: In photos: How Bhutan’s flourishing hydropower is damaging homes across the country #IndiaNEWS The pandemic may have shut down much of Bhutan’s public life, but its prime export, hydropower, has

In photos: How Bhutan’s flourishing hydropower is damaging homes across the country #IndiaNEWS
The pandemic may have shut down much of Bhutan’s public life, but its prime export, hydropower, has flourished. With early rainfall, Druk Green Power Corporation has recorded an estimated 14% increase in energy generation between January and July end, compared to the same months in 2019. Revenues increased by 13%.The rise in revenues will offset the losses incurred because tourism has come to a halt. In pre-Covid days, it was Bhutan’s second-highest revenue earner.But for many rural communities having hydropower stations nearby is a mixed blessing. Houses in these areas have developed cracks that often reappear even if they are fixed. Much of the damage remains unrepaired. Kuengarabten Nunnery in the central Trongsa district houses 170 nuns. It is currently looking for a safer place to move into, said its principal Yeshey Choden.“I am afraid the structures might collapse any time soon if a slight earthquake hits us,??? she said. The nunnery structures have become vulnerable with the cracks developed on walls, ground and steps. The cracks on the walls and stairs started to reappear recently after extensive repairs completed last year, she said. The nunnery received 1.5 million Bhutanese ngultrum (,330) from the Mangdechhu hydropower project as compensation. “We are not certain if the cracks were...Read more

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