So, obviously we are still not done with the drama and theatre. But the truth happens to be that, all things considered, to expect any less would be to suffer naivety – and naive I certainly am not …. Still, I am only human and I cannot help but be given to wishful thoughts once in a while.
I mean this fiasco in perpetuity – one called Punatsangchu Hydropower Project-I (PHP-I) has been going on and on and on and on …. I mean 17 years of cock-&-bull story can get on a man’s nerves after a while.
On 25th March, 2026, the MoENR Minister, Lyoenpo Gem Tshering made a passing mention, during an International Conference in Thimphu, that PHP-III is being worked on. I was incredulous – I mean PHP-I has been in suspended animasion for the past 17 years … and they want to start PHP-III downstream of the same precarious and unsafe Punatsangchu river basin? MAD, MAD, MAD!!!
But hold on a minute! – is it possible that there is logic in their madness? Can this be yet another display of a necessary act in disguise - for wider public consumption? A Hoax? A Red Herring? Well, that may damn well be – I am tickled no end …. Doesh, taagey no khorey!!!
Reports in the print media say that they have announced the reactivation of the PHP-I dam construction yet again - on 10th April, 2026 – replete with pouring of few cauldrons of concrete mixture to complete the spectacle. That is certainly very courageous of the Project people – after pussy-footing around for a whooping 17 years!! Well, like I said above – may be courage is not involved here. LoL!
Look at the march of events that have contributed to the log-drawn, studied theatric that has been the PHP-I.
2007
The Constitution of the Punatsangchu Hydro Power Authority I (PHPA-I) is approved by the Royal Government of Bhutan.
2008
R. N. Khazanchi, the then MD of Tala Hydropower Project is entrusted with the additional charge of PHPA-I.
2008
Without much ado, R. N. Khazanchi embarks on the first order of business in his capacity as the Officiating MD of the Project with a mandate – he deftly manages to obtain approval from all concerned - to relocate the dam site to a new location upstream of the one determined earlier. He dangles the carrot that doing so would result in more power generation - by as much as 105MW, including the possibility of reducing the depth of the dam by at least 45 Mtrs. And, of course, he conveniently forgets that small matter about something called geotechnical investigation of the proposed site – to ascertain its suitability.
2008
Ground breaking ceremony of Punatsangchu Hydro Power Project-I is performed.
2012
The master conniver - R N Khazanchi - is honored with one of Bhutan’s highest civilian decorations - the Druk Thuksey Medal.
2013
July: First slide on the right bank of the PHP-I dam occurs.
2016
August: Another slide on the right bank of the PHP-I dam occurs.
2016
Millions worth of project equipment of the PHPA-I and II is submerged or swept away by the flooding Amochu river – the equipment were stockpiled by its banks in Phuentsholing.
2017/2018
Even as the Project remains stalled for the past ten years and costs are escalating by the billions, the Project’s Managing Director Mr. R N Khazanchi remains stoically unfazed – in fact the man exhibits a spark of genius when he coins a catchy phrase - “geological surprise” - to explain away the repeated slides occurring at the right bank of the PHP-I dam wall.
2019
Yet again, another landslide at the right bank of the PHP-I dam site occurs.
2019
Harassed and frustrated by the repeated slides at the PHP-I dam site, the Project authorities enlist the help of His Eminence the Yonten Lopen of Zhung Dratsang (Central Monk Body) along with 30 monks to perform an elaborate Rimdro (a religious prayer ritual) in the hope of appeasing the local Deities.
2021
Government of India’s National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) is hired to review the Central Water Commission (CWC) report related to the design and geological make of the dam site. The expert organization NHPC disagrees with CWC’s assessment of the dam’s safety factor which they had rated at 1.2 to 1.4. NHPC’s assessment concludes that the safety factor of the dam site is way below 1, and hence, not safe enough for building a dam on it.
2021
Faced with a negative report by the NHPC and based on a third-party recommendation, PHP-I dam construction is abandoned in preference to a BARRAGE upstream of the dam site. This option is preferred in place of the dam since the dam site is determined to be geologically weak and unstable for dam construction.
2023
To everybody’s surprise, the PHP-I authorities announce that dam is yet again back on the table for PHP-I. Barrage as a choice is laid to rest.
2023
The Imminent Threat from Thorthormi Lake: Currently Thorthormi glacial lake measures 4.33 KM in length, 1.3 KM in width and a surface area of 4.33 SqKM, making it one of the largest and most dangerous glacial lakes in the country. Thorthormi lake feeds the Punatsangchu river on which sits the Punatsangchu Hydropower projects. Due to rapid melting of the ice, the lake’s size had roughly tripled since the early 2000s.
Alarmed, the RGoB initiates a pilot siphoning project - to mitigate the risk from Thorthormi Lake. The project is a failure.
2024
Dr. Yash Pal Shardha, a retired senior engineering geologist from the Geological Survey of India, Government of India, remarked:
“This project is the best example of deceit and dishonesty by project people. A very good investigative Detailed Project Report at one place was done but the project was shifted to another place without conducting any investigation and whatever investigations were done were cooked up data knowing fully well we are going to face problems and we went for the tender stage and drilled a few holes and the project started for construction and now see fate of the project and will it ever be completed.”
2025
According to the 2024-25 Annual Report of the Royal Audit Authority (RAA), of the overall irregularities amounting to nearly Nu.10.00 billion, PHPA accounted for up to 78 percent or Nu.7.8 billion of the total irregularities!
2025
On 25th April, 2015, neighboring Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, causing 9,000 deaths and over 22,000 injuries.
The Great Himalayan Earthquake
Seismologists warn that quakes exceeding magnitude 8 is long overdue in the Himalayan region. India's updated 2025 Seismic Zonation Map encompasses most of the Himalayan range countries, including Bhutan, under the highest ZONE VI Category.
2025/2026
Another attempt at siphoning project to mitigate the risk from Thorthormi Lake fails. The risk and danger of the lake causing a GLOF is no longer a matter of IF – but of WHEN!
2026
On 10th April, 2026, the country’s print media is agog with the news that with the pouring of few cauldrons of concrete mixture, PHP-I dam construction is reactivated yet again!
2026
Aging PHPA-I Project Equipment: PHPA-I’s electro-mechanical equipment worth tens of billions run the risk of being rendered useless and none-functional due to over aging. Some of them were bought and installed more than a decade back. This means, even if the dam gets built, the pre-installed equipment may not work – requiring fresh investment to acquire machines that work – begging the question: What is the point of building the dam for PHP-I????
Could this be the reason why the Project authorities are now initiating a brand-new Project PHPA-III – as a leeway?
Doesh … Tagey No Khorey!
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