Irrigation Section
Cultivated land in Bhutan is broadly categorized into two types: Kamzhing and Chhuzhing. Chhuzhing is a leveled, bunded terrace where summer paddy is grown as a main staple food crop. This Chhuzhing can be irrigated or rain fed depending upon the choice of crops and availability of water for irrigation.
Until recently, irrigation development in Bhutan was the result of the farmers own initiatives and investments in the construction, maintenance and management of the traditional irrigation systems through the use of local resources and knowledge. These systems are called community managed irrigation system (CMIS). Over 1200 CMIS exist in the country of which about 1000 systems are currently functional and irrigate more than 64,000.00 acres of paddy land across the country.
The Government’s involvement in the irrigation sector has started only in 1967 during the second five year plan with the establishment of irrigation division under the Department of Agriculture. Since then the irrigation division under DoA has provided specialized attention to the improvement of CMIS through respective Dzongkhags, wherein the focus was more on maintenance of bottle neck structures.
In each Dzongkhag, there is an Engineering sector responsible for designing and implementing various kinds of engineering projects including irrigation works. However, the kinds of irrigation works that are undertaken directly by the Dzongkhag administration are limited to maintenance and repair of small irrigation canals.
Mandates & Functions
- Sourcing funds from Donor Agencies and other appropriate agencies
- Surveying, designing, estimating and monitoring of new irrigation schemes
- Surveying, designing, estimating and monitoring of major rehabilitation of irrigation schemes
- Prioritization of irrigation schemes based on the Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA)
- Technical support and backstopping to Engineers at Local Government institutions
Achievements
During the 11th FYP, an ambitious and auspicious figure of 108 irrigation schemes were prioritized and planned for implementation based on the MCA and completed 33 irrigation schemes during the 11th FYP and surveyed, designed and estimated more than 70 schemes for future plan periods. With the completion of 33 major irrigation schemes executed centrally over 5000 beneficiaries were benefitted by assuring water for more than 15000 Ac of paddy land.
Moreover, the Irrigation section has also implemented dryland irrigation across the country for vegetables and citrus covering an area of more than 1300 Ac.
Target for the 12th FYP
The Irrigation section has planned 25 Irrigation schemes which would benefit more than 2000 households and assuring water for over 4000 acres of paddy land.
Terms of Reference
- Overall management of the Section
- Policy formulation for irrigation programmes/projects
- Long term planning for adoption/development of irrigation techniques
- Review the performance of the central projects and the Dzongkhag activities
- Liaise with relevant agencies on matters related to irrigation programmes/projects
- Review and conduct irrigation training requirement for the Section and Dzongkhags
- Any other official duties assigned to him from time to time by the management
- Provide appropriate designs for irrigation construction works
- Preparation of annual budget for the Section
- Carry out tender evaluation/pre-qualification for the works
- Coordination and monitoring of irrigation programmes
- Provide technical assistance on design of irrigation system to Dzongkhag and central agencies
- Participate in flood mitigation studies and projects
- Compilation of irrigation progress reports
- Review environmental clearance applications for irrigation projects and processing environmental clearance
- Coordinate irrigation activities of Area Development projects
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