Japanese grant assistance for DRR Project in Chitwan

 The government of Japan has extended $707,953 (around Rs 82.6 million), to Shapla Neer - Citizens’ Committee in Japan for Overseas Support, under the grant assistance for Japanese NGO Projects Schemes. Shapla Neer – an international NGO based in Japan – will work with a Nepali partner NGO, Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN), to implement the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Strengthening Project in Chitwan District, according to a press note issued by the Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu.

A grant contract relating to the project was signed and exchanged on February 5, 2021 by ambassador of Japan to Nepal Saigo Masamichi and country representative of Shapla Neer Nepal Office Katsui Hiromi, at the Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu, the press note reads, adding that the grant assistance will be used to strengthen community resilience to disasters in Madi Municipality, a flood prone area in Chitwan district.

The project will coordinate closely with local government, stakeholders and community members to achieve capacity development of local government and communities, establishment and maintenance of infrastructure, and DRR public awareness activities.

“The project – under capacity development of local government and communities – plans to develop the capacity of local institutions such as the Local Disaster Management Committees (LDMCs), Ward Disaster Management Committees (WDMCs) and Community Disaster Management Committees (CDMCs) on disaster risk reduction, and facilitate the cooperation between these committees and other stakeholders,” it reads, adding that the project will – under establishment and maintenance of infrastructure –establish and maintain infrastructure. “The project will support construction of river widening, gabions, and embankments, as well as retention walls and drainage systems.”

CDMCs will establish the maintenance system to keep the structures functional.

Likewise, under DRR public awareness activities, the project will prepare and distribute a self-learning brochure on DRR among government bodies, stakeholders and other NGOs, it added.

The Embassy of Japan in Nepal claimed that it expects the project to contribute towards improving DRR in the local communities in Chitwan and will develop as a good practice for DRR in other districts in Nepal. It is also confident that the project will contribute towards furthering the cordial friendship between the peoples of Japan and Nepal.

IOM hands over multipurpose community centre

A newly constructed multipurpose community centre at Changunarayan municipality of Bhaktapur district has been handed over to the municipal authority today.
The building will be used as ‘coordination hub’ by the municipality as part of its crisis preparedness and response efforts including the Covid-19, according to a press note issued by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The building was constructed by the IOM with financial support from Thailand with purpose of supporting the Nepalese people to recover from Nepal Earthquake 2015. “It gives a feeling of accomplishment that we were able to complete the earthquake-resistant structure within the set time frame and the building can now be an added value to Local Government’s efforts to respond to the current pandemic,” said chief migration health officer of IOM Nepal Dr Vasil Gajdadziev.
The earthquake displaced approximately 2.8 million people. Some 117,700 people in the 14 worst-affected districts were forced to find shelter in makeshift camps. Likewise, the impact of the Covind-10 pandemic in Nepal has been increasing daily with hundreds of thousands of migrants returning home from India after it eased its lockdown from June 1.
As of today, Nepal has 15,964 confirmed cases with 35 deaths. Majority of confirmed cases to date are returnee migrants. The government has started repatriation of Nepalis stranded abroad since early June as Nepal had imposed nationwide lockdown effective from March 24.
“This is an auspicious moment for both countries - Thailand and Nepal - as this represents the former’s support to the latter in its efforts towards building a resilient nation,” said Charge d’ Affaires of Thai Embassy in Nepal Utoomporn Ampaivit speaking at the event.
Recalling that in the year 2019 Thailand and Nepal marked 60th anniversary of establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, she expressed her confidence that cooperation and partnership between the two countries and friendship between the people of both sides will keep growing ever stronger. “The fund for the project was donated by the Thai people under the Thai Heart for Nepal programme, which supports Nepalis in their recovery efforts from the damages of the 2015 devastating earthquake,” she added.
 Thanking the government and the people of Thailand for their support to build the community center, the mayor of Changunarayan municipality Som Prasad Mishra assured his further steps in making his municipality a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Champion municipality in the country.
At the onset of disasters, the centre will be used to provide shelter for displaced people with priority given to the most vulnerable, including pregnant women, children, people with special needs and the elderly. The centre will also serve as a venue for community and municipal activities, including women and youth groups, community-based training, recreational pursuits, information dissemination and income generating activities.
Under the same project, IOM has been building similar multipurpose structures in seven other municipalities in earthquake affected districts – Shankarapur municipality of Kathmandu district, Lalitpur Metropolitancity of Lalitpur district, Gorkha of Gorkha, Neelkantha of Dhading, Gosainkunda of Rasuwa, Chautara of Sindhupalchowk, and Bhimeshwor of Dolakha. The project is under the leadership of the government, mainly the Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration.
As co-lead for camp coordination and camp management (CCCM) cluster in humanitarian emergencies, IOM Nepal contributes to government’s efforts in disaster risk reduction and building resilient communities.

Transboundary river basins in South Asia disaster hotspots

A recent UNESCAP disaster risk-focused report has identified transboundary river basins in South Asia as disaster hotspots. One such area in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region is the Koshi basin. Covering approximately 75,000-sq-km across the borders of China, India, and Nepal, the Koshi basin directly supports over 40 million people and hosts a rich biodiversity. It is, however, also highly prone to disasters – glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), landslides, and floods, among others – that are transboundary in scale and have trans-border implications. “There is also a gap between research, policies and its implementation on disaster risk reduction, the report reads, adding that as climate change is expected exacerbate extreme weather events in the region developing plans and policies with the future outlook become critical. “Thus collaboration between upstream and downstream communities as well as different sectors for evidence based planning for disaster risk reduction is needed for the Koshi Basin.”
Against this backdrop, a two-day country level consultation ‘Koshi Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge Hub (KDKH) Nepal country consultation: Building a resilient Koshi basin’, was organised yesterday and today in Kathmandu to bring together representatives from the government, public, private, and development sectors in Nepal and discuss strategies to improve disaster risk reduction (DRR) within the Koshi basin. The KDKH aims to strengthen a basin perspective while creating space for interaction between researchers, policy makers, and practitioners for informed policy making. This KDKH country consultation in Kathmandu marked an important milestone by bringing forth Nepal’s perspectives on DRR-related challenges, issues, and good practices in the basin that can contribute to improved transboundary collaboration.
The country consultation discussed the formation of a country-level chapter that will form working groups on topics such as GLOFs, floods, landslides, and sedimentation, and community-based disaster risk management. Under the leadership of the government and with support from public, private, and development partners, a technical working group will work on the country chapter’s structure. “The National Planning Commission supports the formation of the country chapter for the KDKH,” asserted Dil Bahadur Gurung, Member, National Planning Commission (NPC).
Speaking during the country consultation, chief of the National Operation Emergency Center at the Ministry of Home Affairs Shambu Regmi highlighted the Disaster Risk Reduction National Strategic Plan of Action (2018–2030), which has defined priority actions for comprehensively understanding disaster risks and improving collaboration. Joint secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Ram G Kharbuja, spoke about leveraging the KDKH to expand DRR across the Koshi basin.
“The KDKH can play an important role in contributing to trust building among countries within the basin, as well as utilizing diplomatic channels in the region by leveraging ICIMOD.”
The KDKH’s seven working groups presented on ongoing initiatives on floods, landslides, sedimentation, and other areas and identified priorities areas for future action in the Koshi basin. On the occasion, joint secretary at the National Planning Commission (NPC) Biju Shrestha noted that such working groups reduce gaps between research and policy making and implementation. “The development plan and DRR must go in hand-in-hand,” joint secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment Badri Dhungana said, adding that the KDKH can function as a think tank that can support development in the Koshi basin, in partnership with stakeholders in Nepal and its neighbours.
In a session on identifying priorities of the government with respect to DRR, secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law, Province 2 Krishna Hari Pushkar, pointed out that technical publications are readily accessible to the Ministry but that the KDKH could work with them to apply this information into action. “Federal–provincial–local level representatives spoke about a host of challenges, ranging from greater communication among ministries to access of relevant information for at-risk communities.”
“The Koshi basin has unique challenges in the upstream and downstream, so solutions need to be tailor made,” remarked Ward Chairperson of Khumbu Laxman Adhikari. Commenting on the remoteness of the region, Adhikari said that along with area-specific DRR plans, benefit sharing from DRR is also essential. In his view, motivating communities to be part of the DRR process is essential in making any risk reduction planning a success.
Chairing the session on the possible operational structure of the KDKH’s country chapters to support the priorities of the working groups, joint secretary at the NPC Kiran Rupakhetee noted that an effective structure is required to provide useful knowledge for decision making at different levels.
Addressing the event, resident representative at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ayshanie Medagangoda Labe emphasised the need for collaboration and trust among all partners to build a resilient Koshi and region as a whole. Highlighting a UNDP and ICIMOD study (under review), which identifies 42 potentially dangerous glacial lakes in the Koshi basin, Labe said that UNDP’s commitment towards GLOF risk reduction and enhancing the livelihoods of vulnerable downstream communities.
The Nepal country consultation was organised by the Koshi Basin Initiative (KBI) at ICIMOD, in collaboration with the NPC. It was supported by the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (CDHM) under Tribhuvan University; Disaster Preparedness Network–Nepal (DpNet-Nepal); the International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Lutheran World Relief (LWR); UNDP; and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). A similar national stakeholder event was held in Bihar, India, in July 2019.