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Acting in anticipation against unseasonal floods in Nepal: A Case Study on anticipatory actions taken against October 2021 floods in Karnali river

Países
Nepal
Fuentes
Danish Red Cross
+ 3
Fecha de publicación

Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) with financial support from the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, and technical support from Danish Red Cross, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center (RCCC) and Handicap International (HI) started working on Forecast based Action (FbA) and Shock Responsive Social Protection (SRSP) for flood and cold waves in 2020. The FbA mechanism comprises of impact thresholds, vulnerability indicators and Early Action Matrix (EAM) which was jointly developed with the NDRRMA, DHM, and the local government authorities in July 2021. The mechanism was developed for five high-risk municipalities along the Karnali and Babai river basins, in Kailali and Bardiya districts.

In the event of a flood forecast, the EAM guides NRCS and the local authorities to take pre-agreed early actions and defines roles and responsibilities of various line agencies at different levels of governance. The 2021 monsoon in Nepal was heavier and lasted for longer than usual. Monsoon withdrew from Nepal on 11th October, delayed by 9 days. Barely weeks later, Nepal was hit by extreme, unseasonal rainfall, commencing from western part of the country eventually moving to the east, creating a havoc along the way. For an agrarian country, the devastation was amplified by its timing as it occurred during harvesting season. Ready to harvest crops were damaged in large quantities.