Bhutan: Some truths to take home

Japan has always been known for being tectonically active.

Preempting disastrous quakes, it prepared relentlessly for years, like no other nations across the world, building seismic resistant structures, as global citizens watched in awe.

The March 11, 2011 earthquake, experts have said, was a result of movement along two major plate boundaries that caused a tremour almost a thousand times more powerful than what Bhutanese in the east experienced about two years ago.

Bhutan too has been warned of being situated on a fault line on the Himalayan range, where a major earthquake, much like the one Japan recently experienced, awaits to occur.

Although the government is educating people on disaster management and demanding strict building rules, geologists say it is high time Bhutan set up its own seismic stations to prepare itself for a disaster that is unpredictable but expected.

Geologist and expert on earthquake engineering Dr Karma Kuenza said, with seismic stations, the nation would know exactly which parts of Bhutan were prone to earthquakes. “If we need to know how Bhutan is behaving to earthquakes, we need to know our local zones,” he said. “We have no information of the sort today.”

Despite support from the government on the need for such stations, lack of budget, as always, stands in the way to implementing the plan.

Building the stations, he said, alone would cost Nu 67M.

“Work is underway and we’ve partnered with some universities and professors in Japan and Germany,” he said. “It should take a few more years for the stations to start running.” Once established, all portable stations placed across the country would be connected to a central system at the headquarters.

“They’ll be automatic, meaning when a major earthquake strikes, they’ll tell you in real time, the magnitude and location, and also record information on any other small earthquakes,” he said.

The 1950 Assam earthquake, Dr Karma Kuenza said, was about 80km away from the nearest Indo-Bhutan border.

“It was about 200km from Trashichhodzong, yet it destroyed a part of the dzong,” he said. “The effect of earthquakes, above magnitude eight, can be felt within a radius of 200km.”

In the last 100 years, about 18 large earthquakes occurred in the Himalayan region. The large earthquakes that were felt in Bhutan include the 1713 Arunachal Pradesh earthquake (M7.0), the 1897 Great Shillong earthquake (M8.3), the 1905 Kangra earthquake (M8.0), the 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake (M8.1), the 1947 Assam earthquake (M7.8) and the 1950 Assam earthquake (M8.7).

Bhutan, he said, is divided into two zones by a fault. A fault is a place where earthquakes occur and both Japan and Bhutan are on fault lines.

“We’ve a major fault in Bhutan and so should expect earthquake mostly in the southern belt, because that’s where the earthquake faults are,” he said.

This fault runs more than 2,000km from east to west of Himalayas.

A study by a geologist from the university of Colorado has predicted that the region, where Bhutan is, should expect an earthquake of magnitude of 8, 8.2 or 9.

Dr Karma Kuenza explained that earthquakes occur when the stress built from the continuous movement of plates become too much that they break.

The study said that the Himalayan region is between the Tibetan plate, which is fixed and the Indian plate, which is moving and pushing, 2 cm every year. In 100 years, it would have moved by two metres and in 200 years, four metres.

“And if its four metres of strength accumulation, it will break and the impact of that would give an earthquake of 8 magnitude,” Dr Karma Kuenza said. “But, for the last more than 200 years, even with the four metres of strain, there has been no earthquake in the Himalayan range. And based on the movement and the prediction, we’re actually in a very crucial earthquake prone area.”

Bhutan doesn’t have data to divide itself into zones, safe or prone to earthquakes but based on India, eastern Bhutan falls on zone five and western Bhutan falls on zone four. This means it’s in a zone, where the biggest tremors of an earthquake can be felt.

“That’s why all structures built in Bhutan are built for a big earthquake, with bigger bars and columns and only five storied tall, which are more expensive,” Dr Karma Kuenza said. “And the last earthquake was a national wake up call.”

Like the 1923 quake in Japan, which initiated a massive effort to predict earthquakes and tsunamis. Scientists at Japanese universities received millions to support projects on earthquakes.

Bhutan has at least started.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutanese culture, an exhibition on traditional masks was inaugurated at the national museum, Ta dzong in Paro

In another effort at preserving Bhutanese culture, an exhibition on traditional masks was inaugurated on March 11, at the national museum, located at Ta dzong in Paro.

The director of the national museum, Khenpo Phuntshok Tashi, explained during the inauguration ceremony why such an exhibition had been created. He said that mask dances are an important aspect of Bhutanese culture and so the masks used in the dances had to be preserved. He said that it is important for Bhutanese citizens to know the various kinds of masks that exist, the differences between them, how they are manufactured, and who make them.

Khenpo Phuntshok Tashi added that the significance of the masks did not have to be limited to only Bhutanese. He said that the exhibition would also allow the significance of the masks to be shared with foreign visitors as well.

He pointed out that if the significance of the masks were not shared today, then it could become a reality that the masks are only used and viewed as entertainment, eventually to go extinct.

Chief guest at the function, Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, also shared a similar perspective. He said that tsechus had to be continued and for that to happen, the significance of the masks had to be shared and preserved.

Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk pointed out that, despite Bhutan not remaining in self-imposed isolation and achieving a relatively giant leap out of medievalism, Bhutanese culture had still remained intact from the time of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. He pointed out that, as Bhutan is a small country, it was important to have an identity, especially with globalisation taking place.

A total of 161 traditional masks used in 21 religious dances or cham are now in display at the museum.

For instance, masks used in religious dances such as, among others, the guru tshengye, bardo cham, Peling gingsum ging and tsholing, and drametse ngacham are displayed.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan: Earthquake and Tsunami that hit north Japan

His Majesty the King and the Japanese community in Bhutan offer Karmi Tongchey (a thousand Butter lamps) and prayers at the Tashichhodzong yesterday, for the victims of the March 11 earthquake and Tsunami that hit north Japan on Friday.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan Gasa Dzong Renovation

Within a span of more than a year since work began, about 80 percent of the renovation works on Gasa dzong has been completed.

Dzongkhag officials are optimistic of being able to complete the project within the next six months, irrespective of the usual obstacles like roadblocks and carrying material to the site.


Although collection of local material began since 2008, Gasa dzongkhag’s junior engineer Kuenga Tshering said the real renovation work began in full swing only by October 2009.

Kuenga Tshering said initially Nu 4.7M was approved for the project, considering that the dzong would be renovated with same design as it stood before the fire damaged a part of the dzong.

“But later the design of a structure was changed which now would cost much dearer,” he said. “To incorporate those changes would cost the government around Nu 14.6M instead of the approved 4.7M.”

Those aspects aside, he said the dzongkhag was constructing two new structures.

“A two-storied structure has reached the roof stage, while the other structure is progressing just as quickly,” he said.

In the two-storied structure, the top storey served as the administrative block, while the lower one housed the Kagye lhakhang.

With the administrative block having moved to another new structure that was built just outside the dzong where they will remain, the previous administrative block will be turned into Mithrup lhakhang.

A dzongkhag official said they had to construct two new buildings outside the dzong for office space after the last fire.

“A building is already being used by administration and engineering cell, while the other is still under construction,” he said.

The apartment that previously accommodated the caretaker will serve as torkhang, room dedicated for monks to make ritual cakes or torma, of the dratshang once completed.

The Kagye lhakhang, the koenyer’s room, administrative block and an engineering cell of the Gasa dzong were reduced to rubble, and the main statues inside the lhakhang charred in the 2008 fire.

However, the 17th-century dzong and its main nangten (spiritual treasures) survived the potentially devastating fire.

“We’ve constructed a hostel for monks at Phulakha, about a 15-minute walk from the dzong, ever since the monks were rendered homeless after the fire, and the ongoing renovation work after it,” dzongkhag officials said. “They’ve yet to move to the new hostel.”

Kuenga Tshering pointed out that last year’s roadblocks between Punakha and Gasa closed the dzongkhag from the rest of the country for about a month, which hampered the work progress.

“We couldn’t transport construction material and even the labourers ran out of ration,” he said.

Today the road to Gasa has reached Zamina since last year, leaving a gap of about an hour’s walk to the dzong.

Although the road had reached Zamina last year, he said it was closed for traffic. Besides, road blocks from mud slides made unloading and carrying construction materials to the site from Gezapang, which is about a four-hour-walk from Gasa, difficult.

In absence of the road that reached Zamina, officials said even gathering local material to the work site was a major hurdle.

“People had to carry stones to the construction site, just as they had to carry timber from the forest,” he said.

Although workers were called at the site, they could not work comfortably throughout the year, because of the harsh weather the dzongkhag is known to brew.

Heavy showers in summers that made working at the site impossible and the snow in winter that froze construction material, besides working hours reduced as workers reached work site late in the morning and left early with the approaching dusk.

Around 50 workers, excluding villagers from the four gewogs of Laya, Khatoe, Khamay and Lunana providing voluntary services, are working towards the project on time.

Source: Kuenselonline

The Bhutan airline finalised its move into the domestic sector

Drukair has confirmed that it will enter the domestic air services market by a stipulated April deadline.

The national airline finalised its move into the domestic sector, following its board of directors meeting yesterday.

The chairperson of the airline’s board, Kesang Wangdi, told Kuensel that Drukair would “respond to the call of the government”. He pointed out that the government had selected both Drukair and Tashi group of companies’ Tashi Air, and that the national airline would be “letting down” the government if it did not enter operations.

In a surprise for both Drukair and Tashi, the government chose in December the two companies to operate domestically. According to the request for proposals (RFP) floated in July last year, only one company was supposed to have been selected.

Tashi had approached the government, expressing its concerns on the financial viability of such a move, earlier this month. With an untested domestic market, survivability of two operators was worrying the company.

This prompted the government to hold meetings with representatives of both companies. Following the meetings, the communications minister Nandalal Rai said that the government would not reverse its decision to see two operators in the domestic market. A Tashi representative chose not to comment until a further date.

“The board has considered all options,” said Kesang Wangdi, in response to whether similar viability concerns were shared by Drukair. “Viability is a concern for both airlines, it applies to Drukair as well,” he said. But he pointed out that tourist numbers are expected to increase. He added that the board saw the existence of two operators as “cooperation” rather than competition.

Drukair CEO, Tandin Jamso, also said that the domestic market is “uncertain” for the airline. He pointed out that, if competition is a factor, even the international sector could be of concern. “In the peak season we’re doing all right, but in the lean season, occupancy is below 50 percent.”

The CEO said that the airline is expecting to commence domestic operations by April. The national airline will be operating a twin-propeller ATR 42 aircraft for domestic and short haul international flights. “Drukair respects the RFP and will be guided by the RFP,” he said.

Source: Kuenselonline