Department of Human Settlement, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport

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Department of Human Settlement, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport This department was later renamed as the Public Works Department (PWD) and placed under the then Ministry of Communications (MoC).

Background

With the start of modern development in the country (launch of the first five year plan) Bhutan Engineering Services, responsible for construction works in the country, was established in October 1961. By the 6th FYP physical planning and implementation works were administered through Central Town Planning Committee (CTPC) which in April 1984 was upgraded to National Urban Development

Corporation (NUDC). In 1989 the functions of the NUDC were transferred to the then Ministry of Social Services with the aim of integrating urban affairs with other sectors in human settlement and was named as the Department of Works and Housing. In 1997 PWD was bifurcated into the Department of Roads (DoR) and the Department of Urban Development and Housing (DUDH). Then in 2003 MoC was bifurcated into the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement (MoWHS). At the same time, DUDH was bifurcated into the National Housing Development Corporation and the Department of Urban Development and Engineering Services (DUDES). Bifurcation of the Department of Urban Development and Engineering Services

The rapid socio-economic development in the country placed immense demand on and for provision of infrastructure and development plans. In particular, the Department of Urban Development and Engineering Services, responsible for urban settlements and engineering services in the country, is faced with increasing challenges. In addition to the complexity of urbanization, rapid changes are also taking place in villages and other settlements. On the other hand, there is increasing need for engineering services in the country and the technical support for local governments especially in view of the development focus of the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Therefore, to enable efficient delivery of services and to facilitate timely development, the Lhengye Zhungtshog approved the bifurcation of DUDES into the Department of Engineering Services and the Department of Human Settlement (DHS). This bifurcation would enable the two departments to specialize and focus more clearly on their respective areas of responsibilities.

๐—™๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—จ๐—ฝ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ž๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐ŸŒฟThe Project Management Unit (PMU) for the Enhancing Clim...
13/05/2026

๐—™๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—จ๐—ฝ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ž๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐ŸŒฟ

The Project Management Unit (PMU) for the Enhancing Climate Resilience of the Urban Landscapes and Communities in Thimphuโ€“Paro Region of Bhutan project successfully conducted the 4th Capacity Development Update and Knowledge Sharing Event on 13 May 2026 in Thimphu. The event brought together participants from the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MoENR), Department of Water, MoENR, Water and Sanitation Division, Department of Infrastructure Development, and the PMU.

The session highlighted key insights and lessons learned from the Quarter 1 2026 capacity development activities, with a focus on:
โ˜‘๏ธEnvironment mainstreaming and climate change adaptation
โ˜‘๏ธOperation and maintenance of water and wastewater treatment systems
โ˜‘๏ธ Climate-smart water resources management

A key outcome of the event was the development of an action plan to apply the knowledge and skills gained across project landscapes, thereby strengthening implementation and enhancing overall project impact.

This activity is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the Royal Government of Bhutan in partnership with UNDP.

12/05/2026
๐Ÿ“ข ๐†๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ฏ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐‘๐ž๐๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐Œ๐ž๐œ๐ก๐š๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ (๐†๐‘๐Œ) โ€“ ๐„๐‚๐‘๐”๐‹ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญThe ECRUL Project Management Unit, under the Department of Human Sett...
06/05/2026

๐Ÿ“ข ๐†๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ฏ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐‘๐ž๐๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐Œ๐ž๐œ๐ก๐š๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ (๐†๐‘๐Œ) โ€“ ๐„๐‚๐‘๐”๐‹ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ

The ECRUL Project Management Unit, under the Department of Human Settlement, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, has established a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) to promote transparency, accountability, and the timely resolution of project-related concerns.

For any queries, concerns, or to submit a grievance, please contact the designated GRM focal person or scan the QR code below to submit your grievance.

๐Ÿ“ข ๐„๐‚๐‘๐”๐‹ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐๐ž๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ | ๐‰๐š๐งโ€“๐Œ๐š๐ซ 2026The ECRUL PMU is pleased to share its latest newsletter, highlighting continued...
30/04/2026

๐Ÿ“ข ๐„๐‚๐‘๐”๐‹ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐๐ž๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ | ๐‰๐š๐งโ€“๐Œ๐š๐ซ 2026

The ECRUL PMU is pleased to share its latest newsletter, highlighting continued progress in strengthening climate resilience, improving urban infrastructure, and enhancing institutional and technical capacities across key sectors.

Key milestones include the launch of the Project Management Information System, ongoing investments in critical infrastructure such as stormwater drainage rehabilitation, flood mitigation works, retention ponds, and Nature-based Solutions, as well as strengthened hydrometeorological and early warning systems.

๐Ÿ“– Read the full newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/763275eaa847/q12026-ecrulnewsletter-6161245

28/04/2026

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐˜๐˜„๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ท๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ.

For Chogyel Lhamo, Founder of She Cycle, this change means more than efficiencyโ€”it means opportunity. With equipment support from the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship under the ECRUL Project, her work now touches the lives of over 2,000 people.

But the impact goes beyond productivity.

Every piece created by She Cycle begins as wasteโ€”discarded materials that would otherwise clog drains and contribute to urban flooding. By collecting and transforming this waste into useful products, Chogyel and her team are not only building livelihoods but also playing a vital role in keeping the city cleaner and more resilient.
Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship

23/04/2026

The Construction Approval System (CAS), developed by the Department of Human Settlement (DHS), MoIT, with funding support from the World Bank, is now live to make building approvals faster, more transparent, and accessible for everyone.

This video provides a brief overview of how CAS simplifies processes such as planning information, planning permits, design permits, building permits, hotel technical clearance and occupancy certificates. We encourage all citizens, professionals, and stakeholders to explore and use the system.

Access CAS here: https://cas.moit.gov.bt/

Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Royal Government of Bhutan
Government Technology (GovTech) Agency, Royal Government of Bhutan

The Project Management Office under the Department of Human Settlement, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, and M/...
23/04/2026

The Project Management Office under the Department of Human Settlement, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, and M/s Druk Phuensum Construction formally signed the contract agreement for the โ€œConstruction of Water Intake at Tshalumarphey Parkโ€ on April 17, 2026.

Valued at Nu. 5.1 million, the project is scheduled for completion within six months and represents a significant step toward enhancing infrastructure at the park.

This initiative is being implemented with financial assistance from the Government of India (GoI).

Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Royal Government of Bhutan

20/04/2026
๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—•๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—˜๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ๐˜€ The ECRUL Project Management Unit successfully organised a two-...
14/04/2026

๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—•๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—˜๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ๐˜€

The ECRUL Project Management Unit successfully organised a two-day training on Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) from 9โ€“10 April 2026, bringing together 38 participants, including responsible parties, contractors, and other implementing partners.

The training aimed to strengthen participantsโ€™ capacity to effectively integrate SES into project implementation. Led by the projectโ€™s SES expert, the key sessions focused on the SES Framework, preparation of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP), risk management, compliance requirements, and the Grievance Redress Mechanism.

A key highlight of the training was the session on disability inclusion in urban resilience led by the UNDP team, which underscored the importance of universal design in building cities that are accessible, equitable, and resilient for all.

This initiative is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and implemented by the Royal Government of Bhutan in partnership with UNDP.

13/04/2026

๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐— ๐—ฟ. ๐—จ๐—ด๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ง๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด, ๐—™๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฃ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—•๐—ต๐˜‚๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐ŸŒฟ
Hear how training on Nature-based Solutions (NbS), provided by the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship under the ECRUL Project, is being transformed into impactful action on the ground.

This initiative is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the Royal Government of Bhutan in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme.

Bhutan Entrepreneur

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Thimphu
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