Karma Tshiteem

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Climate Change Adaptation Experience of Bhutan

• Karma Tshiteem
• Secretary
• Gross National Happiness Commission
• Royal Government of Bhutan

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Country Background
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Development Context

• Overriding development philosophy of GNH
• 4 pillars (socio-economic development,
  preservation of culture, environmental
  sustainability and good governance)
• Bhutan Development Index (BDI)
• GNHC
• Bhutan 2020 a Vision for peace prosperity and
  happiness
• Long term development strategy for Bhutan
• Development targets for all 4 pillars of GNH
• Democratization process
• Constitutional monarchy
• First democratic elections and the new government
• MDGs
• Adopted by UN GA in 2000
• Bhutan on track to meet most of the targets
  (already met targets on proportion of underweight
  children, access to clean drinking water and
  access to sanitation)
• MDG NA and costing (Bhutan one of the first
  countries in Asia resource requirement of US
  2.5 billion between 2006 and 2015)
• Five Year Development Plans
• Key national development strategy
• Tenth plan mainstreamed MDGs and overarching goal
  of poverty reduction

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Climate Change Bhutan

• 1992 Signatory to UNFCCC
• 1995 Ratified UNFCCC
• 2000 Submitted Initial National Communication
  and 1st GHG Inventory
• 2002 Acceded to Kyoto Protocol

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Impacts of Climate Change in Bhutan

• Agricultural Sector
• 80 of population
• Water Resources
• 30,000 MW potential power generation
• Forests and Biodiversity
• 70 forest
• high diversity - Eastern Himalayan hotspot

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Impacts of Climate Change in Bhutan

• Natural Disasters
• Glacial Lake Outbursts Floods
• landslides
• Human Health
• Increase in tropical diseases and heat stress

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1st National GHG Inventory
NE
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NAPA process

• Process started in 2004
• Submitted to UNFCCC in 2005
• Multi-sectoral approach
• NAPA Team Composition
• Members of Initial National Communication
• Additional members from other sectors including,
  finance, planning and NGO
• Sectoral working groups
• Consultative process
• 4 regional consultative workshops
• Coordinate efforts with NCSA process
• Coordinate with other ongoing projects

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NAPA Urgent and Immediate Adaptation Needs

• Disaster Management Strategy
• Artificial lowering of Thorthomi glacial lake
• Weather forecasting system
• Landslide management and flood prevention
• Flood protection of downstream industrial and
  agriculture area
• Rainwater harvesting
• GLOF hazard zonnation
• Early warning system on Pho chhu basin
• Community based forest fire management and
  prevention

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NAPA Lessons Learnt

• Multi-sectoral approach
• Good cooperation and collaboration among
  stakeholders
• Good support from government
• Support from LDC Expert Group
• Awareness and advocacy for vulnerable communities
  important

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CC Adaptation in Bhutan

• 2,674 glacial lakes in Bhutan Himalaya
• 25 potentially dangerous lakes
• 9 lakes in Pho Chu Basin
• GLOFs along Pho Chu in 1958 and 1994
• The unexpected 1994 GLOF caused damage to
  Punakha Dzong, agricultural land, and 21 lives

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Potentially dangerous Lakes
Pho Chu Sub Basin 9 Mo Chu Sub Basin
5 Chamkhar Chu Sub Basin 3 Kuri Chu Sub Basin
1 Mangde Chu Sub Basin 7
Out of 2794 glacial lakes, 25 has been identified
as potentially dangerous lakes.
Source DGM ICIMOD publication
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Glacial Lakes in Lunana

• Interconnected glacier and glacial lake systems.

Source Google Earth 2008
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Punatshang Chu
TSENDA GANG
TSHOJU
MASAGANG
LUNANA
CHUNAMI
TARINA
GANGCHEN TA
WACHEY
PHO CHU
MO CHU
PUNAKHA
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GLOF Project
NAPA (2004-05)
Full Size Project 2008-2012
PDF B Phase
Project Document Signed in Dec 2006
Submission of Prodoc to GEF Dec 2008
Activities implementation Jan-Dec 2007
GEF Sec Approval March 2008
Project signed in April 2008
Total Budget allocated US 180,000/-
Total Budget US 7.48 million
Activity Implementation May 2008
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Budget GLOF Full Size Project

• Total Budget US 7,481,274
• LDCF US 3,445,050
• PDF B US 180,000
• RGoB US 2,680,000
• UNDP US 396,224
• Austrian Government E 600,000
• WWF Bhutan US 30,000

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Adaptation Measures

• 1. GLOF hazard zonation and vulnerability
  assessment
• Lunana to Khuruthang town, Punakha
  Austro-Bhutanese (1999-2002)
• Khuruthang-Lhamoizingkha (Indo-Bhutan Border)
  DGM under Netherlands Climate Assistance Program
  (NCAP, 2007)
• Chamkhar valley, Bumthang DGM in 2007 funded by
  the Global Environment Facility (GEF)

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Adaptation Measures (Contd)

• 2. Artificial Lowering of lake water level
• Raphstreng Tso (1996-1998) Ministry of Home and
  Cultural Affairs-- funded by the Government of
  India
• Thorthormi Lake (2008-2012) Currently
  implemented under UNDP/GEF Project with funding
  from LDCF and cofinancing from Government of
  Austria, UNDP, WWF Bhutan and RGoB

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Adaptation Measures (Contd)

• Thorthormi Lake Mitigation work Objective and
  Progress
• Goal To lower the lake level by 5m
• Progress
• Institutional arrangements for implementation set
  up
• Project Board and Technical Support and Advisory
  Team already met twice
• Engineering and safety plan for mitigation work
  completed
• Environment Impact Assessment for mitigation work
  completed

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Engineering and Safety Plan

• Engineering and safety plan at Thorthormi Lake
  carried out from August-October 2008
• Topographic survey of the area at 15000
• Geotechnical assessment
• Mapping of slide, stability assesment of moraine
  dam
• Sample collection to determine cohesion, friction
  angle, soil classification and the permeability
• Geophysical Investigation
• Seismic refraction
• Electrical resistivity

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Engineering and Safety Plan (Contd)

• Civil Engineering
• Identification of appropriate location for outlet
  channel excavation
• Engineering design for the mitigation work
• Estimation of volume of materials to be excavated
• Bathometric Survey
• To measure the depth of lake
• Safety Measures
• Communication setup
• Appropriate safety gears
• Onsite medical facility
• Emergency arrangements

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Excavation Plan
140m
60m
40m
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• Total Volume of materials to be excavated with
  2 bed slope 34209.74 m3
• Excavated materials to be dumped in the
  subsidiary lake
• The maximum side slope of the proposed channel
  should not exceed 11.5 (VH) at any phase
• Channel width of 10 m wide to provide sufficient
  working space for the workers as well as for
  diverting the discharge from the lake (base flow
  only) through its half width during the execution
  of the work

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Adaptation Measures (Contd)

• Early Warning System
• Existing manual system operated by the Flood
  Warning Unit, Department of Energy
• Initial plan to install a pilot EWS in
  Punakha-Wangdue Valley by DGM (warning system and
  site assessment conducted by DGM in 2007)
• The project will install a comprehensive EWS
  system with additional funds from RGoB

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Early Warning System
Sensor
54 mins
1 hr 24 mins
1 hr 40 mins
2 hrs 14 mins
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Adaptation Measures (Contd)

• GLOF Risk Awareness
• Awareness and Advocacy (Department of Disaster
  Management)
• DRM framework already in place
• National level workshop in Thimphu
• DRM bill ready for adoption
• Community level awareness conducted covering
  Punakha, Wangdue, and Dagana districts
• District level/as well as community level
  planning and training on disaster risk management
  ongoing

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Conclusion

• The artificial lowering of Thorthormi Lake to
  began from June 2009 and complete by 2012
• Work at site June-October every year
• The mitigation measures are very challenging and
  expensive
• Remoteness of the area
• Excavation has to be done manually and reduces
  output drastically
• About 300 workers to be recruited
• The labourers should be provided incentives on
  top of the wages
• Communication, safety and emergency arrangements

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