Risks, hazards and vulnerability in the mountainous areas of Nepal: a focus on Karnali
This report draws on Mission East's experience since 2009 in the Karnali area of Nepal, discussing relevant aspects of risk reduction in remote mountainous areas, and making recommendations accordingly. The Karnali zone suffers from weak socio-economic conditions that make people very poor and isolated from mainstream development initiatives.
The recommendations presented in the paper are the following (p. 23):
- It is not cost beneficial to address the issue of landslides in mountains with a monitoring and early warning system. Actions addressing root cause of landslides in Karnali, mainly deforestation, terracing and livestock overgrazing, combined with low-cost bio-engineered mitigation, would be sufficient to reduce the numerous slope failures and landslides.
- National guidance for disaster management must be simplified for mountains.
- The capacity of communities for self-recovery is very strong in the mountains due to their culture of isolation and structural absence of external aid.
- Exclusion of the most marginalised people from disaster risk reduction (DRR) planning, preparedness and response, is not a fatality.
- Civil Society has an important role to play in promoting inclusive DRR.