The disaster management team in Samdrup Jongkhar is now well equipped to tackle disasters. The dzongkhag has bought a disaster rescue van.
Recently, following a heavy downpour, part of the National Pension and Provident Fund colony in Samdrup Jongkhar was flooded with water. A tree’s root had blocked a drain through which a stream flowed. As a result, the water started overflowing into the houses. It took the disaster management team about an hour and a half to clear the blockage.
If the same incident happened now, it would have taken the team merely five minutes to cut through the stuck root. The rescue van is equipped with a hydraulic cutter, water tank with a capacity of 300 litres and lighting set among others.
“We bought the van to make our disaster rescue efforts efficient,” said Tashi Wangchuk, the Focal Person of Dzongkhag Disaster Management Unit.
It has spent Nu 3.7 M in procuring and customizing the rescue van.