Flood forecasting and early warning in Bhutan

Bhutan is prone to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) and flash floods. Moreover, climate change tends to exacerbate these risks, as they affect several interconnected processes. Indeed, an increase in temperature can affect the timing of floods, modify the distribution of liquid and solid precipitation in the watershed, alter the base flow of rivers... The Kingdom of Bhutan's Climate Change Policy (2020) mandates the NCHM to be the national source of hydrometric data, services and advice, to meet the needs of the public, emergency services and other specialized users, and to provide hydrometric data and information, climate projections and other early warning services.

Key objectives of this mission

• Develop a web-based hydrological system for flood forecasting and early warning services with WIMES;
• Install modules and integrate existing systems into FEWS;
• Train NCHM staff in system administration;
• Train users.