Druk Yuel: A Country Still Worth Fighting For

In my capacity as the Head of Export Section of the Export Division, Ministry of Trade, Industries and Forests, I had to be posted in Kolkata, India. As a landlocked country without access to our own seaport, under a Trade & Transit Agreement with the Government of India, we used, as we still do, India’s Calcutta Port as our port of loading and discharge - for most of our Export/Import cargo.

One night sometime in 1982/1983, I got very late coming home from a dinner engagement. The main Entry Gate to my building was locked and so I could not take my car inside into the covered Parking Lot - I was forced to park it outside on the street.

The following morning, I went to start the car to head for office - but there was not a squeak from the car’s engine - the engine simply would not fire up. I opened the car’s bonnet to take a peek inside - only to find that the car’s battery was missing - it had simply disappeared!

While I looked on in consternation, a Bengali Babu happened to pass by. He wanted to know what was wrong with the car. I told him that someone had stolen my car’s battery in the night.

“Bah re bah …. Aapne khoob bhagyaban manoosh" (You are an extremely lucky man).

“Aapni kii bolte chan?” (What are you trying to say?)

“Mathalaab – whoever that idiot thief was, he took only a battery. If I were the one passing by yesterday night and had found the car parked here, I would have stripped your car bare of all the four tires, and the spare one, including the battery and that jazzy Fog Lamp”.

With a wicket smirk on his face, the thug sauntered off – leaving me totally rattled! I mean how did the thief manage to gain access to the battery, without any visible signs of a break-in?

The above four-decades old incident came flooding back to me because yesterday afternoon I went through an incident that was similar, and yet completely contradictory, at Thimphu’s Kaja Throm.

I had run out of Lemons for my morning cuppa and thus had gone to the Kaja Throm to buy some. After foraging through over 30 shops, I finally ended up with a shop that had the kind of Lemons I prefer. I made my selection of a number of Lemons from the pile - but the storekeeper was no were to be seen. I waited, and waited and waited …. No sign of the storekeeper.

After more than half an hour had passed, the Lhotsampa lady at the nearby shop seems to have noticed that I was waiting and waiting and waiting …. She came over and asked:

"You have been waiting here for an awfully long time … is there something that you are interest in in this shop? The lady storekeeper went across the river for some work … looks like she is going to be a while. Maybe I can help".

"I want to buy these Lemons …. "

"You can have them …. She charges Nu.100.00 per 10 pieces …."

"But how do I pay for them?"

"You can leave the money with me …. I will pass it on to her".

"OK".

As I walked away from the market …. I was perturbed … how could any person leave her store unattended for such long periods of time? Isn’t she worried that people might walk away with her stuff?

And that, it dawned on me, was at the core of the matter ---- Bhutan is perhaps the only place in the world today where you can leave your store unattended for hours at a stretch - without the fear that someone might rob it. Think of it …. where else can you feel this level of safety and security – of peace and tranquility ….?

It is for this reason - the dread that things are going wrong - that people like us take courage to ring the alarm bells - to rouse the sounds of reason …. to plead for course correction.

Like I told one NBC broadcaster some years back - no doubt that Bhutan is as unique as every other country on this planet. But we do realize that there is simply no way that we can bypass the trodden path - like every other human being elsewhere, we too shall eventually get where everyone else is – in the rut!

Our attempt, in the meanwhile, is to delay the process - for as long as we possibly can.

PHP-I Dam Construction: Human Beings May Never Best Nature

After being in the works for nearly 16 years and having gone through close to 3 dozen Technical Committee Meetings to determine the tenability of the project, and with a humungous cost overrun projected, some believe, to exceed 400% of its initial estimate, the 1,200MW PHP-I Project Authority was forced to admit - after repeated landslides that occurred at the location of its dam site - that the proposed location of the dam was unsuitable - given its unstable geological formation. Instead, they announced that they were opting for a barrage in place of the dam - to be located further upstream of the project site.

The larger of the two PHP Projects was slated to be completed by November, 2016.

A barrage to turn the massive turbines designed to generate 1,200 MW of electricity? LUDICROUS!! I silently sniggered at the decision - because I knew that it was nothing more than a face-saving move - the project authorities would damn well know that a barrage was not an option for a project of the size of PHP-I. I was sure that in time, they would admit to their mistakes, and finally announce the closure of the project - for good.

Sadly, no such thing is apparently contemplated! On the other hand, after dithering for over one and half decades, we are now told that they are, yet again, adamant on building a dam at the same original site. That the foolhardy idea of a barrage has been shelved!

Barrage be damned! It is once again back to riveting and damming.

For an economy the size of India’s, the PHP-I's projected cost of Rs.200.00 billion is small change. But that is cold comfort for Bhutan. I mean it is not the financial loss that should bother us - after all the project’s ToR is clear - the project has been taken up on the assurance that it shall be self-liquidating - meaning that unless the project comes on line and begins to generate income, it is no loss of any marbles to Bhutan. Even when, rather if, the project comes on line, it has the responsibility to liquidate all its costs – only loss Bhutan will likely suffer is the loss of gain, for all our pains!

Frankly, Bhutan’s worry should go beyond financial gain, or loss. Our worry should be the increasing unpredictability of the weather – caused by global warming. Already this year we have experienced unprecedented natural disasters that span all the regions of the country. Our National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) is in no doubt that by 2040, Bhutan will experience extreme natural calamities the likes of which we have never before seen. We have been forewarned!

It is in the face of this vulnerability that we need to exert extreme caution – no one may feign ignorance of the geological faults already proven beyond doubt to exist at the PHP-I project site.

A minor seismic activity in the vicinity of the project site could trigger a calamity so enormous that we would be left wondering what hit us.

The heating surfaces of the massive water bodies being created by the combined dams of the PHP-I and PHP-II - in close proximity of each other – is bound to cause its own unique problems for the region, such as altering weather patterns, causing traditional planting and harvesting season to go for a six, affecting food production.

And, God forbid, should the PHP-I dam fail, the PHP-II project downstream will be the first and immediate casualty. Thus, a flawed decision with the PHP-I project has the potential to cause not one – but two devastating catastrophes.

The project authorities cannot tell us that there are more competent and technically qualified people, than me, overseeing the project. If there were, why weren’t the problems detected before the implementation of the project - during the planning phase?

At the end, I have said this before - human beings may never best nature. It would be downright stupid to try – it will do unto us what we deserve. Nature has already delivered its warnings - with two repetitive landslides at PHP-I dam site. Should we fail to pay heed, we will get what we deserve.

According to this Seismic Hazard Map of Bhutan ... the PHP-I and II are located bang in the center of High Seismic Hazard Zone

The geological make of the PHP-I project site

On Again, Off Again

This is becoming a habit with the PDP government.

During March of 2012, the DPT government had imposed a ban on import of vehicles - for obvious reasons.

Two years later, the PDP government lifted the ban - during July of 2014.

Then came the DNT government. Yet again, the vehicle ban was reintroduced ….. as of August, 2022.

As per Section 8 of Article 15 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), having won the majority of seats (30 seats) in the 4th National Assembly Elections, 2023-2024 is declared as the Ruling Party.

Promptly, earlier this month - on the 18th of August, 2024, the vehicle ban was yet again lifted by the PDP.

In all provability, we will likely see the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) form the next government. And, true to tradition, they will once again impose a ban on import of vehicles.

And, God willing, the PDP will once again be reinstated as the ruling party for the third time - in order that they can, yet again, lift the ban on import of vehicles!

Some of Bhutan's Beautiful Foods

One day I am going to photograph the raw foods of Bhutan - not as an act of conservation - but for their physical appeal and enthralling variety. Hopefully I will live long enough to be able to cover most of them. For now, I begin with the following:

Urca Bangla

The beautiful ogre called the Urca Bangla, a chili pepper variety originally said to be from Trashiyangtse, Eastern Bhutan. Personally, for me, their contorted formation and delicately merging coloring are what draws my attention. Their charm is in their ugliness. This chili proves that one does not have to be beautiful to be enchanting.

Although known as Urca Bangla, I feel that it should be called Bangala - meaning chili

Golden Chanterelle or Sisi Shamu

My most favorite wild mushroom. I simply love this one. Strangely, I just realized that I crave for it only at the start of the season – early August. Thereafter, I do not seem to fancy it as much.

Golden Chanterelle or Sisi Shamu - my favorite wild mushroom

Lemon

A citrus fruit that I consume on a daily basis - dashed with honey. In fact, this sour juice starts my day. Just yesterday I discovered that there is a seedless variety of this fruit. Funny thing is that it took me a lifetime to make this discovery. My half-sister from home sent me a packet containing freshly harvested lemons – she called to say that it is from my late Dad's kitchen garden in Tingtibi. This means that I practically grew up with the lemon tree …. and all my life I remained clueless about it. Life is such!

Lemon the sour juice that starts off my day

Tricholoma Matsutake or Sangey Shamu

Originally called the Po Shamu due to its uncanny resemblance to the human male phallus, its discovery in Bhutan is credited to Aum Kuchum. It is said to be very popular among the Japanese. In fact, the reason I began to toy around with it is because a visiting donor friend from Japan wants to buy few Kgs. of it – both dried and fresh. I have not eaten it yet – but boy! it is atrociously expensive. I am told that Bhutan exports this variety of mushroom to Japan – tens of tons of them. An exporter tells me that the fresh mushroom needs to be delivered in the importing export market no later than 2-3 days of its harvest. That should take some doing!

Nothing Sangey about this one

I have been asked to arrange 50 packets of the dried Matsutake – at the going price of Nu.2,000.00 per 50 Gms. packet! Boy, I ask you, why shouldn’t I opt for Phaksha Paa instead?

Who Will Care For The Birds?

By late evening of last Saturday (10.08.2024), the risk of the flooding river that runs through Dechencholing had passed and I was back to my place of domicile, from the hill top to which I had evacuated myself and my family. Not all in the area was reassured though - they were still jittery and were moving out of the areas - just in case. Despite my assurance to all and sundry that whatever water was there had since been emptied and that there was no further risk, not many were convinced - some of them were temporally relocating themselves.

That is the tragedy of disasters - usually it is not the disaster that is unmanageable - it is most often the unfounded panic that is the cause of greater crisis. Some nervous people make irresponsible and ill-informed remarks that cause unnecessary panic among people.

Anyway, after a restful sleep, I woke up the next morning and the first thing I did was train my ears for the sound of the river that passes about 400 - 500 ft. away to the north of the building where I live. I was relieved to hear that there was nothing abnormal about the sound of the rush of the river …. I was relieved. But I heard a familiar bird call that I had never heard before – not in the areas where I live.

The call was distinctly that of the Crested Kingfisher. I know that the bird is resident in Thimphu and the surrounding areas …. But until now, I do not recall ever hearing the call - not in the two years that I have been resident in the areas.

Then it dawned on me – I believe that the flooding river would have destroyed the bird’s habitat and its usual feeding grounds. The flooding river’s muddy waters would have caused its fishing grounds to be devastated and bereft of food. Obviously, the bird is now out hunting for breakfast, and fresh fishing grounds.

It is a pity - there were a few thousand people and more than a dozen agencies frantically coming to the aid of the humans - the very beings that caused the calamity in the first place. Sadly, no one has a thought for the poor birds and the aquatic lives that would have suffered the most, in the aftermath of the tragedy.