Bhutan NCAP Project

• 1 Background Information
• 2 Climate Change Adaptation in Bhutan
• 3 Next. . .

Background Information

This project was carried out under the Netherlands Climate Assistance Programme (NCAP)] which was funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

ETC International managed the overall NCAP project.

For each country in the NCAP project we will create a summary page (this one!) and then separate pages linked from the summary which describe the Methodology, Key Findings and Lessons Learned in the project.

Climate Change Adaptation in Bhutan

Introduction

A major proportion of Bhutan’s population is settled in fertile valleys along a number of river systems. When GLOF occurs along rivers which are sourced from glaciers and glacial lakes the lives and property of many people are at risk. Such devastating effects can still be seen today from the last (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods) GLOF that took place in Bhutan in 1994 along the Puna Tsang Chu valley. Not only are lives and property endangered but also important infrastructure such as hydroelectric dams that are situated along these rivers. If Gross National Happiness is the pride of the Bhutanese people then the driving force behind it is the hydroelectric power stations, which are driving the Bhutanese economy forwards with a contribution of about 45% to national revenue and 12% to GDP growth (ADB Review 2005).

The Government of Bhutan has taken a step towards adapting to climate change by developing a National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA), coordinated by the National Environment Commission (NEC). The main objective of the NAPA has been to identify and address the most prominent issues related to climate change. Three projects from the Bhutan Department of Geology and Mines have been prioritized during the NAPA formulation. These are: artificial lowering of lake water level in the Thorthormi lakes; installation of early warning systems in Punakha-Wangdi valley; and hazard zonation mapping in Chamkhar.

The Netherlands Climate Assistance Program (NCAP) supported a GLOF hazard zonation mapping exercise along the Puna Tsang Chu from Khuruthang to Lhamoizingkha. This project was not listed under the NAPA projects but was nevertheless considered important because: i) a hazard zonation map already exists from Lunana (source) to Khuruthang in Punakha, which was completed as part of an earlier Austria-Bhutan project; ii) a number of planned large hydroelectric power schemes are situated on the Puna Tsang Chu; and iii) earlier studies with Austrian and Japanese researchers demonstrated that lakes in Lunana still pose GLOF threats and recommended that hazard zonation mapping be carried out in this area.

Bhutan, considering its geographical location and geological settings is prone to a number of natural hazards such as GLOFs, flash floods, landslides etc. The history shows at least three cases of GLOF in the past the most recent one being the 1994 GLOF from Luggye Tso. Flash floods have become a common phenomenon across the country. The most destructive one was the one that occurred in Pasakha, an industrial estate under Chukha Dzongkhag (district) in southern Bhutan in 2000, more recent ones were the Ranjung and the surrounding events in the eastern part of the country from which the country is still in the process of recovering. Landslides blocking roads in the Himalayan region is not a new phenomenon but when whole villages are destroyed by progressing landslides or huge artificial lakes are being created by landslides the risk posed can be a major national catastrophe. Such events has been witnessed in the eastern part of Bhutan like the Moshi landslide under Trashigang Dzongkhag, the Chaskhar landslide under Mongar Dzongkhag and the Tsati Chu artificial lake created by the landslide upstream in the Kuri Chu on which a 60 MW hydropower (KHPC) existed. The country has experience almost all types of mountain hazards in the past.

Now, with the impacts of climate change, the frequency of such natural hazards has increased tremendously and a new threat in the health sector has appeared in recent times. Already the climate related health problems such as outbreaks of dengue fever and malaria related problems are on the rise in southern Bhutan.

Project Site

The project area lies in western Bhutan starting from Khuruthang in Puna Dzongkhag to Lhamoizingkha in southern Bhutan on the Bhutan-India border under Dagana Dzongkhag covering a distance of approximately 180km with an altitudinal variation of 1,800m in Punakha to less than 100m in Lhamoizingkha. The area covered in our project includes part of Punakha, Wangduephodrang, Tsirang and Dagana Dzongkhag.

Objective

During the joint project between the Department of Geology and Mines with the experts from the University of Vienna, Austria, a hazard zonation map was prepared from the source of the Pho Chu to Khuruthang in Punakha. But the remaining area between Khuruthang and Lhamoizingkha remained an area without a hazard zonation map for Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF). A need for similar maps for the remaining area was realized considering the following reasons:

1. The presence of critically dangerous glacial lakes at the source of the Pho Chu;

2. The large number of settlements along the fertile valley bottoms along the Puna Tsang Chu;

3. Large hydropower plants which both exist and which are in the pipeline on the Puna Tsang Chu; and

4. Other developmental infrastructure along this river valley.

Therefore the main aim and objective of the DGM-NCAP project is to prepare a “hazard zonation map” from Khuruthang in Punakha to Lhamoizingkha on the Bhutan-India border under Dagana Dzonkhag, thus covering the entire area along the Puna Tsang Chu with a hazard map for GLOFs in the future. These maps are expected to serve as a tool to guide the planners and decision makers:

1. As a tool for any future developmental activities along this river; and

2. As a guide for the local communities and local authorities to minimize the damage on the lives and properties of the people.

Material and Information Used

For the purpose of data analysis and hazard map production the following are materials used:

a. Topographical maps Topographical maps for most of the areas where accessible and critical were prepared using surveying instruments (“Total Station”). The close contours generated were then used for the data analysis. For those parts where the accessibility was not possible, the contours generated from the SRTM were used. In fact the slope which forms one of the important aspects in the data analysis part was generated using these contours.

b. Satellite images Given the importance of the project, a set of Quick Bird images were procured which have a resolution of 0.6m.

c. Land use maps These maps were prepared in the field based on the field verification and using the satellite images as base material.

d. Material maps These maps were also prepared in the field based on the field verification and using the satellite images as base material.

e. Slope maps For the areas which were accessible and critical, surveys were conducted using “Total Station” and contours generated from this were then used to generate the slope maps. For those areas where it was inaccessible for the team to conduct surveys, SRTM was used to generate contours and based on these contours slope maps were prepared.

f. Socio-economic information All this information was collected in the field through interaction with the local vulnerable communities. The information covers a wide range of aspects which are listed below. This information was mainly collected to assess the vulnerability of the local communities should a GLOF occur in the Puna Tsang Chu basin.

Next. . .

On to:

Methodology of Bhutan NCAP Project

Key findings from Bhutan NCAP Project

Lessons learned from Bhutan NCAP Project

Back to: Netherlands Climate Assistance Programme (NCAP)