𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐭𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝

…𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅

By Leki Chungdon

Commuters and industrial workers traveling along the Samtse Daina Industrial Park road are facing growing difficulties as thick dust clouds and poor surface conditions continue to plague the construction stretch. The situation has worsened in recent weeks due to the lack of regular water sprinkling by the contractor, creating visibility hazards and raising safety concerns among motorists.

The route, which serves as a vital industrial access road, is currently under construction as part of infrastructure improvements connecting Samtse town to Daina Industrial Park. However, the absence of dust-control measures has disrupted smooth movement and made travel increasingly uncomfortable and unsafe. Residents and drivers report that during the day, heavy dust fills the air, reducing visibility and making it difficult for vehicles to pass safely. Fine dust particles also settle on nearby stretches, further damaging the road surface and affecting nearby establishments.

According to project guidelines, contractors are required to suppress dust by watering the road at regular intervals, especially along construction zones. Despite this, the measure has not been consistently implemented. The lack of dust mitigation has led to frustration among commuters who rely on the route daily for industrial transport and local travel.
Officials from the Department of Roads confirmed that the road is still under active construction, with blacktopping and major works underway. They acknowledged the importance of dust-control measures and said enforcement instructions have been communicated to the contractor. Local commuters have urged authorities to take immediate action, emphasizing that road visibility has become a serious safety concern.

“Every time a truck passes, it’s hard to see even a few meters ahead. It’s risky, especially for smaller vehicles,” said a regular driver along the route.

Until the construction is completed, regular watering from tankers remains essential to control dust and ensure safe passage along the Samtse–Daina corridor. The situation highlights the importance of strict adherence to environmental and safety standards in road development projects that serve critical industrial and public routes.

Wangchuk Lepcha, the Gup of Samtse, said, “Approximately 1,000 vehicles use this route every day, and the rising levels of dust pollution have become a serious public health concern. Residents living along the roadside are being directly affected, experiencing respiratory discomfort and other health-related issues due to continuous exposure to thick dust. The situation worsens during dry weather, when vehicle movement stirs up heavy clouds of dust that linger for hours.

The public has repeatedly lodged complaints against the contractor, accusing them of negligence and failure to maintain proper health and safety measures for commuters and nearby residents. In response, the gewog administration has been regularly summoning the contractor and the site engineer to discuss and resolve the matter. Despite these efforts, the situation remains unresolved because only one water tanker is currently being used for the entire stretch, which is far from adequate to control the dust effectively.”

He also added that at present, there is no clear or structured emergency plan in place to manage dust pollution, particularly in densely populated areas and high-traffic sections of the road. Residents are urging for immediate action, such as increasing the number of water tankers, enforcing stricter dust-control measures, and monitoring compliance more closely.

The road project is scheduled for completion by June 2026. However, the timeline for completion will depend largely on the contractor’s work efficiency, resource allocation, and overall management strategy. Once the blacktopping phase begins, noticeable improvements in road conditions and air quality are expected to follow soon after. Lepcha emphasized that timely progress and adherence to safety standards are crucial, both to protect the health of local residents and to ensure the project’s successful completion.

The Department of Surface Transport official said, “The project is scheduled for completion by June 2026. However, the contractors are optimistic and have expressed their commitment to completing the works ahead of the deadline. The blacktopping phase is expected to begin in November 2025, marking a major step toward improving the road’s overall condition. Both the Department and the Project Implementing Unit share equal concern regarding the persistent dust problem along the ongoing road improvement stretch. The contractors have been repeatedly instructed to carry out regular water spraying to minimize dust pollution. However, this particular activity is not included in the contract’s Bill of Quantities or terms and conditions. As a result, penalizing the contractor for insufficient water spraying is not legally permissible under the current agreement.”

Lepcha explained that there are several practical challenges that commuters and residents should understand. “The contractors are making genuine efforts to control the dust, but due to the long stretches of road and the heavy traffic, the sprayed water dries up very quickly. The situation is further complicated by the scarcity of water sources in the area. Refilling the water tanker takes considerable time, at least an hour to fill a 12,000-liter tanker and the filled tanker can only cover roughly one kilometer of the road, given its large width and dusty surface.

These challenges make it difficult to maintain continuous dust suppression. Despite these limitations, the contractors are doing their best within the available resources. Going forward, the Department will look into ways to better address such issues in future road improvement projects, possibly by incorporating water spraying as a contractual requirement or by ensuring the availability of adequate water resources along similar project sites.”

Aap Nyagay, a local resident, said, “Living so close to the roadside has become extremely difficult for me and my family. The dust is overwhelming and it fills the air throughout the day, making it hard even to breathe properly. I have a school-going child, and it pains me to see how difficult it is for my kid to walk through such thick dust every morning and afternoon. Over the past two days, I’ve noticed that the contractors have started sprinkling water on the road, which has made a small difference. But before that, the situation was unbearable.

Every day, around two to three hundred students walk nearly two kilometers along this same stretch to get to school. The heavy dust makes it exhausting and unhealthy for them, especially the younger children. Many parents are worried about their children’s health, as they return home covered in dust, coughing and complaining of eye irritation.”

Nyagay added, “It has been more than one and a half years since work on this road began, yet there has been very little visible progress. The project seems to be moving at a slow pace, and we, the residents, are losing patience. We are not asking for much, just that the blacktopping work begin as soon as possible. The delay is affecting not only our comfort but also our health and daily safety. I sincerely request the concerned authorities to take immediate action and expedite the blacktopping works. This road is used by hundreds of students, families, and commuters every day. Improving it is not just about convenience, it is about public health, safety, and the well-being of the entire community.”