Choki Wangmo  

A low-pressure system formed over Bhutan with influence on local wind system is causing windstorms in isolated places in the northern, western, central, and eastern regions across the country.

According to the weather and climate services division of the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM), the current wind speed is recorded at 20 to 30ms per second and would be active until December 27.

“It is a localised event and cannot be directly connected to any global event. Gusty wind is normal during winter,” an engineer with NCHM, Monju Subba, said.

As per the current updates, there are still strong winds and the aforementioned regions are vulnerable to windstorms.

A windstorm on December 24 damaged roofs of 11 houses in Paro. Doteng gewog was severely hit with eight homes affected. Other gewogs, Naja, Lamgong, and Tsento reported damage to one house from each gewog.

With most frontline workers engaged in activities to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, officials from the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) said there are institutes or agencies identified in each dzongkhags and gewogs to respond to such disasters.

Chief of risk prevention and reduction division, Thinley Norbu, said that DDM had alerted the incident management team (ITM) about the windstorm. “ITM are first responders in any case of disasters.”

He said that if situations become chaotic, the department would send manpower and resources back up to the teams in the affected dzongkhags.

Meanwhile, a two-day windstorm in Soe, Thimphu, damaged roofs of houses last month.

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