The Department of Culture along with Punakha Dzongkhag Administration will come up with a management plan for Punakha Dzong. A detailed study was carried out for the past one year and a draft management plan for the Dzong is now ready.
Due to its cultural and historical importance, Punakha Dzong was chosen for the first ever management plan prepared under the Cultural Landscape and Sustaining its significance 2019 project.
Besides preserving and protecting the dzong, the plan is also expected to look into other aspects such as use and function of the structure, its safety and security and tourism prospects.
“It will look into how we take care of the building, its surroundings, and buffer surroundings,” Pema, the Deputy Chief Architect of Department of Culture, said.
The plan includes three zones, the dzong, conservation zone and buffer zone.
The dzong located in-between the Phochhu and Mochhu has already witnessed disasters like flood and fire in the past.
The management plan does not directly deal with disaster risk management. However, the department will soon come up with a separate program to deal with disasters and risk management.
Punakha Dzong was built in 1637 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal.