Nima | Gelephu

An earthquake and windstorms on April 28 damaged more than 45 houses and 21 public structures including lhakhangs, schools, and offices in eight gewogs of Zhemgang, officials said.

Bardo gewog reported maximum damage to 16 private and public structures. An earthquake on the same day also damaged three public infrastructures in the gewog, according to dzongkhag officials.

The dzongkhag administration received reports of damage caused by the windstorms and earthquake from Bjoka, Goshing, Nangkor, Ngangla, Phangkhar, Trong, and Shingkahr gewogs.

Three gewogs of Nangkor, Bardo, and Phangkhar were recovering from a windstorm that blew away the roofs of more than 50 houses on April 5.

Bardo Gup Kinzang Jurmey said that most structures in the gewog were not disaster resilient. “These are signs that the roofing for the house was not done properly. Maybe our people lack the expertise,” he said.

He added that it would be a huge loss to the government if such cases were reported frequently. “We need to set things right, train people, and be aware of having a strong structure. We cannot predict such disasters,” said Kinzang Jurmey.

The gup said that the assessment on the upper part of the gewog was completed on Wednesday and the remaining ones are expected to be completed yesterday. However, all the affected families are safe, according to the official.

RICBL office in Zhemgang and Pemagatshel compensated all 67 households that were damaged by the recent windstorm.

The rooftops of Digala Primary School were blown away for the second time. The school suffered similar damage on April 5.

Officials from the dzongkhag said that most structures in the dzongkhag were of poor quality which resulted in frequent damage from such disasters.