Reducing Nepal’s landslide risks

By Faris H. Hadad-Zervos and John A. Roome

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Mountainous terrain

The World Bank has supported Nepal’s journey to strengthen resilience with a number of interventions. The Earthquake Housing Reconstruction Project is supporting the reconstruction of 335,700 multi-hazard resistant houses in earthquake-affected areas. The Building Resilience to Climate-Related Hazards (BRCH) project has enhanced the capability of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology to provide accurate weather and flood forecasts, which has contributed to reducing the loss of lives due to floods.

Key areas

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The following are key areas through which Nepal can strengthen resilience to landslide hazards:

Establish a 24/7 geohazard early warning unit at the National Emergency Operation Centre as the frontline to protect people’s lives with early warning.

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First, landslide hazard maps should be prepared nationwide that identifies communities and critical facilities such as schools, shelters, hospitals, bridges and roads with a high risk of landslides.

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We propose to build a geohazard risk management training centre not only for government officials to visit and learn different best practices, but also for community volunteers and school children to raise public awareness.