By Ganesh Dhungana, Project Lead, Nepal at HHI’s Program on Resilient Communities
Soil erosion along the BP Highway in eastern Nepal reflects the consequences of some development activities in the country such as rural road construction.
Earlier this year, I spearheaded the HHI Program on Resilient Communities' scoping study in Nepal. This study assessed current practices and highlighted opportunities to support disaster preparedness. Serving as the program's introductory venture into Nepal, its goal is to enhance community disaster resilience through applied research. In this blog, I outline the study's primary findings.
Disaster governance
Nepal is moving toward comprehensive federalized disaster governance and is finalizing the legislation, institutional arrangements, and operational mechanisms to comply with the mandate given by the constitution to ensure disaster resilience. However, rapid adaptations of legislation to facilitate this shift have created confusion among government and disaster management agencies, which has affected the coordination mechanism for effective risk governance and management of disasters.
Nepal's disaster management laws are designed to support cooperation among government, domestic, and international entities. Legislation mandates inter-governmental collaboration across federal, provincial, and local levels. Nepal has also integrated the core tenets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction into the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategic Action Plan 2015-2030, underscoring its dedication to disaster risk mitigation.
In the federal government, several departments have been formed under different ministries to enhance capacity for response, preparedness, and risk reduction. The provincial government coordinates between federal and local governments. The local government works directly with communities at all points of the disaster management cycle, from mitigation to resettlement, as mandated by the Local Government Operation Act 2017. The act has also mandated the establishment and operation of disaster management funds and the mobilization of resources. Furthermore, the endorsement of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act 2017 has mandated the formation of a national council, executive committee, and authority, as well as the delineation of roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities for disaster management. Subsequently, structures at the provincial and local levels are also formed. In this new disaster governance framework, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority is crucial in facilitating coordination and collaboration mechanisms among all for comprehensive disaster management.
Decentralization
The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act 2017 has envisioned giving the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority greater power; however, it faces numerous challenges including its dependency on the Ministry of Home Affairs for cabinet decisions, limitations in financial decision-making, marginal control over security mobilization in humanitarian crises, constraints in human resource recruitment and mobilization, and regulations in decision-making power in foreign aid mobilizations.
The most crucial part of decentralization in disaster management is a system for responding to disasters at the local level, as disaster management is primarily a bottom-up process. During a disaster, the local government and community need to be able to act quickly and effectively manage their response. Skilled local actors are essential for saving lives and property during a disaster. However, first responders at the local level often lack the resources needed to prepare for and manage disaster response. In Nepal, security agencies are key responders in disasters.
The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act 2017 requires the deployment of security forces during disasters. Yet, security agencies cited a need for better equipment and more trained personnel. The frequent reshuffling of leadership and unclear response mandates among agencies pose challenges further to effective disaster management. A clearer allocation of duties—like assigning community awareness to Nepal Police, management of small scale disaster response to the Armed Police Force, and mega disaster management to Nepal Army—could enhance efficiency and accountability.
DRR education
In Nepal, a few academic institutions offer disaster management courses. Thus, there is an urgent need to establish a Disaster Risk Reduction Research and Training Institute as planned in the National Policy for Disaster Risk Reduction, aiming for research and capacity development on disaster risk, prevention, preparedness, search, and rescue, as well as post-disaster recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction to support the professional growth of government and nongovernment officials.
The need for research
Nepal needs research focused on vulnerable communities to introduce effective interventions and support the development of a community of practice. Given its rich history, Nepal should develop localized resilience theories. There's a pronounced need for locally relevant research and more efficient handling of academic findings. While Nepal's disaster governance is evolving to align with its constitution, there's a risk that local disaster management plans may not be implemented due to funding and institutional challenges, even with federal, provincial, and local policies in place.
Read the full scoping study report here.