With butter lamps burning day and night, the risk of fire has long been a concern in dzongs and monasteries. In Monggar, the district administration has taken a decisive step to protect both its heritage and community. The office installed a smoke and heat detection system, bringing modern fire safety to one of the district’s treasured institutions.
Dzongs and monasteries have long been vulnerable to fire hazards due to the constant use of butter lamps and incense.
Additionally, monks of varying ages reside in these buildings and use electrical appliances regularly. This increases the risk of short circuits and potential fire mishaps.
As a preventive measure, the fire detection system was installed at a cost of around Nu 800,000.
The system includes 13 smoke detectors and 5 heat detectors, strategically placed in key areas such as the goenkhang, kitchen and dormitories.
A demonstration was also conducted to show how the system operates.
When smoke detectors detect smoke, an alarm blares, and the control monitor at the police duty room immediately displays the fire location, enabling a swift response.
“The dzong is very old, and there are many sacred relics. More than 100 monks, including many young ones, reside within it. As a result, there is always a risk of fire mishaps. Therefore, we are installing a smoke and heat detection system as a preventive measure,” said Sangay Dawa, Monggar Dzongrab.
The Monggar Dzong is quite old, and the materials used are mostly wood.
While preventive measures such as limiting the lighting of butter lamps and incense were already in place, some senior monks admitted that they never truly felt safe until now.
“So far, we have been taking precautions such as lighting butter lamps and placing them in a bowl with water, and limiting incense offerings. A few years ago, a team from the district, led by the dzongda, visited the dratshang and commended our efforts to prevent fire mishaps. Now with the new detection system installed along with the recent training for our lams and monks on how to respond to fire incidents, we can finally feel at ease and secure,” said Sonam Tobgay, Dratshang Secretary, Monggar Dratshang.
The rabdey, police, and the district administration signed a memorandum of understanding on the management and future development of the system.
The district plans to further enhance the system by adding more alarms and detectors and installing similar systems in other key sites.
Namgay Wangchuk, Monggar
Edited by Phub Gyem
