One of Bhutan's less glamorous corners is getting a second life. Tshalumaphey, a site in southern Thimphu that once held the capital's sewerage ponds, is being converted into a 21-acre ecological park — and the project has now reached roughly 20 percent completion.
The update came from Karma Wangchuk, Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, at the 32nd Meet-the-Press session in September. The park carries a budget of Nu 210 million, funded through India's Project-Tied Assistance, and is being delivered by the ministry alongside Thimphu Thromde, the city authority. Work is phased through the 2027–2028 financial year.
The unglamorous groundwork is done: the old ponds have been dewatered and desludged, and river-protection, pond, earth-mound and water-supply works are complete. Once the site is certified safe and clean, attention shifts to the visitor-facing parts — gardens, walking trails, riverfront spaces and wetland features.
This isn't a standalone beautification project. The park sits under the Green Infrastructure and Open Spaces programme of the Thimphu Structure Plan, a wider effort to link ecological areas, protect habitats and buffer the city against climate hazards. The wetland and pond elements are designed to help manage water, not just look pretty, and the ministry is already working out who will run the park long-term so it doesn't fall into neglect after opening.
For visitors, the payoff is straightforward: Thimphu gains a large green space where you can walk by the river without leaving the city. Travellers who have wandered through the capital know that green, open public space is at a premium in the increasingly busy valley. A riverside park that connects to the city's ecological fabric will slot neatly into a day of sightseeing between Tashichho Dzong, the weekend market and the Buddha Dordenma viewpoint — and by 2027–2028, when the project wraps up, it should be a ready-made stop for anyone staying in the southern part of town.
If you're heading to Bhutan before then, southern Thimphu remains more functional than scenic, but the capital is compact enough that the park's eventual presence will be an easy addition to any future itinerary.
