Monitoring visit and meetings, Punakha-Wangue districts, GLOF FSP, 9-12 July 2010
The objective of the monitoring visit was to collect information and do an assessment of project
progress before completion of the annual Project Implementation Report (PIR). The visit and
meetings were scheduled to coincide with the GLOF Mid-Term Review mission and the
presence of all three project managers at the project sites in Punakha, Wangdue and Gasa
districts. Observations and recommendations will be captured and further addressed in the MidTerm Evaluation report.
Day 1 – 9 July 2010
The mission met with the district disaster management focal person (member of the Disaster
Management Committee) and the Disaster management Planning and Awareness Team of
Punakha Dzongkhag. All members of the Disaster Management Committee (policy and
management level) and the Disaster management Planning and Awareness Team (operational
level) have been trained in Community Based Disaster Risk Management under the project. Five
sub-groups of three people each from the Planning and Awareness Team have further trained
Gewog officials and local functionaries such as Gup, Mangmi, Gaydrung and Tsogpas at the
Gewog level in all 11 Gewogs’ under Punakha district. The Gewog Disaster Awareness and
Planning Teams will conduct trainings at the Chiwog level in autumn 2010. The district officials
felt that the training received from the Department of Disaster Management was valuable but the
gap between the received training and the trainings of Gewogs was too long, and therefore
additional capacity building was requested. The districts are responsible for scheduling the
training at the Gewog level, however the availability of Gewog officials is limited during
farming seasons.
The person nominated as the district disaster management focal person in Punakha is the district
environment officer. The double role gives some advantages in terms of synergies between the
tasks but also compromise the amount of time spent on activities. The Disaster Management Bill
is expected to solve this problem by appointing separate district disaster management officer .
The disaster management focal person mentioned that more copies of the GLOF hazard zonation
map are needed. DDM was asked to follow-up with DGM.
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Day 2 – 10 July 2010
Due to rainfall with consequential bad road
conditions and risks of landslides the visit to Damji
(Gasa
district)
was
cancelled
based
on
recommendations from Department of Geology and
Mines. The project manager from Department of
Geology and Mines came back from the site and
provided further information about security issues
related to the mitigation work, and possible risk
mitigation options were discussed in view of the
upcoming Project Board meeting.
The morning programme was rescheduled from the cancelled visit to Damji to inspection of
GLOF hazard zonation areas and identified safe GLOF evacuation sites along the Punatsangchu
under Punakha and Wangdue Dzongkhags.
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An information board in the Punakha Higher Secondary School’s park across from Punakha
dzong provides information to visitors about the project. One side of the board regarding the
GLOF hazard zonation mapping needs to be updated. DDM was requested to do so in
consultation with the district disaster management focal point. The other side of the board has
been updated with information and photos from the 2009 mitigation work in Lunana.
The mission also visited the Flood Warning Station in Wangdue and at the river site near
Wangdue Bridge. Readings are recorded from Thanza (near Lunana) through wireless equipment
every three hours and from Wangdue river site every hour. In case of alarming readings,
emergency contact persons are contacted (Dasho Dzongdas in Wangdue and neighboring
districts and Department of Energy). The need to synchronize the emergency contact persons
with the institutional set-up as per the Disaster Management Bill was addressed.
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Day 3 – 11 July 2010
Samdingkha chiwog is 1,5h drive from Punakha Dzong. The MTR consultant interviewed 20
Gewogs officials (Gups, Mangmis, Tsogpas, Community focal persons for the manual EWS,
Gewog RNR officials) from the nearby Gewogs (Tewong, Zomi and Chubu Gewogs).
All the officials interviewed have been trained in Community Based Disaster Risk Management
Planning, and will further conduct trainings at the Chiwog level during 2010. The perception of
the project was positive with reference to improved awareness through the training received.
Despite enhanced awareness it remains a challenge to adopt changes in land-use planning at the
community level and the risks of GLOF are perceived as intangible. This results in continued
construction in the red zone areas close to the river banks. The gups expressed the need to
improve their knowledge and first hand experience of the risks mitigation work at Lunana to
inform and convince their communities about the risks and need to adopt different measures in
land-use planning. Several people from the Gewogs are part of the 2010 mitigation team
currently working in Lunana, and may bring back this information to the communities.
Following the meeting with the Gewog officials, the safe GLOF evacuation site near
Samdingkha and sites identified for the EWS siren towers between Samdingkha and Lobeysa
were inspected. The evacuation sites have temporarily been demarcated with wooden pegs and
stones while iron pegs for permanent demarcation have been ordered. 14 sites have been
identified for installation of siren towers in Punakha-Wangdue district, plus three sites in Lunana
(Gasa district). The Department of Energy expects the installation to be finalized and the EWS to
be operational mid-2011.
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Day 4 – 12 July 2010
The mission met with members of the District Disaster Management Committee and the Disaster
Planning and Awareness Team of Wangdue Dzongkhag. As under Punakha dzongkhag, all
members of the Disaster Management Committee (policy and management level) and the
Disaster Planning and Awareness Team (operational level) have been trained in Community
Based Disaster Risk Management by the Department of Disaster Management under the project.
Five sub-groups of three people each from the Planning and Awareness Team have conducted
trainings in all Gewogs under the district. The district officials felt that the training received was
valuable, and expressed that the gained knowledge and experience was applied to some extent in
the everyday work and planning in various sectors. The district officials highlighted that not all
components of their training (8 days TOT) was relevant in the training of Gewog officials (5
days TOT), and that it would be beneficial to have a uniform manual for conducting the trainings
at Gewog and Chiwog level. DDM clarified that this was one of the lessons learnt, and that a
follow-up consultation workshop would be conducted with disaster planning and awareness
teams of District and Gewogs to develop a uniform agenda for CBDRM training at the Chiowg
level (postponed from mid-July to August). A manual on Community Based Disaster Risk
Management adapted to the Bhutan specific context and Gewog and Chiwog Disaster
Management Planning Template has also been developed for trainings and planning purpose.
Another issue brought up by the district officials was the difficulty in translating the DRR terms
and concepts from English to an understandable and simple Dzongkha while conducting training.
Despite these challenges the district officials felt that the responsiveness of the communities is
very good.
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The mission attended the consultation workshop on CBDRM planning for Master trainers in
Punakha Dzongkhag. The objective of this workshop was to revisit and develop a uniform
training agenda for all Chiwogs and consolidate the planning process for data collection and
formulation of disaster management plans at the Gewog and Chiwog levels.
Schedule:
Date
09/07/2010
10/07/2010
Time
9.30-12.0
14.00-16.00
08:00–9:30
9.30–13:00
14:00–19:00
11/07/2010
12/07/2010
13/07/2010
08:00–10.00
10:00–12:00
12:00-15:30
16.00-20.00
9.30-11.30
12.00-16.00
09.00-12.00
Program
Travel to Punakha
Meeting with Dzongkhag Officials of Punakha district
Travel to Damji – cancelled on the way due to road condition
Visit to GLOF hazard zones, evacuation sites and EWS control
stations
Discussion of security measures related to mitigation work and
work with project managers on PIR,
Travel to Samdingkha
Meeting with Trained Communities on CBDRM
Visit to areas identified for EWS
Work with project managers on PIR
Meeting with Dzongkhag Officials of Wangdue Dzongkhag
Attend CBDRM TOT organized by Regional GLOF project
Return to Thimphu
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