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Project News

2017-06-30

Monthly Report for June 2017

A suggestion from the Project Director: DDM

The Department of Disaster Management (DDM), under the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs (MoHCA), coordinates disaster risk management at the national and local levels in association with relevant agencies. The DDM is the representative agency of the Project, responsible for Member coordination, and the DDM Director is the Project Director. On the 16th June 2017, the DDM held a meeting with the Project Director and JICA Project Coordinator to discuss previous activities and plans. The Project Director, Mr. Chdador Wangdi, instructed that the action points agreed upon at the Commencement Meeting in May should be completed as soon as possible. He also suggested that a public relations strategy is important to, for example, disseminate the Project's findings to the Bhutanese people and to inform the high levels of related ministries of the Project's progress. In response to his suggestions, Project Members have started making a promotional kit and plan to open upcoming project activities.

PhotoA meeting with the Project Director at the DDM.


Pull-down testing: DOC

The Department of Culture (DOC) is also under MoHCM, whose national missions are to conserve and develop all tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Bhutan. One of the Project's roles with the DOC is to develop technology to protect traditional houses from earthquake damage. Collaborating with Nagoya City University and Kagawa University, to collect evidence from a mock traditional house, the DOC implemented first series of testing in May to compare a rammed earth specimen with reinforcements and with one that had not been reinforced. The DOC is preparing for a second series of testing in September.

PhotoThe first pull-down destruction testing of rammed earth specimens in May 2017.


Toward a better coordination: First Working Group meeting

On 12th June 2017, the DOC hosted the first Working Group meeting at the Project's office. The meeting involved practical members from all Project agencies and aimed to improve coordination between Working Members of the Project. The attendees reviewed the activities of the previous month, shared plans for the next activities, and discussed challenges and possible solutions.

PhotoThe first Working Group meeting held at the DOC project office.


Amendment to the Project's implementation structure: DES

The Department of Engineering Services (DES), under the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement (MoWHS), is a professional and leading government technical agency for infrastructure planning, design and construction technology. In the Project, the DES plays an important role providing guidelines for traditional houses and building standards. However, the role of the DES was not clearly mentioned in the original Project official document (the Record of Discussions (RD) of November 2016), therefore JICA and the Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC) have agreed to clarify the role of the DES in managing the standardization of traditional houses. The amended implementation structure has been effective since 28th June 2017.

PhotoThe Project Director signed on the minutes of meetings as a witness.

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