Attachments
Hazard overview
Bhutan is located in one of the most seismically active zones in the world. In addition, it is highly prone to floods, forest fires, landslides, urban fires, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). The risks imposed by these hazards are intensified by the climate crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic added to the risks, challenging the sustainability of development gains made so far.
Focus and partners
WFP Bhutan’s Country Strategic Plan (2019-2023) identifies enhancing resilience to natural disasters and climate crisis as a key focus area. To develop stronger national resilience to disasters and the climate crisis, WFP supports the Royal Government of Bhutan’s emergency preparedness and response (EPR) initiatives in five areas of governance and coordination, data preparedness, logistics, emergency telecommunications, and food security.
Governance and coordination
To enhance governance and coordination in EPR, WFP and government finalized the Roadmap for Disaster Risk Management in Bhutan (2022-2026). The roadmap comprises Bhutan’s hazard profile, national preparedness level, and actions to strengthen the government’s disaster risk reduction framework, systems, and institutional coordination. It also mainstreams disaster risk reduction in development planning, budgeting, and implementation to enhance national disaster preparedness and response capacity. WFP, with Department of Local Governance and Disaster Management (DLGDM), carried out simulation exercises and revised the Disaster Management Contingency Plans (DMCP) at the national and district levels. These exercises help understand current gaps, identify areas for strengthening implementation of DMCPs, and aim to strengthen the capacity of first responders.