Rehabilitation work for Taklai Irrigation Project
Director General (DG) of the Department of Agriculture (DoA), Ministry of Agriculture & Forests (MoAF), Mr. Tenzin Dhendup inaugurated the construction of Rehabilitation of Taklai Irrigation System at Sershong block in Gelephu (Gayleyphug).
Speaking at the function the DG informed the gathering that “despite the Government’s best efforts towards retaining the Taklai Irrigation Channel, the annual floods have washed away large tracks of wetland along the riverbank and continued to pose a threat to the existing irrigation infrastructure and agriculture lands.
Since 1999, major repair works and mitigation measures have been undertaken at the intake points on an annual basis. As the damage magnitude went beyond Bhutan government’s capacity for repairs, Japanese Government agreed to provide a grant assistance as well as technical expertise to help rebuild the infrastructures and construct flood protection structures.
The DG also briefed the local community of Chuzagang (Danabari), Sershong and Umling (Lalai) blocks on the DoA’s 11th plan priority which includes sufficient irrigation water supply, farm machinery services and addressing of human wildlife conflict by introducing effective measures like electric fencing.
The Taklai irrigation system is situated along the Taklai River covering the two blocks of Chuzagang (Danabari) and Sershong under Gelephu (Gaylegphug) Dungkhag in Sarpang (Sarbhang) district. The gross area under these two gewogs is about 1500 hectares (ha) of which the net cultivated Chuzhing area is around 1300 ha benefiting over 500 households. The irrigation scheme was first completed in 1988.
According to Mr. Tenzin, Chief Engineer, Engineering Division, DoA, the rehabilitation project consists of construction of concrete weir at the intake, construction of common intake structure for high level and low level main canals, construction of a permanent head race canal, construction of a sedimentation tank, repairing or replacing of siphons, repairing of steel flow control gates on the two main canals, construction of a flood protection retaining wall and installation of a river flow measuring station.