This Report of the Standing Committee on Water Resources (2021-22) deals with the action taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations contained in their Twelfth Report (Seventeenth Lok Sabha) on ‘Flood Management in the Country including International Water Treaties in the field of Water Resource Management with particular Reference to …
No breakthrough has been made in the dialogue between Bhutan's ministry of agriculture and the Indian authorities regarding the safe disposal of about 33 metric tonnes of hazardous chemical waste stored in a makeshift shed at Paro in Bhutan. India's neighbour wants it to incinerate the chemicals in Mumbai. But …
Rare plants and herbs of the Lingshi dungkhag region of Bhutan are indiscriminately being used for preparing traditional medicines by the Thimphu-based Institute of Traditional Medicines Service (ITMS). The rugged alpine terrain of Lingshi dungkhag is blessed with more than 100 different species of rare medicinal plants and herbs. But …
To encourage the sustainable use of natural resources, the Bhutanese government is planning to launch a wildlife conservation programme that includes the setting up of a zoological park. The park would house a number of endangered herbivorous animal species. Besides the park, the programme also includes agro-biodiversity conservation projects for …
More than 20 wild mushroom species of the Thimphu valley of Bhutan have now disappeared because of overexploitation. Experts at the Semtokha-based National Mushroom Centre said that the decline is a result of ecological imbalance caused by the people. "The symbiotic relation between the host trees like pine and the …
In the last seven years, the number of Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases in Bhutan has increased to fifteen. For a small country like Bhutan the number is considered to be a cause of grave concern. "Bhutan is fortunate that a national AIDS strategy was introduced even before the …
A forest fire destroyed 121 hectares of pine forest in Bhutan's Thimphu district. Forest officials say that the fire started in an apple orchard where a 17-year-old schoolboy was burning papers. Due to strong winds, the fire caught on to the dry bushes and spread into the forest. The fire …
Bhutan is now realising the implications of imported crop diseases. "Importing a plant without proper quarantine can lead to the spread of a new plant disease damaging a lot of our crops,' said N K Pradhan of the Plant Protection Centre. Many in the country are unaware about Bhutan's Quarantine …
The Asian Development Bank has approved two soft term loans amounting to US $19.6 million to Bhutan. The first loan of US $10 million will be used as the government's contribution to the Bhutan Heath Trust Fund, which aims to improve health care systems across the country. The second loan …
The United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) will finance a biomass fuel efficiency project in Bhutan. The project is aimed to solve the environmental and health problems faced by the people of Tsirangdzongkhag. Bhutan will be given US $29,400 by the UNDP . The project will tackle problems such …
Rural-urban migration, deforestation, land degradation, water and air pollution and solid waste management have been identified as emerging environmental problems of Bhutan, according to a draft report titled "State of Environment'. The environmental report is being prepared under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme.
Bhutan opened its doors to tourists in 1974. But the protective Bhutanese psyche kept the kingdom jealously guarded and this is visible in the controlled tourism policy. To avoid unwanted side effects the government has adopted a policy of "high value low volume' tourism, restricting the number of tourists by …
In 1990, senior government officials gathered at Paro to draft broad parameters for the country’s development agenda. The conclusion was the “Paro Resolution on Environment and Sustainable Development”, a statement that redefined sustainability in the Bhutanese context. It read as, “The capacity and the political will to effectively address today’s …
With modernisation has come the pressure on the forests. Though almost three-fourths of the country is still covered by dense foliage, the demands from a growing population can put unprecedented demands on them. Be it for construction, fuelwood consumption, infrastructure development, it cannot be underestimated. At the same time, 60 …
T he challenges that Bhutan is faced with are indeed daring, but rather than taking corrective measures, one cannot deny the fact that the government is taking proactive steps to mitigate the evils of development. For instance, air pollution. Though not of the proportion Indian metros like New Delhi are …
The ministry of trade and industry banned the use/sale of plastic carry bags, doma (paan) wrappers and ice cream pouches with effect from June 2, 1999. Any trader found selling/using plastic bags are liable to a fine of Rs 500 for the first offence, Rs 10,000 if caught for the …
On the road to destiny The tradition-bound Himalayan kingdom readies itself to brace modernism In 1958, when the then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, went to Bhutan on a state visit, the only way he could reach the capital Thimpu was over land. He demanded to be met at the …
At least 50 people were killed and hundreds were rendered homeless in Bhutan due to flash floods and mudslides caused by fierce rains. Lynpo Khandu Wangchuk, the minister for trade, said that rescue workers were still engaged in ascertaining the exact death toll, which according to media was more than …
Vanda griffithii, an orchid species that was last spotted in Bhutan in 1843 have been rediscovered by two botanists. Phillip Cribb and Nicholas Pearce of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, the UK, said they also found 12 species of orchids that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. …
