A Social Survey for GLOF Disaster Mitigation in Bhutan
2012 年 16 巻 1 号 p. 77-82
詳細
2012 年 16 巻 1 号 p. 77-82
As part of the JICA/JST Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) project, we carried out a social survey in central Bhutan in 2010 to acquire fundamental information about local communities and means of communication in case of disasters.The surveyed areas were the Mangde Chhu basin, the target area of the project, and the neighboring Punatsang Chhu and Chamkar Chhu basins. The survey was conducted interview-style, using questionnaires to seek information from local governments, residential communities and schools. The findings of the survey were as follows.
Some communities in the Mangde Chhu basin, especially temporary camps for construction workers located on riverbanks, have a potential risk of human damage from GLOFs. In Zhemgang Dzongkhag, the ratio of residents with no communication tools is very high (42%), compared with the other areas (0%-13%). Generally, traditional communities in Bhutan are safe from floods, including GLOFs. However, temporary residents of local communities, such as people living in workers camps on riverbanks, are highly vulnerable to floods. Accordingly, a concrete disaster mitigation plan, including off-limits zones based on accurate hazard maps, is necessary. Also, early warning systems are very effective at mitigating damage from GLOFs. As for devices to alert the residents, other than sirens and loudspeakers, radio and mobile phones are most appropriate because of their high ownership ratios. In general, schools are well equipped with communication tools, and teachers have a good understanding of their local communities, thus, schools can act as a foothold for disaster mitigation measures providing regular disaster education to entire communities through their students.
