India Helps Bhutan Strengthen Earthquake Preparedness With Nepal’s Support

Nepal is helping Bhutan prepare for a major earthquake after a large-scale drill in Thimphu exposed gaps in equipment, medical support and emergency coordination.

The four-hour exercise on June 23 recreated the impact of a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. It was designed to show what could happen if buildings collapsed, roads were cut off, power failed and hospitals were overwhelmed. Around 500 people took part in different roles.

The exercise was led by the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET), with support from Bhutanese authorities and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). CDRI was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 after being conceptualised by India.

The drill was carried out at nine locations across Thimphu. At Olakha, around 20 mock victims were treated for injuries including fractures, crush injuries and head trauma. Teams also responded to a simulated hotel collapse, damaged homes and a fire.

At Bhutan's main referral hospital, patients and staff were moved to safe areas. Temporary medical tents were set up and ambulances carried mock casualties. But the exercise showed a serious shortage of equipment and supplies needed to quickly set up a field hospital if the main facility is damaged.

“Currently, through this simulation exercise, we realised that we don’t have that kind of resource to be mobilised immediately and set up field hospitals,” hospital incident commander Phub Tshering told Bhutan Broadcasting Service.

The teams also checked 11 bridges, an electricity terminal, the telecom network and a food warehouse to see how critical services could cope. The exercise found weaknesses in communication, resource movement and coordination between agencies.

The drill came after a tabletop exercise and nearly a year of planning by the Nepali team. Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay attended the exercise, while King Jigme was kept informed about it.

Bhutan and Nepal both face high earthquake risk because they lie in the Himalayan region. Bhutan was hit by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake in June, while Nepal recorded a magnitude 5 quake in July. Nepal's 2015 earthquake killed more than 9,000 people.

NSET has recommended that Bhutan create six-member first responder rescue teams in wards serving 15,000 to 20,000 people. NSET's Surya Narayan Shrestha said Tobgay felt Bhutan should learn from Nepal because the two countries face similar risks.