ICIMOD Working Paper 2016/13 Flood Early Warning Systems in Bhutan A Gendered Perspective 1 About ICIMOD The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, ICIMOD, is a regional knowledge development and learning centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayas – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – and based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Globalisation and climate change have an increasing influence on the stability of fragile mountain ecosystems and the livelihoods of mountain people. ICIMOD aims to assist mountain people to understand these changes, adapt to them, and make the most of new opportunities, while addressing upstream-downstream issues. We support regional transboundary programmes through partnership with regional partner institutions, facilitate the exchange of experience, and serve as a regional knowledge hub. We strengthen networking among regional and global centres of excellence. Overall, we are working to develop an economically and environmentally sound mountain ecosystem to improve the living standards of mountain populations and to sustain vital ecosystem services for the billions of people living downstream – now, and for the future. ICIMOD gratefully acknowledges the support of its core donors: the Governments of Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Corresponding author: Mandira Singh Shrestha, [email protected] Cover photo: Punakha Dzong on the banks of the Mochuu and Phochuu Rivers 2 ICIMOD Working Paper 2016/13 Flood Early Warning Systems in Bhutan A Gendered Perspective Authors Mandira Singh Shrestha Chanda Gurung Goodrich Pranita Udas Dil Maya Rai Min Bahadur Gurung Vijay Khadgi International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, Nepal, December 2016 i Copyright © 2016 International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) All rights reserved, published 2016 Published by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal ISBN 978 92 9115 438 8 (printed) 978 92 9115 439 5 (electronic) Production Team Susan Sellars-Shrestha (Consultant editor) Christopher Butler (Editor) Dharma R Maharjan (Layout and design) Asha Kaji Thaku (Editorial assistant) Photos: Dil Maya Rai - cover, pp 20, 37, 38; Pema Dorji Tamang - pp 7, 12; Mandira Singh Shrestha - pp 8, 13, 14, 18; Mukunda Baidhya - 26, 27; Min Bahadur Gurung - p32 Printed and bound in Nepal by Quality Pinters Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu, Nepal Reproduction This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. ICIMOD would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from ICIMOD. The views and interpretations in this publication are those of the author(s). They are not attributable to ICIMOD and do not imply the expression of any opinion concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or the endorsement of any product. Note This publication is available in electronic form at www.icimod.org/himaldoc Citation: Shrestha, M.S., Goodrich, C.G., Udas, P., Rai, D.M., Gurung, M.B., Khadgi, V. (2016) Flood early warning systems in Bhutan: A gendered perspective. ICIMOD Working Paper 2016/13. Kathmandu, ICIMOD. ii Contents Foreword v Acknowledgements vi Acronyms and Abbreviations vii Glossary viii Executive Summary ix Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Floods in Bhutan 2 Flood early warning system 2 Evolution of early warning system in Bhutan 3 Gender equality in Bhutan 5 Women’s vulnerability to floods 6 The importance of a gender perspective in EWS 6 Chapter 2 Assessing Flood EWS in Bhutan from a Gender Perspective 9 Study objectives and scope 10 Research questions 10 Methodology 10 Conceptual framework 12 Structure of this report 12 Chapter 3 Policies and Laws on Disaster Risk Reduction and Early Warning System 15 Water Vision 2025 and Bhutan Water Policy, 2003 16 National Disaster Risk Management Framework, 2006 16 Bhutan Water Act, 2011 16 National Adaptation Programme of Action, 2012 17 Disaster Management Act, 2013 17 Discussion 19 Chapter 4 Organizations Working in Disaster Risk Reduction and Early Warning System 21 Government organizations 22 International organizations 28 State-owned enterprises/corporations 29 National non-government organizations 30 Discussion 30 Chapter 5 Case Study: EWS in Punakha Dzongkhag, Punatsangchhu River Basin 33 Early warning system installed in the basin 34 Study areas 34 Risk knowledge at community level 38 Monitoring and warning 39 Dissemination and communication 40 Response capacity 41 Eearly warning systems implementing agencies 43 Summary of findings and discussion 44 iii Chapter 6 Conclusion, Recommendations and Opportunities 45 Conclusion 45 Recommendations 46 Opportunities 47 References 48 Annexes Annex 1: Survey questionnaire 53 Annex 2: Checklist for key informant interviews 58 Annex 3: Checklist for focus group discussions 61 Annex 4: List of stakeholders consulted 63 List of Tables Table 1: Flood disasters in Bhutan (1957–2015) 2 Table 2: Gender analysis of DRR and EWS policies and regulations in Bhutan 19 Table 3: Involvement of organizations in the key elements of people-centred early warning systems in Bhutan 23 Table 4: Responses by women and men when asked who are the technicians/caretakers of the EWS station in their village 43 Table 5: Summary of gender analysis of EWS at community level 44 List of Figures Figure 1: Components of a flood early warning system 4 Figure 2: Location of real-time hydrometeorological stations in Bhutan with HYCOS support 5 Figure 3: Methodological framework 11 Figure 4: The four elements of an early warning system 13 Figure 5: Types of organizations consulted 22 Figure 6: Percentage of male and female staff in the civil service 23 Figure 7: Percentage of female and male staff in government organizations 24 Figure 8: Map of case study area and the Punatsangchhu river basin 35 Figure 9: Occupation of respondents by gender 36 Figure 10: Education of respondents in Samdingkha by gender 36 Figure 11: Perception of women and men’s knowledge of flood risk 39 Figure 12: Women and men’s perceptions of groups vulnerable to flood 40 Figure 13: Women and men’s preferred mode of risk communication during floods 41 Figure 14: Participation of women and men in flood-related training and meetings 42 iv Foreword ICIMOD has been committed to reducing disaster risk and enhancing community resilience in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region for many years. The Centre has prioritized strengthening resilience to climatic risks and hydrological hazards, particularly high intensity rainfall events, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), regional floods, and flash floods. It focuses on research, knowledge, education, policy, capacity building, community resilience, and regional cooperation. In order to help mountain communities better understand and mitigate the risks posed by flood hazards and promote regional cooperation, ICIMOD has initiated a long-term programme on flood risk reduction. The aim of the programme is to make information travel faster than flood waters. South Asia accounts for a third of floods in Asia, half of those killed, and more than a third of those affected. During the three decades from 1985 to 2014, 1,766 natural disasters were reported in South Asia, of which a third were caused by floods, primarily in the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra basins. More women than men die during such disasters because of lack of information, mobility, participation in decision making, and access to resources. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that floods of the kind experienced in Pakistan in 2010 may become more frequent and more intense in the HKH region and other parts of the world because of climate change. At the same time vulnerability and exposure are also increasing. As a regional knowledge centre and through its HKH-Hydrological Cycle Observing System (HYCOS) programme, ICIMOD provides a regional platform to assist mountain people in implementing improved flood forecasting at national and regional levels, while addressing upstream-downstream linkages, to save lives and livelihoods. To improve the understanding of existing early warning systems (EWSs) in the region and their effectiveness, ICIMOD has conducted an assessment of flood EWS in four countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan) from a gendered perspective. The objective is to support the development of timely, reliable, and effective systems that can save lives and livelihoods. The assessments examined the status of flood EWS, conducted gender analysis to understand the participation of women in these systems, and made recommendations for developing more effective systems. Through such studies, ICIMOD aims to sensitize those involved in EWS on the need to integrate gender into flood EWS and develop policies that encourage the participation and awareness of men and women, thereby reducing the loss of lives and livelihoods. This report presents the findings from Bhutan. David J Molden, PhD Director General ICIMOD v Acknowledgements The