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Community Assessment of Flood Risks and Early Warning System in Ratu Watershed, Koshi Basin, Nepal

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  • Sagar Ratna Bajracharya

    (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Lalitpur 44700, Nepal
    Riverine Landscapes Research Laboratory, Geography and Planning, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia)

  • Narendra Raj Khanal

    (Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur 44618, Nepal)

  • Pashupati Nepal

    (Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur 44618, Nepal)

  • Sundar Kumar Rai

    (Centennial College, Toronto, ON M1G3T8, Canada)

  • Pawan Kumar Ghimire

    (Geographic Information System and Integrated Development Center (GISIDC), Lalitpur 44700, Nepal)

  • Neera Shrestha Pradhan

    (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Lalitpur 44700, Nepal)

Abstract

Nepal is highly vulnerable to flood-related disasters which cause considerable loss of lives and property. The vulnerability of communities to flood-related hazards can be reduced by proper planning, preparedness, and responses using various structural and nonstructural measures. The community-based flood early warning system is one such tool that enables local communities to enhance their resilience to flooding risks. This paper highlights the efficacy of the community assessment of flood risks and early warning systems. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper evaluates the progress of a community-based flood early warning system implemented in the Ratu River—a small tributary of the Koshi River. The establishment of a community network in 2015 was instrumental in the dissemination of flood early warning information and in building local capacities to understand the risks and take timely action. The flood early warning resulted in awareness-raising, strengthened upstream–downstream linkages, and resulted in a greater willingness among communities to help each other prepare for flood disasters in the Ratu watershed.

Suggested Citation

  • Sagar Ratna Bajracharya & Narendra Raj Khanal & Pashupati Nepal & Sundar Kumar Rai & Pawan Kumar Ghimire & Neera Shrestha Pradhan, 2021. "Community Assessment of Flood Risks and Early Warning System in Ratu Watershed, Koshi Basin, Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3577-:d:522664
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Fan Yang & Suwen Xiong & Jiangang Ou & Ziyu Zhao & Ting Lei, 2022. "Human Settlement Resilience Zoning and Optimizing Strategies for River-Network Cities under Flood Risk Management Objectives: Taking Yueyang City as an Example," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-22, August.
    3. Amrit Prasad Sharma & Xudong Fu & Giri R. Kattel, 2023. "Is there a progressive flood risk management in Nepal? A synthesis based on the perspective of a half-century (1971–2020) flood outlook," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 118(2), pages 903-923, September.
    4. Amrit Prasad Sharma & Xudong Fu & Giri R. Kattel, 2024. "Shannon entropy-based quantitative method for measuring Risk-integrated Resilience (RiR) index on flood disaster in West Rapti basin of Nepal Himalaya," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 120(1), pages 477-510, January.
    5. Graf, Julia & Renner, Renate & Klebel, Thomas, 2025. "Bridging Warning and Adaptation Addressing Risk Communication Strategies for Short-Term Natural Hazard Warnings and Long-Term Risk Adaptation – A Scoping Review," SocArXiv tmwrv_v1, Center for Open Science.
    6. Wenyan Pan & Mengwei Yan & Zhikun Zhao & Muhammad Awais Gulzar, 2022. "Flood Risk Assessment and Management in Urban Communities: The Case of Communities in Wuhan," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.

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