The highland community of Sakteng is located in the far eastern district of Trashigang, bordering the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. Sakteng village is made up of 67 households, primarily semi-nomadic inhabitants known as brokpas. Livestock and yak rearing is the mainstay of this native highland community.

Having remained in isolation for many centuries, Sakteng has preserved its unique tradition and culture. In fact, even today the highlanders of Sakteng continue to practice age old custom passed down the generations. It is a living heritage of not just Bhutan but the whole world. Nearly three fourth of Sakteng?s total area falls within the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, a rich ecological zone with a wide diversity of flora and fauna.

Around 71% of Sakteng?s total area falls under the Gamri Watershed. In fact, Gamri chhu (river) originates from Jang Puensum Lake and flows down through Sakteng valley. The Gamrichhu posed serious threats to the 67 households of Sakteng. During monsoon, the river swells and changes its course, flooding parts of the settlement and eroding large area of pastureland every year. In the last two decades, Gamrichhu has washed over 50 acres of valuable pastureland, including livestock. During the monsoon, due to swollen Gamrichhu the highlanders living with yak herds often gets cut off from their village and access to basic necessities. The swollen Gamrichhu also affected students from Pusa. Without the bridge, many of them could not attend school for many days on a stretch.

In the past, the community practiced building of embankment walls using stone-bunding to prevent flooding and erosion by Gamrichhu. They also built log bridges over the river but it served little purpose, as the raging river would wash away the walls and bridges every summer. Felling of trees to build the log bridges also had an adverse impact on the natural environment.

With the support of Global Environment Facility?s Small Grants Porgramme, UNDP Bhutan; COMDEKS of Satoyama Initiative; Gewog Development Grant from the Government, Sakteng Sacha Zinchong Tshogpa, a community-based organization, carried out the Sakteng Village protection works.
The core objective of the project is to protect Sakteng village from river erosion and improve the safety of the people, which will also contribute to the preservation of the unique cultural heritage of Bhutan.

Through the project, the community has built about 250 meters of gabion wall at critical sites to protect the village from river erosion during monsoon. The community also constructed three semi-permanent bridges over Gamrichhu.

These interventions have made a huge difference in the lives of the people of Sakteng. For now, the highlanders are safe. They are also positive that they would able to continue practicing their timeless tradition and unique lifestyle.