Recognizing that the use of traditional wooden turbines in Bumthang Dzongkhag has negative effect on surrounding environment thus, increasing threat to the biodiversity, the GEF Small Grants Programme in partnership with Traditional Water Mill Users Group worked on project ?Improving livelihood and environment through preservation and development of traditional mills and grinders?. The main objective of project was to preserve environment through development of improved traditional mills and grinders.

The key activities of the project were to replace 30 traditional water mill with steel water mills and improve the mill sheds in two gewogs (sub-district) of Bumthang Dzongkhag. The steel turbines are more durable and the use of steel turbines has drastically reduced felling of trees for wooden turbines thereby decreasing pressure on natural environment. The group through the project also protected respective mills? water sources.


The steel turbines are more efficient and effective in grinding the grains; grinding 30kg of grain took almost eight hours to grind whereas, with steel turbines took only 3 hours to grind same amount of grains saving them time to engage in other productive/economic activities. Under the project, 120 women and 110 men were trained on efficiently using and sustainably managing mills. In addition, respective mill sheds were also improved and renovated.