Lahul-Spiti: Tap Water Reaches Every Home In Tshigung

Lahul-Spiti: Water reaches home in the world’s highest polling station ‘Tshigung’ including Spiti Valley. Lahul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh is now near to get the tap water to every house. The thirst of the dry land of the ‘cold desert’ used to go to the hustle of the settlers here, but the water coming out of the tap has filled the colors of happiness in their lives.

Now the days of melting ice, drinking, and bringing water to mules are gone in Lahul-Spiti district. Water is reaching every house in the Spiti Valley of the district. Miles would not have to travel for water even in Tushigung, the world’s highest (15,256 ft) polling station, just 10 kilometers from the China border.

In the initial phase of the Prime Minister’s water-life mission plan, Lahul-Spiti is one of the most difficult geographical conditions in the districts of the country which are near or have reached. In just a year, a tap connection has been given in every house in the Spiti Valley. The value of every drop of water here can be read on the faces of the local people. Seeing the water in the tap, tears of joy are dripping in his eyes. It is said that sorrows have come to an end.

In Spiti, called the cold desert, the problem of water has been a big challenge in front of the people. It was not easy to manage drinking water in this region which was cut off from the world for six months during the snowfall. It was common practice to melt ice and store potable water.

Many kilometers had to be traveled even in the summer. Water from a remote drinking water source would have brought water on foot or on mules. The rich would take the help of mules or yaks to carry water, but the poor had to carry themselves.

Within a year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of providing water to every house, every house is nothing short of an achievement. There are 13 panchayats in Spiti block having a population of 31 thousand 564. Each of these houses now has a tap connection and watering has become smooth.

According to the Water Power Department, it was the most challenging to reach water in every house in high altitude areas like Chicham and Tushigung, but with the help of villagers, the department was able to do it.

Work continues fast here: Even taps have been installed in the historic Kih Gompa area. Work is also progressing rapidly in Caja, Palamo Tabo, and Sapling areas. At the same time, the plan is being implemented to provide water for irrigation from Shilanala to the Caja area.

Engineer Water Executive Manoj Buddh said that the Spiti Valley has very short working hours due to snowfall and winter. The Water Power Department took this task as a challenge. Local people also got support and we achieved this goal through teamwork.

Dolma Chonjom, a resident of Tushigung, told that when it was asked by the Department of Shakti, Spiti Mandal, Himachal Pradesh Department to install a tap in every house, we felt like a dream, but now water has reached every house. In the winter, the problem of water used to increase even more, but now we have got the happiness of the whole world at home.

The resident of Hikkim, Tsering Targe told us that now we will not need to melt the ice and collect water. Even in summer, you will not have to face the same problem as before. The tap in the house has removed all our problems. Chiekatan, a resident of Kih Gonpa, said that without water, the Buddhist gurus and disciples of Kih Gonpa have also faced problems, but now they and all of us are getting water easily.