Until 2015, the pond was the ultimate source of water for the 13 households of Gungthramo village.
Tshering said: “Streams and springs are drying every year.
Tshering, mother of eight, goes out with aluminum bowl whenever there is rain.
According to the National Health Survey reports of 2012, 97.7 percent of the Bhutanese have access to piped drinking water.
“If timely intervention is not taken, our livelihood could be in danger.” National issue Drinking water shortage has hit many communities across the country.
The villagers collect water from temporary springs that hold water in summer when there is rain.
The sources disappear in winter.
In Kengkhar in Mongar, drinking water shortage has severely affected about 2,212 people of 482 households.
Though it’s not easy to ascertain whether the disappearance of water sources is purely because of climate change, most of the villagers who depend on ground water, springs, streams, ponds and wells for drinking said that erratic rainfall could be one of the main factors leading to drying of water sources.
Compared to rural areas, demand for water in urban centres is much higher.