15h00 London time, Sunday 8th August 2010
Phil Cornwell (school’s UK project office) spoke today to Sonam Angdus (Construction Manager), Anokhee Shah (Arup Resident Engineer), and to Regina Ulwer and Pankaj Bansal (volunteers) in Ladakh.
The mudslide flowed over the eastern half of the Druk White Lotus School campus in the early hours of last Friday morning and deposited 1.0-1.5m of mud. The mud entered some of the residential buildings and classrooms to a level about half way up the walls.
All 200 residential children and staff are safe, as are school people living in Shey. Four of the six residential buildings are being used in the daytime by the children, and the residential children return to the safety of Shey Palace, on high ground, at night-time. Some parents have come to take their children home for the time being. We do not yet have reliable information about students and staff living outside Shey.
We are seeking information about two of our volunteers staying in Leh – the other five volunteers are safe.
One residence courtyard, the junior courtyard and the administration courtyard were inundated by mud. Staff and volunteers yesterday managed to recover some files and equipment. The IT room was devastated and all the computers will need to be replaced. The eastern site boundary wall was destroyed, as was the wall in front of the school.
The buildings on the west side of the Spine largely escaped damage, including Residence 3, the energy centre, secondary school classrooms, the new staff accommodation and the construction office. The dining hall and kitchen are still functioning.
The solar water pumps continue to work and the school has a safe water supply. The solar energy equipment appears to be intact, but some of the electrical wiring will need to be replaced.
The mud seems not to be polluted. Students and staff are being urged to continue to use the VIP latrines that are still functioning.
While it is too early to assess the extent of physical damage, initial inspection indicated only limited structural damage to the buildings, but many internal walls and floors will need to be replaced. The Arup-designed buildings seem to have withstood a major test.
The mud is still too wet to walk on and a JCB digger will be needed in due course to shift the tonnes of mud that cover the campus.
Yesterday (Saturday), local people diverted an adjacent stream as a temporary measure to try to deflect any future water or mud flows, but a permanent solution will be required to protect the school in the long-term.
Your help is urgently needed for the clean up and rebuilding work – Please donate whatever you can now (How to Donate)
More than 200 villagers, army personnel, monks and volunteers were at the school today clearing mud from the Science and Junior courtyards. One classroom block is almost clear and a damage assessment can now be made. Class 8 is due to restart tomorrow (Thursday).
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