The contaminated water that affected the residents of 17 buildings in Changangkha and Motithang area is now safe to consume, according to Thimphu Thromde officials.
“After receiving a complaint from a house owner the next day, we visited the site and took water sample for testing,” the official said.
“We also asked the Thromde’s Motithang Tshogpa to inform the building owners.” The thromde official said that he also informed the owners of the affected building the next day.
It was not possible to inform every tenant, so I informed the house owners and asked them to tell their tenants not to consume water for a few days,” Dorji Dema said.
“Some house owners did not open the door.” “The exact affected area was not known then and it was not possible to go to every building as it was late and was also raining,” she said.
While the thromde officials claimed that they disinfected the reservoirs with chlorine after flushing the tanks and the main water lines, a house owner did not agree.
“I learned that some of my tenants did not use the water from the tap to cook also.” The thromde official said he also informed the affected buildings that the thromde will flush and disinfect the tanks and pipelines.
We knew only when we received the complaint.” The contractor, Tshewang, said the contamination happened when his workers were trying to divert the sewerage leakage towards the drain.
“I think there was a leakage in a joint of the main water pipe and the sewerage water might have got in through it.” A thromde official said that when it comes to water supply, the thromde’s compliance is until the water meter point, after which, it is the responsibility of the house owners.
“Even after that, we visited the buildings again and disinfected the tanks and flushed the pipeline,” the thromde official said.