Commercial Agriculture and Resilient Livelihood Enhancement Program (CARLEP) supported irrigation renovation for major irrigation system in the Programme Dzongkhags. The support was focused on major dysfunctional canals considering all the climate aspects, area and number of households to be benefited.

During financial year 2022-2023, Trashigang Dzongkhag Agriculture Sector implemented major irrigation renovation at Laburong that has command area of 23 Acres of wetland. Before the intervention, the farmers were fully dependent on rain-fed irrigation besides tapping of water source from nearby streams hardly meeting irrigation requirements of the crop.

A total irrigation scheme length of 2.14 Km is renovated and handed over to the beneficiaries in June 2023. The renovation of canals considered all aspects of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures with tapping of tributary streams and perennial water source along the canals to mainstream canal. Almost 98 % of the irrigation canal renovated has been enclosed to prevent water loss through seepage and evaporation.

With this intervention, beneficiary farmers will have access to sufficient irrigation water which will help them to revive fallow land of approximately 3 acres benefiting 4 households from the toal command area of 23 acres. Similarly, 7 households have already planned to convert 8 acres of dryland to wetland in the following years and make it operational for paddy cultivation. The scheme was renovated at a total cost of Nu. 2.75 Million under CARLEP/IFAD support which will benefits for more than 30 households of Chaling, Shongphu and Rangjung under Songphu Gewog.