3.7 PUBLIC HEALTH ENGINEERING AND TOWN SANITATION
When thousands of people come to live in the same location, they have to change their behavior to accommodate each other. Thus, the word "civil" comes from civic, which in turn means "of the city!" Public health emerges when any individual's health is more characterized by that of the public community they live in than by their own personal hygiene. The following section on Public Health Engineering and Town Sanitation explains the existing systems adopted by the local body to provide various services and maintain hygiene.
The Danish Development Agency, DANIDA, has offered assistance in this area, and has made a commitment to Gelephu, as well as other towns, to assist them in the enhancement of their existing public health engineering infrastructure. As DANIDA has realized that public health engineering and the peoples' welfare are essential to over-all planned development, and as their program of assistance begins shortly, this Structure Plan exercise could not come at a better time.
3.7.1 Water Supply Network
The water supply network in Gelephu was improved in the early 1990’s, co-financed by the Asian Development Bank, DANIDA and the RGoB. There are two sources from where water is drawn for supply to the town. These include the Mao Chhu and a source in the mountains north of Gelephu. Water from these sources is treated in the Mao Chhu infiltration gallery located on the bank of the river and in the Pelrithang Treatment Plant respectively. Water from these treatment plants is transmitted and stored in a water reservoir located to the west of the Match Factory, either by gravity flow, from the Pelrithang treatment plant or by pumping, from the Mao Chhu infiltration gallery. Potable water from the water reservoir is supplied to the entire town through a gravity system.
Click here for existing water supply network map
Click here for existing water supply network map 1
Click here for existing solid waste management map
However water shortage problems are experienced due to unreliable power supply, since 75% of the water is obtained through pumping from the source. About 25% of the potable water from the mountain source is met through the gravity system. The gravity system passes through land slide prone areas which require frequent maintenance or replacement. There also exists a separate raw water supply from Pelrithang to the Royal Guest House.
The water supply system of Gelephu consists of 10 inch, 6 inch, 4 inch, 3 inch and 11/2 inch diameter galvanized iron (GI) pipes arranged in a hierarchical manner with respect to the water supply requirements.
The total demand is anticipated at about 2,665 cubic meters per day excluding industrial demands. The industrial demand is about 2,274 cubic meters per day. Water to the Gelephu industrial estate is partly supplied by the Municipal Corporation. However the Army Welfare Project has its own water supply system from the Pelrithang Treatment Plant. The domestic water demand is about 1,612 cubic meters per day, while the commercial and fire-fighting demand is 242 cubic maters per day. There are about seven fire hydrants installed in the town most of them in and around the town core.
About fifty percent of the total households with water supply connections from the municipality are provided with water meters, and the remaining consumers pay on flat rate of about Nu.50 per household. Water supply charges were levied in 1998 in Gelephu. The total length of GI water pipelines in Gelephu is about 19,500 meters. The storage capacity of the Pelrithang water tank is about 450 cubic meters. Storage in the water reservoir, located to the west of the Match Factory, is about 750 cubic meters. Water is supplied all through the day with full volume supply from 5 am to 8 pm and half volume supply from 8 pm and 5 am. Availability and management of water is a key factor in the city’s future growth and the evolution of a dynamic economic base.
