Green and Clean Bhutan - A possibility

'Keep Thimphu clean and green'- This is a message that many Thimphu residents read again and again. But, are we anywhere close to it?

Thimphu is definitely not clean. Litters everywhere. Overflowing drains. 40 tonnes of waste a day is a lot - 85% of the waste being recyclable. Overflowing Memelakha. And no proper waste management system in place. A few ideas flung here and there - whether to employ a private firm to manage the wastes, dig another landfill or buy an incinerator (which I don't really agree with). Make a decision and at least do something.

Thimphu is not green either. May be a few roofs (I still remember the TCC's absurd regulation to paint the roofs green). Too few green spaces for people to enjoy. Neither a single energy efficient building (the BTF building in Taba may qualify as one) nor any efforts in this direction. The intra-city transportation system is still unattractive to many people. Too many gas-guzzlers. Proposal for electric trains and trams - I think we need more immediate, effective and simpler solutions.

If Thimphu is any indicator, a green and clean Bhutan is definitely a distant, difficult dream. But we can achieve the dream if we tackle the problems head on. It is time for more action and less rhetoric. There are a few things that can be immediately done -

1. Make Civil Servants the ambassadors of a clean and green Bhutan - Everybody looks up to the civil servants in Bhutan. The Government should initiate the changes from within. Educate the the civil servants on waste management and effective use of energy. Let them practice these things at home and in offices. The 17000 strong smart individuals can spread the messages more effectively to the general public.

2. Green Projects - The Government owns a large number of properties and vehicles. Evaluate if we are making efficient use of our office spaces? Are they energy efficient? Need we build more offices? And do we need many office vehicles? Make new infrastructures more environmentally friendly and energy efficient by using alternative building technologies and designs. The Environmentally Friendly Road Construction projects are some examples. We are building new towns - why cannot new towns like Denchi in Pema-Gatshel be designed as a green town?

3. Encourage the public - During the recent NA session, an MP said 'attitude of people should change first, before leaving it to the concerned agencies to solve the problem'. This is indefensible. The government is the most able of all organisations and should take on the role of educating the public. If one channel of education doesn't work, try another. Encourage people to make/build their homes and offices environmentally friendly and energy efficient. There are many technologies available now. Provide financial incentives and technological assistance to procure them. The National Environment Protection Act 2007 provides for it. Allocate budget to make the provision 78 in the Act effective so that there is an uptake.

We must not fall into the false sense of security that we live harmoniously with our environment and that we are doing enough because we have committed to maintain 60% of forest cover. The problems illustrated above are real and we risk being caught out sooner than later.

(Image - From Kuensel article, auditing our waste by Tenzin Lamsang)