One in three Bhutanese overweight, finds study
The increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on health facilities demands greater multi-sectoral actions for the implementation of NCD prevention activities. NCDs are a major public
Kuensel (Bhutan)
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Is car duty the right way out?
The government's plan to raise the vehicle import duty and annual vehicle registration fee to make cars more expensive has met public opposition. With good reasons. The car has revolutionised the way Bhutanese live. It has allowed hundreds to travel where they will, in comfort and security, at a time of their own choosing. Owning a car remains a goal for hundreds of others. To have to pay more now for something that has long been at lesser cost is unfair.
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Getting to grips with garbage
Each person generates about a kilogramme of household waste everyday, according to the first national survey solid waste survey carried out in urban centres of Bhutan by the department of urban development and engineering services (DUDES). The survey, which was conducted from November 2007 to January 2008, in 10 urban centres showed Phuentsholing as the highest centre, with each individual generating about 1.2 kg of waste. The lowest was recorded at Trashigang with 0.6 kg.
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Query over quarries
A recent inter-ministerial report said that the Bjemina stone quarries of the Singye Group were being mined unscientifically. Kuensel has learnt that the department of forests(DoF) under the agriculture ministry ignored mining laws to renew quarrying rights to Singye Company for Bjemina in 2006 up to 2016 and issued a new quarry in Wangdiphodrang to Damchen Company in 2000.
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Inter-ministerial report criticises Bjemina quarries
An inter-ministerial investigation carried out at the Bjemina quarry site pointed out that quarries in and around the area could be negatively affecting the local communities' health and crops. The report stated that quarries were practising unscientific quarrying and thereby posing a threat to the environment and workers.
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Green signal for Punatsangchu-I
The proposal to shift the 1,095 mega watt (MG) Punatsangchu-I project, to a new dam location was approved by authorities comprising Bhutanese and Indian officials at the Punatsangchu hydropower authority (PHPA) meeting on August 8, at the capital. The new location means an increase in the generation capacity of the station from 1,095 MW to 1,200 MW. "This happened because of shifting the dam to a better location. It gave us the additional head of 105 MW because of more quantity and force of water,' said the managing director of Tala hydro project authority (THPA), R N Khazanchi.
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Paro's Water Wars
The people of Paro are busy battling and sabotaging each other's community water supply systems over disputes on an increasingly scarce drinking and irrigation water supply. Representatives of people from the three gewogs of Dopshari, Doteng and Lango are in the Thimphu high court over the former two's refusal to share their excess water with Lango even on government orders. In between, even the newly constructed concrete water tank and iron pipes for Lango were demolished with patangs and hammers overnight. In Dogar gewog, a water supply pipeline was also cut and destroyed.
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Capacity building in battle vs HIV/AIDS
A limited health work force and inadequate human resources were some of the biggest problems faced to tackle HIV/AIDS in the country, according to health officials. This lacuna was followed by a lack of core competency to provide capacity building of other stakeholders to fight HIV/AIDS and inadequate research capacity for evidence-based programming. With about 144 cases reported until today, an increasing trend of HIV/AIDS infection was seen with 37 cases detected in 2007 alone.
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The danger of dengue
The Thimphu national referral hospital has diagnosed several people, from outside Thimphu, with the dengue infection this month. "Two are above 50 years and four are under 10,' said officials from the public health laboratory (PHL). The dengue infection was confirmed from blood samples. Records from the in-patient department (IPD), however, indicate only five dengue positive cases this month. "Some patients directly go to the out-patient department (OPD) and some just give their blood and don't come back,' said the record section in-charge.
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Nu 442 billion as total cost for Hydro Projects till 2020?
- It has been estimated that around Nu 442 billion will be required in funds if Bhutan is to generate around 10,406 MW by 2020. The figure is only an initial estimate, not taking into account inflation over the years. "At the current rate of 8 percent inflation, by using simple compound interes,t we can expect it to double within 8-10 years,' said a power official. Tala started at a Nu 14 billion estimate but touched 43 billion at completion.
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Not a flash- but a trash-flood!
On Thursday evening Thimphu residents went home safe in the belief that the flash flood coming down from the Tango Cheri area was nothing to worry about. But that night several families residing in Changzamtog area could not sleep at all. With heavy rain all night, drain water flooded several homes and kept the residents awake right through the night. Karma, a tenant of a traditional house, which belongs to Ap Gomchen, said that drain water, which flows above their house gushed inside through the kitchen window.