NEPAL

The Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Programme mainstreams disaster risk reduction and preparedness into national planning systems and supports other national and community risk reduction work.

Background

Nepal is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. The steep and flood-prone terrain, low levels of awareness, high illiteracy, poverty, rapid urbanisation, the adverse effects of climate change and the lact of institutional and legal frameworks for disaster risk management all render Nepal's population, their property and the country's infrastructure vulnerable to natural hazards.

Floods and landslides are the natural disasters that occur most often and cause the most damage. During the monsoon season flood disrupts the lives of tens of thousands of people and ruining large tracts of agricultural land. Landslides are a recurrent threat to hill communities. Climate change is exacerbating these threats leading to more floods and increasing the probability of catastrophic glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Earthquakes are the largest threat as most of Nepal lies in a high seismic risk zone. It is estimated that a strong earthquake in the Kathmandu Valley would cause at least 40,000 deaths.

Project Brief

The Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Programme began in 2011 to build on the achievements of previous UNDP support. This programme is strengthening the capacity for disaster risk management in line with the recommendations of the national strategy. It is building the capacity of government ministries and local bodies for disaster risk management. Gender, social inclusion and knowledge managment  are addressed across all project activities.

The objectives of the project are;

• To strengthen the institutional and legislative system for disaster risk reduction
• Build strategic linkages with other sectors to mainstream disaster risk reduction
• Promote climate change related risk management
• Reduce communities' vulnerability to natural disasters
• Improve emergency preparedness and response capacities
• Build UNDP Nepal's capacity for providing early recovery support

The project has already made a headway in assessment of capacity building needs of the Ministry of Local Development and Ministry of Physical Planning and Works) and 5 government training institutes. The project has supported the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to carry out a simulation exercise of its operating procedures, equipped 14 new district emergency operation centres and trained almost 100 staff from the national and district centres. Armed police personnel have been trained and equipped for search and rescue and the project has  provided fire safety equipment to the Kathmandu Valley's fire brigades. The project has been instrumental in carrying out disaster preparedness and response planning workshops and the preparation of seven district disaster preparedness and response plans. Most importantly, the project collaborated with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, the National Society for Earthquake Technology and teh Earthquake Megacities Initiative to implement the National Building Code and risk-sensitive land-use planning.

UNDP is a major player in the Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium (NRRC), which has brought together the government, Nepal's bilateral and multilateral developmetn partners, the United Nations and civil society organisations to prepare five flagship programmes as a priotised action plan for implementing the national strategy. The CDRMP project is leading the implementation of flagship area 5 and contributing to all the other areas also. The five priorities are;

School and hospital seismic safety

Emergency preparedness and response capacity

Flood management in the Koshi River

Community disaster risk reduction and management

Policy and institutional support for disaster risk management

About the Project