ in the highlands. “A larger group at the put to use. ག蝴ས་ཡར་རྒྱས་ཐལ་བ荲་ བ计་མ歼ན་ཡང་སྟོནམ་ꍲན་པས། national level will address the issue of 䝺་བ罴མ་སྦེ་ སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་སྤྲོད་捲་䝺་ བ杼ག་ག蝴ར་றི་ མ䍴ན་རྐྱེན་ supplying products for commercial ག筲་བ杴གས་འབད་䝺་蝼ད་捲་ རྫོང་ཁག་དག་པ་ᝲག་୲་ ཁྲོམ་སྡེ་ 䝺་ཡང་ 捼ང་鮒ར་རྒེད་荼ག་ གཡག་སྤུ་鮒ང་୲་ லོང་ག魺བ་ནགས་ enterprises, enable farmers to collaborate 歴་ནང་མ་ག㽼གས་ རྫོང་ཁག་མང་鍼ས་ᝲག་ནང་ ᭴荲་སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ ཚལ་ལས་䍼ན་捲་ ᭴་讐་歴་ 蝴ན་བ讟ན་སྦེ་ འ潲ན་སྐྱོང་འབད་佲་དང་ and integrate with regional highlanders.” སྤྲོད་佲་捺དཔ་ꍲན་པས། ❺ན་སྲུང་དང་辡ནམ་སྦེ་ བཞག་ཐབས་轴་ 轼་፼་བ་垲ག་༡ ୲་齺་
| 28 | Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 29 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | ༢༩ | མར་ མཐའ་འݼར་གནས་鮟ངས་ཀྱི་ ཞབས་㽼ག་སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ལས་ གཡག་སྤུ་鮒ང་லོང་སྡེ་ནགས་ཚལ་றི་ཁྲི་འ潲ན་ སངས་རྒྱས་རྡོ་རྗེ་ ད፴ལ་βམ་༡༤༨,༢༠༠ བསྡུ་轺ན་འབད་蝼དཔ་བ筲ན་䝴་ སྤྱི་轼་ 捼ང་鮒ར་ཁྲོམ་སྡེ荲་䝼ན་轴་ ལན་鍲ང་鍼ང་དང་ 鍲ང་ནང་ཟམ་པ་᭴་讐་ འཆར་ག筲་བ杴གས་འབད་佴ག། ୲ས་ 鮳བ་捲荲་ནང་ ᭴་འབབ་ས་གནས་འ潲ན་སྐྱོང་སྡེ་ཚན་றིས་ ༢༠༢༠-༢༠༢༩ 歴ན་ སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ཡར་魺ང་䍼ག་ 轼་བ鮟ར་བ筲ན་ ༢ ལས་དང་ 轴ང་ཕྱོགས་ག杼་བ鮟ན་鮨ན་ཁང་轴་ ཆང་鍲་ཝང་དང་ ཚན་譲ག་བ讟ག་ད厱ད་དང་འཁྲིལཝ་ད་ ᭴་䝺་ གཙང་སྦྲ་དང་辡ན་པ荲་ 䝴་ ད፴ལ་βམ་༢༢༨,༢༠༠ 譺་སྤྲོད་དཔ་སྦེ་བ罼་佴ག། 鍺ས་གྲུབ་᭼ས་གླིང་辷་ཁང་ལས་བབས་捲་ ᭴་༢ ལག་轺ན་འཐབ་ லོང་ག魺བ་ནགས་ཚལ་ལས་䍼ན་捲་ 譼ང་᭴་䝺་ 捼ང་鮒ར་ཁྲོམ་དང་ ཁར་ ག蝴ས་捲་୲ས་歴་ཡང་ མཐའ་འݼར་གནས་鮟ངས་ བདག་ ꍲན་པས། 轴ང་ཕྱོགས་ག杼་བསྟེན་鮨ན་ཁང་ 睺ང་མཁར་གཡག་སྤུ་鮒ང་སྤྱི་ འ潲ན་འབད་佲་轴་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་འབད་䝺་蝼ད་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། 䝴ས་ᝲ་ 捲་སྡེ་དང་ ཞབས་㽼ག་སྤྱོད་捲་ 捼ང་鮒ར་ཁྲོམ་སྡེ་དང་ 轴ང་ 荼ག་དང་ སྐྱིད་བ䝺་མཁར་སྤྱི་荼ག་ བཤད་གྲྭ་ 䝺་ལས་ སློབ་གྲྭ་歴་ ཕྱོགས་ག杼་བསྟེན་鮨ན་ཁང་ 轴ང་ཕྱོགས་ནགས་ཚལ་ལས་ཚན་ རྫོང་ லོང་སྡེ་ནགས་ཚལ་றི་དྲུང་᭺ན་ 鍺ས་རབ་བ鮟ན་འ潲ན་றིས་ ཁྲོམ་ ୲ས་ ལག་轺ན་འཐབ་སྟེ་ 轼་፼་བ་垲ག་༢ 辷ག་蝼དཔ་ད་ སྤྱི་轼་ 捼ང་鮒ར་轴ང་ཕྱོགས་ག杼་བསྟེན་鮨ན་ཁང་୲་ བདག་སྐྱོང་ག杼་འ潲ན་ ཁག་བདག་སྐྱོང་ 䝺་ལས་ ᭴་འབབ་ས་གནས་འ潲ན་སྐྱོང་སྡེ་ཚན་றི་ སྡེ་དང་ 轴ང་ཕྱོགས་ག杼་བསྟེན་鮨ན་ཁང་ལས་䍼བ་捲་ སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་䝺་ ༢༠༡༠ 轴་ 魼་ནམ་དང་ནགས་ཚལ་辷ན་ཁག་ ᭴་འབབ་ས་གནས་ འ་ད卼ན་荼གམ་ ཀ讨་蝺་鍺ས་ཀྱིས་ 鮨ན་ཁང་ནང་འ䍺ན་捲་᭴་讐་ འ་ད卼ན་歴་୲་བར་ན་ 䝴ས་蝴ན་བསྐྱར་ག魼荲་ லོས་བསྟུན་ཞལ་ འ䍴ས་捲་༡༠༣ 蝼ད་捲་ லོང་སྡེ་ནགས་ཚལ་歼གས་པ荲་ 捲ང་䍼་୴་ འ潲ན་སྐྱོང་སྡེ་ཚན་དང་ 捼ང་鮒ར་轴ང་ཕྱོགས་ནགས་ཚལ་ལས་ཚན་༢ 䝺་ གཡག་སྤུ་鮒ང་லོང་སྡེ་ནགས་ཚལ་ནང་ 歴ད་蝼དཔ་ལས་ སྤྱོད་ འ潼མས་འ歼གས་㽺་ སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་歴་ 轼་፼་༡༠ றི་譲ང་ ཡར་魺ང་ ག魼ག་འὼག་འབད་䝼་罺ར་བཤདཔ་ꍲན་པས། མཉམ་譴བ་䍼ག་ལས་ སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ལས་འཆར་འ་བ杴གས་佴ག། འ䍴ས་ལས་འཆར་ནང་ བཅའ་མར་མ་ག㽼གས་པ་ᝲན་ མ་荼ངས་པ་ འབད་佴ག། 轴་ འ䍴ང་᭴་捲་འ䍼བ་佲荲་❺ན་ཁ་འ䝴ག་罺ར་ བཤདཔ་ꍲན་པས། 歼གས་པ荲་རྩིས་འ潲ན་པ་ བ魼ད་ནམས་བཟང་卼་୲ས་ 鮳བ་捲荲་ ལས་འཆར་䝺་ཡང་ གནམ་ག鍲ས་འགྱུར་བலོད་轴་བརྟེན་ 轼་བ鮟ར་ 捲་སྡེ་லོང་ག魺བ་ནགས་ཚལ་སྦེ་ ፼ས་འ潲ན་འབད་捲་ ས་ཆ་ꍺ་ ནང་ 轼་༡༠ ནང་འݼད་ སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ད፴ལ་βམ་༧༡༤,༤༠༠ བ筲ན་䝴་ ᭴་讐་鮐མ་佲་དང་ ས་譴ད་དང་ ᭴་譴ད་འ䍼ན་佲་ མཐའ་ རྫོང་ཁག་ཁྲོམ་སྡེ荲་བ罼་譲ག་འ་ད卼ན་ རམ་宷་䝴ར་དར་རྒྱས་ཀྱིས་ ཀར་༩༢༤ ནང་ ᭴་讐་༣ ፼ས་འ潲ན་འབད་蝼དཔ་ལས་ ᭴་འབབ་ས་ 辷གཔ་ᝲག་ 歼གས་པ荲་རྩིས་་ནང་ བ杴གས་捲་䝺་ འ䍴ས་捲་歴་ འݼར་གནས་鮟ངས་ཉམས་❺ན་བཀག་䍼ག་ལས་ ᭴་讐་歴་ མ་ 鮳བ་捲荲་ནང་ རྫོང་ཁག་བདག་སྐྱོང་དང་ སློབ་གྲྭ་ 轴ང་ཕྱོགས་ཁག་ གནས་འ潲ན་སྐྱོང་ལས་སྡེ་୲ས་ ས་ཆ་ꍺ་ཀར་༦༣༨ 䝺་ᝲག་ སྲུང་ 轴་ ནཝ་ཚཝ་དང་ 捲་轴་ 鍲་རྐྱེན་བྱུངམ་ད་ རྒུས་འ䍴ས་སྦེ་ ད፴ལ་ 荼ངས་蝴ན་བ讟ན་དང་ ❺ན་སྲུང་དང་辡ནམ་སྦེ་ བཞག་ཐབས་轴་ ୲་蝲ག་ཚང་ 歼ང་པ་ 䝺་ལས་ ཁྲོམ་றི་ཁྱིམ་୴ང་༡,༠༠༠ 辷གཔ་ སྐྱོབ་ས་ݼངས་སྦེ་ ፼ས་འ潲ན་འབད་佴ག། βམ་༣,༠༠༠ 譺་བྱིན་佲་ 蝼དཔ་མ་ཚད་ ཉམ་᭴ང་歴་轴་ ཆ་譼གས་ ꍲན་པས། ᝲག་୲ས་ 䝴ས་蝴ན་᭴་歼ད་༢༤ ୲་譲ང་ འ䍴ང་᭴་སྤྱོད་捲་䝺་轴་ འབད་䝼་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། འ䍴ས་སྤྲོད་䝼་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། མཐའ་འݼར་གནས་鮟ངས་མར་ཉམས་འགྱོ་捲་歴་ནང་ 鍲ང་འ潴གས་ ᭴་䝺་୲ས་ གཡག་སྤུ་གང་དང་ སྐྱིད་བ䝺་མཁར་ག蝴ས་ཚན་றི་ སྐྱོང་དང་ ནགས་ཚལ་றི་ 䍼ན་སྐྱེད་歴་ ཁྲིམས་འགལ་䍼ག་ ཕྱིར་ ད་譺ས་ཀྱི་ ལས་འཆར་ནང་ ᭴་讐་༣ 蝴ན་བ讟ན་སྦེ་གནས་ཐབས་轴་ ཁྱིམ་୴ང་༡༠༣ དང་ 捼ང་鮒ར་ཁྲོམ་སྡེ荲་ ཁྱིམ་୴ང་པ་༡,༠༢༠ 䝺་ གཡག་སྤུ་鮒ང་ལས་འ䍺ན་捲་ ᭴་讐་ལས་ ᭴་ལང་མ་歴གས་佲་䝺་ བ㽼ན་འབད་མ་བག་པར་ ❺ན་སྲུང་འབད་佲་ ᭴་讐荲་མཐའམ་ ཞབས་㽼ག་སྤྱོད་᭼ག་པ荲་ས་ݼངས་དང་ བར་གླིང་ 䝺་ལས་ བསྐྱར་ ལས་ 轴ང་ཕྱོགས་ག杼་བསྟེན་鮨ན་ཁང་୲་ ལས་བྱེདཔ་དང་ ནདཔ་ ୲ས་ ͼ་譲་ལ་དང་ 鮒ང་୴་ལ་ གཡག་鮒ང་轴་ ፼ས་འ潲ན་འབད་ བདའ་སྟེ་ རག་譼་魺ལ་佲་དང་ ཚལ་མ་བ讫མ་佲་ 䝺་ལས་ ᭴་讐荲་ས་ ག魼་ས་ݼངས་སྦེ་ ፼ས་འ潲ན་འབད་䝺་蝼དཔ་བ筲ན་䝴་ མ་荼ངས་ 歴་轴་ ཕན་䍼གས་བྱུངམ་ꍲན་པས། 捲་ ᭴་讐་༩ ལས་འ䍺ན་㽺་ བཀའ་དམ་轴་ ᭴་བཙག་མ潼ད་ཁང་ནང་ ݼངས་ནང་ ❲་མར་佼ར་歴་ རྩྭ་ཟ་བར་བདའ་᭼ག་譴ང་ ཕྱི་譴་བཞག་ 蝴ན་བ讟ན་轴་ ས་譴ད་དང་ ᭴་譴ད་འ䍼ན་མ་བག་པར་ 轺གས་ བསགས་筲ནམ་ལས་ གཙང་སྦྲ་དང་辡ནམ་སྦེ་ 捲་མང་轴་ བβམ་ མ་᭼གཔ་མ་ཚད་ ཁྱིམ་୴ང་譺་୲ས་ 佼ར་༥ ལས་བ讒ལ་ ག魼་ 鍼མ་སྦེ་ བདག་འ潲ན་འཐབ་སྟེ་ 鍲ང་འ潴གས་སྐྱོང་དང་ 宱་སྒོ荲་ ནགས་ཚལ་དང་གླིང་ཀ་ཞབས་㽼ག་ལས་ݴངས་ལས་ ᭴་འབབ་ 鮤ེལ་འབད་䝼་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། མ་᭼གཔ་སྦེ་ ཞབས་㽼ག་བྱིན་捲་དང་ སྤྱོད་捲་༢ 轴་ འགན་འཁྲི་ ལམ་轴གས་སྒྲིང་སྒྲི་སྦེ་ བ鮟ར་སྤྱོད་འབད་䝼་蝼དཔ་ꍲན་པས། ས་གནས་འ潲ན་སྐྱོང་སྡེ་ཚན་றི་ ནགས་ཚལ་ག杼་འ潲ན་འ་ད卼ན་ བཀལ་佴ག། སྲི་རྒྱལ་སྒྲོལ་མ་୲ས་ 鮳བ་捲荲་ནང་ སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་ལས་འཆར་ 捼ང་鮒ར་ཁྲོམ་ཁར་ ❲ན་བ鮟ར་བ筲ན་䝴་ ᭴་轲་ཊར་ས་ཡ་༡.༥ ག䝼ང་轺ན། 䝺་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ནང་ ད卺་སྟོན་བཟང་卼་ᝲག་轴་ གྱུར་蝼དཔ་བ筲ན་ དས་མݼ་蝼དཔ་ད་ འདས་པ荲་轼་དག་པ་ᝲག་ལས་ ᭴་བβམ་ ལས་譲མ་䝺་ཡང་ རྒྱལ་སྤྱི་མཐའ་འݼར་གནས་鮟ངས་ཉམས་སྲུང་ 䝴་ གཞན་རྫོང་ཁག་ རྩི་རང་དང་ ᭴་ཁ་ 䝺་ལས་ 鮤་譼་歴་୲ས་ཡང་ 鮤ེལ་றི་ཞབས་㽼ག་ ཡར་䞲ག་魼ང་蝲་罺ར་ འ་ད卼ན་றིས་ མ䍴ན་རྐྱེན་ལས་ ང་འ坺ལ་མ་འགྱོ་བ荲་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་མ་ད፴ལ་荼ག་ 捼ང་鮒ར་ཁྲོམ་སྡེ་དང་ ག杼་བསྟེན་鮨ན་ཁང་ནང་འ䍺ན་捲་ ᭴་讐荲་ ལས་འཆར་འ་བ杴གས་㽺་蝼ད་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། བཤདཔ་ꍲན་པས། ୲་ ན་པ་ལས་འ୴ལ་䍼ག་ལས་ ག筲་བ杴གས་འབད་蝼དཔ་ꍲན་ 辟ག་轴་ ཁྱིམ་୴ང་༤ 蝼དཔ་ལས་ ᭴་གཙང་སྦྲ་དང་辡ནམ་捺ད་པ荲་ པས། ཁར་ ས་譴ད་དང་ ᭴་譴ད་ཀྱིས་ ᭴་讐་轴་ ག佼ད་སྐྱོན་རྐྱབ་䝼་蝼དཔ་ 捼ང་鮒ར་றི་讒卼་ བ鮟ན་འ潲ན་དབང་ཕྱུག་୲ས་ 鮳བ་捲荲་ནང་ ཁྲོམ་སྡེ荲་འ䍴ས་捲་፼་ཚབ་ 讣མ་རྒྱལ་རྡོ་རྗེ་୲ས་ 鮳བ་捲荲་ནང་ 齺་ ལས་ ད་譺ས་ ᭴་བཙག་མ潼ད་ལས་ 捲་ཊར་༢༠༠ 䝺་ᝲག་୲་ས་ཁར་ ལམ་轴གས་䝺་轴་བརྟེན་ ས་གནས་ཀྱི་ லོང་ག魺བ་捲་魺ར་歴་轴་ མ་འབད་བ་ᝲན་ ཁྲོམ་ནང་ 捲་རློབས་❴ངམ་སྦེ་蝼དཔ་ལས་ ན་གླིང་ ᭴་སྲུང་པ་ སྐྱེས་轼་༢༨ ལང་捲་ བ魼ད་ནམས་རྒྱལ་མཚན་றིས་ སྤོ་བ鍴ད་འབད་དཔ་蝼ད་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། མ་ད፴ལ་றི་ ݺ་ཕན་དང་ མ་荼ངས་蝴ན་བ讟ན་སྦེ་ མཐའ་འݼར་ ୴་ལས་འ䍼ན་捲་ ᭴་讐་ལག་轺ན་འཐབ་佴ག་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། 鮳བ་捲荲་ནང་ 羳ཝ་༣ றི་རྒྱབ་ལས་ འ䍴ས་捲་ག་ར་ ᭴་讐་歴ན་ གནས་鮟ངས་ཉམས་སྲུང་འབད་佲་轴་ 辷ན་ཐབས་འབད་䝺་蝼ད་罺ར་ རག་譼་魺ལ་བར་ 荼ང་དཔ་བ筲ན་䝴་ 轼་༡ ནང་ ཚར་༤ 轱་འབད་ லོང་སྡེ་ནགས་ཚལ་ལས་ ݺ་ཕན་སྤྱོད་捲་歴་轴་ ཐབ་鍲ང་དང་ དར་ ꍲན་པས། ꍲན་譴ང་ ཁྲོམ་ནང་ བ罼་སྐྲུན་ང་འ坺ལ་றི་ལས་鮣་歴་ 譲མ་ དཔ་མ་ཚད་ ᭴荲་མཐའམ་བདའ་སྟེ་ 鍲ང་བ㽼ག་蝼ད་捺ད་དང་ 鍲ང་ 辷་ཁང་ སྒོ་鍲ང་歴་ བྱིན་佲་ꍲན་譴ང་ བ罼་鍲ང་དང་ དྲྭ་鍲ང་ றིས་ང་འ坺ལ་འགྱོ་捲་轴་བརྟེན་ འ䍴ང་᭴་ལང་མ་歴གསཔ་ལས་ 佼ར་魺མས་ཅན་蝼ད་捺ད་བ辟་佲་ 䝺་ལས་ རང་བ筲ན་གནས་鮟ངས་ ཐབ་鍲ང་歴་ ལང་མ་歴གས་པ荲་ དཀའ་ངལ་蝼དཔ་ལས་ ག筴ང་ 捼ང་鮒ར་䝺་ ཤར་ཕྱོགས་རྫོང་ཁག་༦ ୲་ ཁྲོམ་སྡེ་ལྟེ་བ་ᝲག་ꍲནམ་ གཡག་སྤུ་གང་୲་ ᭴་䝺་ སྤྱོད་佲་འ་བ杴གས་蝲་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། 轴་ 䍼་坼ག་蝼ད་捺ད་ 筲བ་ད厱ད་འབད་ད་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། དབང་ནགས་ཚལ་ལས་ 䍼བ་ཐབས་ཀྱི་ 筴་བ་འབད་དཔ་䍼ན་佴ག། ལས་ 轼་བ鮟ར་བ筲ན་䝴་ ཁྲོམ་སྡེ་ང་འ坺ལ་འགྱོཝ་དང་གᝲག་ ཁར་ སློབ་གྲྭ་དང་ 轴ང་ཕྱོགས་蝲ག་ཚང་歴་ ག筲་བ杴གས་䝼་蝼དཔ་ ལས་འཆར་ལས་轴གས། གནམ་ད୴ན་轴་ ᭴་捲་ཊར་༡༠ ལས་༥ 轴་ མར་འབབ་འགྱོཝ་ ཁྲོམ་ནང་སྡོད་捲་བརྒྱ་ཆ་༦༠ 轴་ ᭴་བསགས་བཞག་佲荲་றིབ་མ潼ད་ ལས་ ᭴་讐་བདག་འ潲ན་འབད་佲荲་ ལས་譲མ་轴་ རྒེད་荼ག་བདག་ ད་ ཁྲོམ་སྡེ་དང་ 轴ང་ཕྱོགས་ག杼་བསྟེན་鮨ན་ཁང་ནང་ ᭴་ལང་མ་ ཡང་ᝲན་ དས་མݼ་ཅན་றི་ ཅ་ཆས་歴་捺ད་པ荲་ དཀའ་ངལ་ སྐྱོང་୲ས་ཡང་ ག杼་譲མ་བ罴ང་䝼་罺ར་ 讒卼་୲ས་ བཤདཔ་ꍲན་ སྤྱོད་འ䍴ས་䝺་ སྤྱི་轼་༢༠༡༠ 轴་ 轼་༣ றི་䝼ན་ལས་ 捼་བཏབ་ 歴གསཔ་ འགྱོཝ་ꍲན་པས། 蝼དཔ་ལས་ སྒྲིང་ཁྱིམ་றི་ὼ་བདག་དང་ ཁང་ள་ཁར་སྡོད་捲་歴་୲ས་ པས། བ罴མ་སྦེ་ ག筲་བ杴གས་འབདཝ་ད་ 轼་譺་轴་ ད፴ལ་βམ་ ཡང་ འགན་ݴར་འ䞲་མཉམ་སྦེ་ འབག་དཔ་འ䝴ག་罺ར་ ཁྲོམ་ ༥༢,༠༠༠ དང་ 䍺ངས་༢ པ荲་鮐བས་ 轼་༥ 荲་譲ང་ 轼་譺་轴་ སྡེ荲་འ་ད卼ན་歴་୲ས་ བཤདཔ་ꍲན་པས།
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 30 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 31 | ལས་འཆར་䝺་୲ས་སྦེ་ 捲་སྡེ་དང་ འ䍴ང་᭴་སྤྱོད་捲་༢ ཆ་ར་轴་ ݺ་ མ䍼་鍼ས་ར་ བསམ་རྩེ་རྫོང་ཁག་ꍲནམ་ད་ 䝺་ཡང་ ᭴་讐་༢༥ དང་ ཕན་བྱུང་蝼ད་譴ང་ ནང་འݼད་ལས་ མཉམ་འབྲེལ་䍼ག་ 轱་འགན་ དབང་འ䝴ས་坼་宲ང་轴་ ᭴་讐་༢༣ 䝺་ལས་ བཀྲིས་鮒ང་轴་ ᭴་讐་༢༠ འབག་མ་བ㽴བ་པ荲་དཀའ་ངལ་དང་ འ垲ལ་འ垲ལ་ར་ རྫོང་ཁག་ 鮐མ་蝼དཔ་ꍲན་པས། Conserving water resources དང་ ས་གནས་ག筴ང་୲་ འབྲེལ་蝼ད་འ་ད卼ན་歴་ གནས་魼ར་ དང་ འ་ཁྲིདཔ་གསརཔ་荼ང་པ荲་鮐བས་ 宱་སྒོ荲་ལམ་轴གས་ 䝺་བ罴མ་སྦེ་ ᭴་讐་鮐མ་པ荲་བ鮒ང་蝼ད་捲་ཡང་ མ䍼་鍼ས་བསམ་རྩེ་ དང་འཁྲིལ་ བ鮟ར་སྤྱོད་འབད་མ་歴གས་པ荲་ ག䝼ང་轺ན་蝼དཔ་ 轴་ꍲནམ་ད་ 䝺་ཡང་ ᭴་讐་༢༨༧ དང་ དབང་འ䝴ས་坼་宲ང་轴་ ᭴་ with PES, an example from ꍲན་པས། 讐་༢༤༨ 䝺་ལས་ བཀྲིས་鮒ང་轴་ ᭴་讐་༢༢༢ 鮐མ་འགྱོ་䝼་蝼ད་པ荲་ གནས་歴ལ། ᭴་讐་འ潲ན་སྐྱོང་། (Oiginalr reporting in Dzongkha) གནས་歴ལ་䝺་ འབྲུག་བ计་བརྒྱུད་ག筲་歼གས་ཀྱི་ མ་ད፴ལ་རྒྱབ་ Yakpugang 䝴ས་ᝲ་ སྤྱི་羳་༩ པ荲་歺ས་༡༢ 轴་ 捲་དབང་མངའ་བདག་譲ན་卼་᭺་ སྐྱོར་䍼ག་ལས་ བྲིས་鮤ེལ་འབད་蝼དཔ་ꍲན། མ᭼ག་୲ས་ རྒྱལ་蝼ངས་轴་ རྒྱང་མ䍼ང་䍼ག་ལས་ ག魴ང་བཤད་ Tashi Phuntsho, Reporter གནངམ་ད་ འཛམ་གླིང་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་歴་୲་லས་ལས་ ᭴་འ孼ལ་鍼ས་ Published: Kuensel | 17 November 2020 ར་ འབྲུག་轴་蝼ད་譴ང་ ཁག་᭺་ས་ནང་ ᭴་མ་ལངམ་ལས་ 捲་歴་ 轱་འབད་ད་མ佼་譴ང་ འབད་མ་歴གས་པར་ 轴ས་捲་དང་ ས་ཆ་ དགའ་㽼ག་㽼་蝼ད་捲་ མང་ཧད་རྫོགསཔ་ᝲག་ སྤྱོད་མ་歴གས་པར་ t a time when the issue of water shortage is growing in Bhutanese villages 轴ས་捲་䝺་ཡང་ ᭴་捺ད་པར་ꍲནམ་ལས་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ཀྱི་᭴་䝺་ བདག་ and towns, payment for environment services (PES) scheme has proved འ潲ན་འཐབ་དཔ་ གལ་᭺་བ荲་སྐོར་ག魴ངས་蝲། the right answer. འ䍴ང་᭴་བβམ་鮤ེལ་ޱད་譲ག་སྦྱོང་བ计ར་ལས་譲མ་དང་འཁྲིལཝ་ད་ A As yet, however, not all the dzongkhag have adopted the scheme. 魼་ནམ་றི་䝼ན་轴་ ᭴་ལག་轺ན་འཐབ་捲་䝺་ བརྒྱ་ཆ་༦༩ དང་ བ罼་ གྲྭ་འཕྲུལ་ཁང་ནང་ བརྒྱ་ཆ་༡༩ 䝺་ལས་ 捲་魺ར་歴་୲ས་ སྤྱོད་捲་䝺་ In Yakpugang, Mongar the scheme is a major success story. Members of Yakpugang བརྒྱ་ཆ་༡༢ འ䝴ག་罺ར་ꍲན་པས། Community Forest (YCF) and the dzongkhag’s water user group have renewed PES agreement. The parties agreed to extend the contract term to 10 from five years and བློན་᭺ན་㍼ག་ཊར་ བློ་லོས་歺་譲ང་୲ས་ ᭴་䝺་ཁག་᭺ཝ་ལས་ also revise the payment from Nu 30 to 50 per unit on the water meter a month for the ག筴ང་୲ས་ ཁས་害ངས་འབད་蝼དཔ་བ筲ན་䝴་ ད捲གས་བསལ་றི་ ལས་譲མ་༩ 蝼ད་捲་ལས་༡ ᭴荲་ད捲གས་བསལ་ལས་譲མ་ꍲན་ 罺ར་ ག魴ངས་蝼དཔ་ད་ འ䍴ང་᭴་དང་ 筲ང་᭴་歴་ ཨ་讟ག་୲་ སྒྲིག་ ག筲་୴་བͼད་䝺་ བཞག་佲་捺ན་པར་ ཚ་፺ར་བ㽼ན་㽺་ འབད་佲་୲་ ལས་譲མ་歴་ སྒྲིག་䝼་罺ར་ꍲན་པས།
རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ནང་ ᭴་䝺་ཁག་᭺ཝ་ལས་ ག筴ང་୲ས་ ཁས་害ངས་ འབད་蝼དཔ་བ筲ན་䝴་ ད捲གས་བསལ་றི་ ལས་譲མ་༩ 蝼ད་捲་ ལས་༡ ᭴荲་ད捲གས་བསལ་ལས་譲མ་ꍲནམ་ད་ འ䍴ང་᭴་དང་ 筲ང་᭴་歴་ ཨ་讟ག་୲་ སྒྲིག་ག筲་୴་བͼད་䝺་ བཞག་佲་捺ན་པར་ ཚ་፺ར་བ㽼ན་㽺་ འབད་佲་୲་ ལས་譲མ་歴་ སྒྲིག་䝼་罺ར་ བློན་᭺ན་ றིས་ ག魴ངསམ་ꍲན་པས།
捼ང་鮒ར་རྫོང་ཁག་ནང་ ད་ལྟོ་歴ན་ ᭴་讐་鮐མ་འགྱོ་捲་༡༠ དང་ ᭴་讐་ 鮐མ་འགྱོ་བ荲་བ鮒ང་蝼ད་捲་༡༧༩ 䝺་ལས་ ᭴་讐་༣༨༤ ཨ་讟ག་ག་ ꍲནམ་蝼དཔ་སྦེ་ འབྲུག་୲་᭴་འབབ་ས་ݼངས་གནས་鮟ངས་ནང་ བͼད་蝼དཔ་བ筲ན་䝴་ རྫོང་ཁག་༢༠ ୲་லས་ལས་ ᭴་讐་鮐མ་捲་
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 32 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 33 | town. The rate remains the same for the hospital staff. The CFM has 103 members YCF has 103 members from events, triggering landslides and other Mongar Regional Referral Hospital. from Yakpugang and upper Kidheykhar Kedheykhar and Yakpugang. It has Nu disasters if the watershed is not managed village. The CF covers an area of 650 714,400 in its savings account. Sonam properly” Signal Delma said. The beauty of the scheme, which acres. Zangpo, accountant, said: “The money was first initiated in 2010, is that it will enrich the community’s fund and will PES demarcates watershed areas for incentivises the community forest Apart from protecting the recharge benefit in whatever ways the communities different purposes to safeguard three members to protect the forest from zone, the CFM members have to carry decide to use it. It could also lend and spring sources in Yakpugang. However, all excessive grazing and over-harvesting. out certain regular activities like cleaning help the disadvantaged members of the this is not without challenges. Seen from the broader perspective, the stream, afforestation, guarding community.” maintaining the watersheds upstream CF against illegal extraction of forest For one, continuity or the lack of it. will result in good water yield and resources, limiting the number of cattle Chief forestry officer, Sigyel Delma, Frequent changing of dzongkhag and quality which will be beneficial to the members, and maintaining sanitation and said that the scheme was very effective. local government leader create gaps in the hydropower stations downstream, hygiene, among others. It has helped protect the water sources implementation of the scheme. Lack of irrigation and drinking water supply. and, at the same time, service users can capacities of the local partners is another. Mongar Gup Tenzin Wangchuk said generate income. The idea is based on sharing the that with the scheme communities also About 638 acres of the 924-acre cost of conservation between the benefited financially. It helped preserve The scheme functions according to community forest is under watershed communities and the service users. their natural resources and educated an agreement signed between the service management. That means there is natural the local people on how to protect providers. The service providers carry shortage of timber for construction Service users/beneficiaries/buyers the continuous flow of water from the out set of activities and service users purposes. pay Nu 228,200 annually. During first sources. pay for the activities after verifying the It seems that when the watershed two terms, they were provided an performance of the activities. incentive of Nu 52, 000 and Nu 1, 48,200 The chairman of the community forest, management division proposed the respectively. Sangay Dorji, said that after establishing For example, the service providers of PES scheme, the communities did not PES in the communities, officials from Yakpugang will maintain recharge zone envision that such problems could visit The protected area with a buffer zone Watershed Management Division helped of 638 acres. For that, the users will pay them in the future. in the watershed was identified as a the locals with the system. Nu 80,000 from Mongar Thromdey and According to YCF’s PES secretary, recharge zone with the area of 638 acres Nu 20,000 from Mongar hospital. Service community members were very keen and surrounding the water source which Mongar’s thromde engineer, Ram providers will also carry out plantation in even contributed labour for a month to covers more than half of the total CF Bahadur Darjee, said that Mongar town the degraded area within the watershed, convert their community forests to PES area. had nine water sources, including the stop illegal extractions of forest resources, standards. one at Yakpugang, seven km from town. clear stream channels, limit grazing in the PES agreement was first signed There are 200 building owners in the watershed area (communities shall be between the Yakpugang CF and water There are three PES schemes in the town with 200 water meters in place. allowed to keep more than 5 cattle heads user groups in 2011 for a period of three country today. However, about 60 percent of the people in the area). In total, service users in town years. This was renewed in 2015 with living in the town do not have water tank will pay Nu 178, 200 and hospital Nu Recently, to protect the water sources a new term of five years that expired in or other storage facility which led to water 50,000 annually. in the country 42nd and 43rd batch of December 2019. shortage. De-Suung were given special training on “There is no specific study on the The catchment area in Yakpugang CF water management. Mongar hospital’s deputy chief impact of climate change on water is the main water source that caters for administrative officer, Karma Yeshi, said resources in the area, but we are the residents in Mongar town and the that the scheme ensured that there is experiencing more extreme weather enough water.
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 34 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 35 | mainly occur during the cultivation themselves by using a locally devised season and, these disputes often wooden tool”. divide the community causing social disharmony. Devising Gadha Zhaymi
The nearest irrigation water source Locally known as Ga dha Zhaymi from the gewog is located more than – people of Nyishog have been using three kilometers away. Infested with the tool for water distribution since leeches and hordes of uncleared generations and as much technicalities bushes, the way to the water source is and wisdom invested for the tool, it has unimaginably rough and unwelcoming. also solved the problems to greater extent. Such piece of creation is also a thing Just as anywhere else, for the people of wonder, especially when it is put to of Nyishog, irrigation water is a white function. gold. Villages sparsely located on an estimated gradient of 45 degree, it is an A group of people put the tool to ideal place for equal distribution of water test- to divert a portion of water for three among all households. However, because villages along the channel. The tool households own different acreage of land holdings, guarding water has become Trading White Gold their every-day routine and they do it religiously; through day and nights. Compared to past Chayku, BBS Irrigation water is a serious matter to years, conflicts related Aired: 17 November 2020 them. Men arm themselves with weapons to keep away from dangers that loom in to irrigation water the pitch dark nights. ocally known as Yoechum, business, Nyisho gewog of Wandue have drastically local rice in Bhutan is a Phodrang is considered to be the rice The Tshogpa said “Wild animals are delicacy in the Bhutanese bowl of the dzongkhag. not much of issue in Nyishog, but while reduced. Thanks to the menu. Known for its taste rest of the world resign from the day’s developments that have and flavour, its popularity thrives as one With three irrigation schemes, paddy hard labour, people get ready for yet L cultivation is a primary agricultural of the Bhutanese cultural identity and another round of task; where livelihood come over to irrigation behind every grain that is revered with so practice in the community. With an of families rest upon”. “Compared to facilities in the much devotion, a great deal of hard work estimated rice production of about 400 past years, conflicts related to irrigation and perseverance usually go un-noticed. metric tons annually, people are far from water have drastically reduced. Thanks to community. However, For Bhutan, agriculture has a dominant any food grains distress whole round the the developments that have come over role in the country’s development story year. to irrigation facilities in the community. during such hard times, and rice is one of the primary sources of However, during such hard times, people Although people seldom face irrigation people sort out issues food Bhutanese agriculture produces. sort out issues through a hierarchy of water shortage, there are times when While many parts of the country cultivate problem solving”. The Gup said. He through a hierarchy of irrigation water brings out maximum paddy, both for self-consumption and added” Furthermore, amidst such issues, disputes in the community. The disputes people have come to harmonise among problem solving
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 36 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 37 | determines the amount of water a village If she have money, she pays him ngultrum or a household gets, depending on the 600 or else she pays him off with one-day landholding. People in this village have labour work. been using Gad dha Zhaymi for decades now. The tool will remain as an invaluable The Water trading system has been asset for the community until they find a keeping their field irrigated for years. Like better solution. Kezang, few people of Chaybakha chiwog also depend on the traded water. Abundant irrigation water is on the lips of everyone in the community. This represents a small fragment of However, years have passed by, for the issues faced by paddy cultivating some households in Chaybakha, where communities across the country. These irrigation water has never come by easily. people are left to their own indigenous Few households also resorted to their ways of problem solving. only source of drinking water to irrigate In Bhutan, wetland farming constitutes their farms, until they found a solution, just about 28 percent of the country’s sometime recently. cultivable land. Very much vulnerable Such deprivation has been a tale for and highly dependent on climatic those households whose lands are located parameters, most parts of the country’s A fungus, A Community and its above the irrigation channels. And wetland farming depend on spring because an accessible channel belongs to season, fed by monsoon rain, glaciers different chiwogs, it has never been easy and natural watersheds. For this reason, a small change in the climatic parameters Culture for an equal share of the white gold. Some people of Kuenzangling village have been brings about devastating impact to using this deprivation to their advantage the agriculture production. Given the Samten Dolkar, BBS
for years, through Water Trading. country’s geographical limitations, Aired: 5November 2020 Bhutan cannot opt to expand the Dorji of Kuenzangling village for cultivation areas, either. With the global ountains are part have always depended on their instance, diverts his share of water to his temperature rise projected at 2.0 - 4.5 °C of Bhutan’s culture. mountains for livelihood. And so, their neighbor, downstream after his fields are over the next 25 years, paddy cultivating A source of life, a road to prosperity as well began from the irrigated and with some surplus water farmer’s remains challenged like never sanctuary, Bhutanese highlands. left for sale. Other households who before. With such dangers not very far, a revere and attach strong values to this M Mani Chogyel from Tasa village of share the water from the same channel question arises, how secure are we from a prominent natural geographic feature. gathers to witness that not even a drop devastating future? Dangchhu gewog in his early 50s, was of extra white gold is being traded. Dorji Dangchhu is a scattered settlement a little boy when he first heard about uses a stick to measure equal volume of in the eastern mountains of Cordyceps as a fungus sprouting in the water from the water channel. With this Wangduephodrang. As a highland high mountains. “Before there was no amount of water, Kezang of Chaybakha community, although it holds a grim place to sell cordyceps. The fungus had manages to irrigate her entire paddy field. and humble history of struggle to medicinal values and so as a kid, we used make ends meet, today, it is a thriving to collect it while herding our yaks. We community. The people in the village could gather a sack-full within an hour,” Mani said.
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 38 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 39 | Little did he know then that it was Singye Dorji, another villager said another gift from the mountains that “After we moved out of my wife’s parents’ would soon change his fortune as well as house, we lived in a hut. We stayed in it that of his fellow villagers. Cordyceps is for nine or 10 long years. Then, I started a parasitic fungus that attacks a number collecting more Cordyceps and I made of insects, most notably caterpillars. It more money. Today, we live in a better is found only in places at 4000 to 5000 house.” meters altitude. In Bhutan, it is locally known as Yartsa-Guenbub, which literally But tough times lie ahead. The translates the lifecycle of the fungus as precious fungus is disappearing, perhaps ‘summer grass, winter worm’. faster than expected. With every passing year, the news of a poor harvest is Mani said “People of Tasa collected becoming more and more common. Cordyceps while herding yaks. There was no auction held like today. A few villagers Duba said “The cordyceps harvest took the fungus to Thimphu for sale has decreased by almost 70 per cent and some sold it to other people in the compared to the past.” mountains.” In July, Cordycepssinensis was Bhutan legalized the collection to many reports, is mainly due to the the center stage as the main source of included in the Red List of the Cordyceps in the country in 2004 medicinal values of Cordyceps as a income while the world remains gripped International Union for Conservation of following the Royal Command of His generic immune booster, or to treat a by an increasing demand for the fungus. Nature as vulnerable. According to the Majesty the Fourth DrukGyalpo. Since growing list of conditions, including It has helped curb the endemic poverty global environment body, the population then, these people, young and old, men cancer. It is ranked with the finest often associated with the region. of the fungus declined by at least 30 per and women, have been spending their wild ginseng, Deer Antler and Reishi cent over the past 15 years. summers high up in the mountains. Mushroom as a life-promoting agent. From the struggles of living in dilapidated tents, today, the highland Multiple studies internationally show Crawling on the ground, looking for In Tasa, Mani Chogyal stands witness families boast of two-storied houses, climate change and warmer winters as the tonic fungus camouflaged in the sea to how the winds of change swept decked elaborately in rich traditional the reasons behind the dwindling yield of grass is as tiring as it is hazardous. through his village because of Yartsa- paintings and financially stable enough to of Cordyceps besides its untimely and But most times, these are belittled by Guenbub. earn a handsome living. overharvesting. the rewards of finding the world’s most In Bhutan, research on the impacts of expensive fungus. “People of Tasa made a good income Duba, a villager said “After we started from Cordyeps. And with that money, harvesting cordyceps, much development climate change on Cordyceps is limited. A kilogram of the best quality some bought lands and built houses in took place. Today, because of the But from what farmers say, it is evident Cordyceps could fetch as high as … Nobding while some constructed bigger cordyceps, like anybody else, we have that cold winters, which are a perfect ngultrum. Last year, from just nine places houses in the village. Now, everyone is good clothes to wear, good food to eat catalyst for the fungus to grow, are across the country, Cordyceps worth over independent and financially stable. These and have a proper status among other gradually becoming harder to come by. 200 million ngultrum was collect as per are all due to the fungus” he said. people. The profit from the cordyceps Mani said “Before, as a child, when (cite the source). gave home to a person who didn’t even we went high up in the mountains, the Such stories of affluence echo across have a proper roof. Some have bought The soaring global demand, according the highlands where Codyceps has taken mountains, lakes and air used to be very lands and build houses.” cool. The weather used to be very cold.
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 40 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 41 | But later I don’t know if it’s because of can have a significant change in forest in Bhutan appears to be relatively higher responding to the symptoms of over increased number of people who went up species like composition, distribution and than any other countries in South Asia. dependence on Cordyceps could prompt there, but the place where it used to snow another interesting thing is that several And this is consistent with IPCC report their return to old habits. do not receive snow anymore. Even the evidences that shows that there is a that suggest that temperature increase in climate is warmer than before.” upward movement of plants” Himalaya would be significantly higher According to the Gup “From last year, than any other regions in the world.” with support from the gewog, we decided Duba said “The climate has changes International research indicate that to revive our age old tradition of rearing drastically up there now. Before around since 2000, Himalayan glaciers are losing Amid the concerns over the yaks. People have come to us saying that November, it used to snow heavily. But nearly half a meter of ice a year vertically disappearing fungus, highlanders are also yak rearing is ultimately going to benefit these days, even if it snows, it melts on average. In the final decades of the confronted with another stark reality - the them in future. Going by the situation, within no time..” 20th century that loss was only around 22 pressure the newfound wealth has put on we can’t always depend on cordyceps centimeters a year, which indicates that their nomadic culture unconsciously. harvest. It would be difficult to sustain Cordyceps growth is enhanced by climate change is accelerating snow melt our lives. So people have been supporting unusually high precipitation during the in the Himalayas at a rate double what it Today, yaks are reared more as an us and some old people are now starting preceding monsoon season or in the was just a few decades ago. identity characteristic than a necessity. to go back to yak rearing now.” form of winter snowfall especially when The age-old tradition for sustenance has followed by mild temperatures in spring. Studies reveal that at higher elevations, fallen casualty to the growing trend of “Now as year goes by, there are where temperatures are naturally colder, collecting Cordyceps. increasing number of collectors and less Mani said “Cordyceps like any there has been less loss of ice. Yet lower cordyceps. So we can’t guarantee that we vegetables grow in area where there is down, especially nearer ground level, Pemba, Gup, Dangchhu, make a living out of this cordyceps our enough water. It cannot grow in dry land. glaciers are losing an alarming five meters WangduePhodrang said “After the entire life.” Singye added It can’t also grow in muddy land. There of ice a year on average. The decrease collection of Cordyceps picked up, should be enough rain and water and of quality and quantiy of Cordyceps is people preferred fungus over yaks. Meanwhile, in Tasa, Mani Chogyel is the soil should be very loose and soft. It perhaps a convincing indication that Rearing yaks became an additional task also preparing his children to brace the should grow in colder place with enough climate change is eating the Himalayas’ and with everyone in the family involved future in ways he considers best. He says snow falls.” glacier. in collecting cordyceps, there were no children are tempted to leave school for extra hands to spare. When it comes to gathering Cordyceps. But as a father who Last year, the average minimum He further added “We did this short gathering Cordyceps, people have to toil has lived through a process in time, he temperature of WangduePhodrang was study in Bhutan. It’s basically looking at for a month or two and the returns are far does want the advantages they have at recorded at 15ºC. This year, it fell to the temperature precipitation data. What better than rearing yaks. So slowly, some the moment as highlanders to also be the 13.9ºC. and the harvest was reportedly we have in Bhutan over the last 20, 25 yaks died while others were sold-off.” cause of a loss his children would feel very better. years and we looked at this data and then deeply. we linked to the global climate models Today, there are over 4000 yaks in the Om Katel (PhD), Lecturer of and our studies showed that over the highlands of WangduePhodrang. This Mani said “Some people do get Environment and Climate studies (ENG) year that is 1900 to 2001, there has been is an increase in recent times following tempted that cordyceps fetch them said “When there is a change in climate, increase of 0.8 degree Celsius increase interventions from the livestock sector. so much money. But as a tshogpa, I change in precipitation, there will be of temperature. And if you just look at However, people say that this upward tell people in my village to give their change in distribution of plant species is, this data very carefully, very critically, we trajectory in the yak population is children education. For a little profit structure of the plant species, and overall have found that since 1981 until now, the negligible compared to a decade ago. from this business, if they do not educate the ecology of forest ecosystem. And average increase in temperature has been themselves now, in future we can’t there are evidences from IPCC reports Yet all is not lost according to very significant. And surprisingly what it guarantee if we can really rely on it or that with one to two degree Celsius, there Dangchhu Gup Pemba. People shows is that the increase in temperature not.”
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 42 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 43 | communities to identify new ones, often For hundreds of households in Toeb far away from human settlements. and Baap gewogs in Punakha, the ever- dependable stream of Toeb-Rongchu Water shortage a national Up in the mountain valleys, in is like a mother whose bountiful love Wangduephodrang, people complain is unconditional. But the naturally-fed of dwindling amount of water for stream, farmers say, is seeing a decrease concern paddy cultivation. People have resorted in discharge over several years. The to stealing water, if not buying from stream is now increasingly becoming a neighbors who do not need it in source of conflict among households and Gopilal Acharya abundance. In Shaba, Paro, officials say communities. Published: Kuensel, January 2, 2021 four of the five springs have dried up in the past two decades.
s traditional sources dry up, farmers fear a future with insufficient water
The gewog of Barshong in TsirangA is a sprawling communities of human settlements along narrow ridges and steep slopes of the southern foothills. The gewog’s population of about 2,500 people are perennially thirsty, literally and figuratively. Simply said, the gewog faces acute water shortage. By contrast, the grand Sunkosh River flows at the foot of the Barshong hills.
The river is a constant reminder to the residents of Barshong why mankind’s survival so critically hinges on the continuous availability of water. Besides the considerable dry spell the gewog goes through, there are new water-related challenges that farmers have to deal with.
Across the Sunkosh River is Dagana, another district where several of its gewogs have of late reported severe water shortage. Dagaps say the traditional water sources have dried up leaving
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 44 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 45 | Bhutan’s farmers, who have for “First, there is water shortage, and then What can be done? Mountain Development, several generations depended on subsistence there is the shortage of farmhands. Young households in Barshong geowg have farming, know it all—that rainfall is people do not want to do the dirty work.” While modest work has begun to constructed plastic-lined conservation becoming erratic and unpredictable, address the issue, the country still lacks ponds. These ponds store as much as that natural ponds and lakes are drying Farmers also complain of increased considerable expertise for a nationwide 18,000 liters of water, and can be used up, that spring and stream discharge is pest and diseases and crop failure, intervention. For example, work has for irrigation as well as for vegetable decreasing. In short, farming is becoming especially during extended dry spells. begun at the pilot site in Lholing in production. The water can also be used difficult. And more and more farmers, Water scarcity will have a direct impact Paro for spring revival and spring-shed for fish farming and other domestic from Dagana to Paro to Pemagatshel, on food security as more farmers hang management. Some capacity building purposes. are today worried about future without up their plough to explore alternative exercises for officials and local leaders sufficient water. livelihood or simply abandon villages for have also been carried out. And one of However, better management of urban lure. the components of the national flagship springs and deepening community “In the past, rains lasted for several program on ‘Water and Irrigation’ is to ownership of water sources should months,” says Raj Kumar Moktan, 56, of Yet, Bhutan has one of the highest protect critical watersheds and wetlands. be focus in the long run, experts say. Gangtokha in Barshong. “We received per capita availability of water in the Better distribution systems with rain from April till August. But today, world. Official figures show that Bhutan Rehabilitating degraded sources minimal wastage should be introduced. you never know when it comes and generates about 70,500 million m3 per should be at the core of the spring revival Environmental impact assessments when it goes. It has become extremely annum, meaning each Bhutanese should interventions, say experts. To this end, a should reflect recharge areas and mark unpredictable.” ideally have access to about 94,500 m3 team of Bhutanese officials also visited them as protected zones. Development per person per year. Sikkim to learn from its popular Dhara activities, especially the ones that cause Are water sources really drying up? Vikas Initiative. Under this Initiative, considerable damage to the environment, Experts say poor governance and Sikkim has been able to revive several could be discouraged. There are increasing reports from management are some underlying dying lakes, springs, and streams. Given communities across the country that causes for water shortage in the country. geographical similarities between Bhutan In the meanwhile, for the people of water sources are drying up. In many Disturbances at the catchment, change in and Sikkim, officials feel lessons from Toeb and Baap, the end of each cycle parts of Bhutan, farmers share the same land use pattern, forest fires, disturbance Sikkim could be useful. of paddy cultivation is a moment of distressing stories, that water availability of natural vegetation, and climate change jubilation. The deities have answered the has become highly seasonal. could be contributing to the dwindling The big challenge, however, is the prayers, and people will not go hungry. water availability. lack of comprehensive data. Further, The ever-dependable Toeb-Rongchu has Increasing variability and most farmers are not aware of small-scale not yet failed. unpredictability of rainfall is already Further, rainfall patterns have changed efficient water management practices posing new challenges to farmers. They from long monsoon cycles to erratic such as rainwater harvesting, drip Or could it, someday? say rainfall these days lasts for shorter downpours and this is not giving enough irrigation, plastic-lined conservation period and people are now switching rain to recharge to the aquifers, which are pond, and water recharge ponds. from the cultivation of more water a critical component of watersheds. intensive crops like paddy to less water Barshong has been lucky, though. intensive crops. In some cases, farmers The numerous farm roads constructed Through an European Union-funded have altogether abandoned paddy in the past 15 years would have also project on rural livelihoods managed by cultivation. disturbed the movement and distribution the International Centre for Integrated of groundwater, say officials. Many rural “Paddy cultivation does not make roads in Bhutan have been built without sense anymore,” says a Samtse farmer. mapping recharge areas.
Climate Change Reporting: Climate Change Reporting: | 46 | Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan Impact of Climate on Rural Communities in Bhutan | 47 |
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