Analesha Gurung, a tenth grader at Tsirangtoe School in Bhutan, carries buckets each morning not for experiments, but in the hope of collecting water from taps that often run dry. The lack of reliable water has affected daily life for 767 students and 78 staff members, creating unhygienic conditions, locked toilets, and difficult choices between thirst and sanitation. For Analesha and the other 200 girls in the boarding school, the water scarcity directly impacts their confidence and ability to focus on learning, highlighting how basic needs are crucial for academic success.
The water crisis extends beyond the school into local communities. In Paro’s Shaba valley, changing climate patterns have disrupted rainfall and dried up natural water sources, affecting agriculture and daily life. Residents, once accustomed to predictable seasons, now face irregular rainfall, rising temperatures, and deteriorating watersheds. Local leaders like Sangay Lham emphasize the challenge of maintaining water infrastructure in such conditions, with pumps frequently damaged by floods or freezing in winter.
Relief arrived through a climate adaptation project funded by the Adaptation Fund and implemented by the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation. The initiative focused not just on infrastructure but on rehabilitating watersheds to restore natural water retention. In Tsirang, a new storage tank and filtration system now delivers safe drinking water through 30 kilometers of pipeline, benefiting both the school and 4,700 community members. In Dagana, irrigation improvements allow farmers to cultivate rice twice a year, while training and water user groups ensure local management and sustainability. Nearly 5,000 people have directly benefited, and the project is expanding to 60 additional communities.
The success of these efforts relies on community stewardship. Sangay emphasizes that sustainability requires local responsibility, with residents monitoring storage, repairing leaks, maintaining pipelines, and planting trees to protect water sources. Coordination among leaders, women, youth, and adults has proven essential in creating lasting change. Technical support from the government and integration of maintenance costs into annual budgets further strengthen the system’s resilience.
For Analesha, the project represents a transformative change. As she prepares to graduate, she feels assured that younger students will no longer endure the daily burden of carrying water. Clean, reliable water now allows students to focus on their education, transforming the learning environment. Similarly, communities like Shaba have regained stability and control over their water systems, illustrating how climate adaptation projects can restore both basic needs and long-term resilience. Bhutan’s experience shows that addressing fundamental necessities, such as water, is the first step in enabling individuals and communities to thrive despite climate challenges.
