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VOL. 28, NO. 17, Jan 02, 2009 (Paush 18 2065 B.S.)
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Making Differences
At a time when the global warming is gradually changing the weather pattern, there is increase in the number of floods and such disasters making the life of the people living in hills and plains more vulnerable. The government spends most of its budget to provide emergency relief and the preparedness part is limited just at policy level. Although it is in a very small area and small scale, the early warning system has already been implemented in some districts. With the support of the European Commissions Humanitarian Aid Department under the DIPECHO Action Plan, Practical Action, a UK-based INGO, has already implemented community-based early warning system preventing the destruction and devastation to the life and property of people living in the two districts of mid-western region. The initial results showed that early warning system can save life and property of people at the time of major floods and disasters
By KESHAB POUDEL
Kaman Singh Kunwar, 65, a resident of Shree Krishna Nagar Village Development Committee ward no 9 - located 700 kilometers far west of capital Kathmandu - has lost everything. The floods that occurred in the last week of September 2008 washed away everything including his small hut, harvest and property. His three year old son died in the disaster.
"As the flood has receded and the river returned to its course, for many people the situation has returned to normal but I have yet to forget the trauma caused by the devastation. My land is completely covered by sand and boulders and there is no house and my wife is yet to recover from the loss of our son," said Kunwar. "Had I got information on time, I would at least have saved my son and some property."
The floods of September devastated many parts of far west but two plain districts Kailali and Kanchanpur saw massive loss of property and life as the flood made more than 100,000 homeless killing four dozen people. As the population affected by the flood belongs to the community living below the poverty line, they are yet to recover.
Every year flood destroys the property of millions of rupees making tens of thousand of people homeless leaving behind major physical, economical burden to the affected family in Nepal.
Although the floods also affect the lives in hill, the damage is much higher in southern plain where the population density is much higher and land is flat.
As the winter begins, the terror of flood has been forgotten but people are afraid of the coming monsoon season. People need credible system now for the future. "I don't think any body who encountered the floods last year will have good sleep in coming years as we don't have any system to warn us about possible floods," said Kunwar.
Floods and Glacier Lake Outbursts is not a new phenomenon in Nepal as Nepal has been facing this problem since long time and the government focuses its attention on emergency relief and evacuation of population.
Although the government has recently begun to prioritise disaster Risk Reduction and preparedness activities, it is still at the policy level. The implementation of plan is a long way.
"Realizing the importance of early warning system to prevent the loss of life and property during natural disasters like floods and GLOF, the government has already started to formulate the policy for early warning system. It will take some more time to implement the policy," said Purushottam Ghimire, spokesperson of Ministry of Science and Technology. "In the context of rising temperature extreme weather
patterns may invite all kinds of disaster including GLOOF and floods; we need some kinds of early warning system."
Although the government has installed the early warning system more than a decade ago, it is just confined as a pilot program. After a major crack in Tsho Rolpa glacier in 1997, the government installed an early warning system along the river.
Similarly, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology gauges the water levels of various rives in Nepal but the information is purely used for the official studies.
According to the Department, they gauge the water level of all major rivers in Nepal throughout the year.
With an aim to make the weather forecasting more reliable and accurate, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has already enhanced its capability by installing new systems. The equipments provided by China to use their satellite helped to make Nepal's forecasting system more accurate. After installations of equipments provided by Indian government to get information from INSAT II, it will greatly enhance the capability of the Department to read the weather pattern more accurate.
"At present, our infrastructures are inadequate for early warning system. In the context of climate change, Nepal also sees the extreme events like excessive rains. The early warning system needs to be introduced," said Nirmalhari Rajbhandari director general of Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. "We have been now working with Practical Action in Banke and Bardiya districts to build the early warning system."
At the micro level the Department is linked into regional monsoon forecasting systems which give broad brush stroke information on rain likelihoods, duration and intensity and has a specified section for flood monitoring and forecasting. They also monitor major river systems for long term planning and purposes.
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One of the challenges now is sharing information between those who have and those who don't. Here comes Practical Action which has developed channel at community level to share the information of floods.
As Practical Action has already built the infrastructures, the information is travelled to community through its own siren, radio and other means of communication at the time of risk. "We have been using monitoring and other units to provide information at the time of risk through formal institutions in a meaningful, timely and understandable way to communities, "said Upendra Man Shrestha of Practical Action, Suffering from floods every year, people living in Bardiya were badly affected by Babai and Rapti river- which originate from the hills of north. After installation of early warning system, the people have heaved a sigh of relief now.
During the monsoon season they get information through local FM stations and communities and finally the siren gives warning to prepare for major disasters. If there is rain in the high hills and possibility of floods which will take four to five hours to enter in the plain, people get enough time to go to safe place. In areas where
floods have been occurring more regularly in recent years the flood depends upon the rainfall at upstream. Monitoring the level of rain at upstream and sharing the information with the communities living in downstream alone can prevent major devastation of floods.
After the establishment of Early Warming System, more than 86,000 people living in two river systems have benefited. The communities are given the siren to alert the people at the time of disaster.
Along with early warning, Practical Actions also prepares local communities to fight with the floods by providing small boats, training for rescue and rehabilitation. Along with mobilizing local communities, Practical Actions also involves the local government officials in early warning system including the local administrators.
"The sharing of information has helped communities to prepare for the disaster," said Shrestha. Unlike in the past, people get up to date information regarding the level of water.
This sharing of information has made a lot of differences. At a time when the people living in far western and other regions have been living in uncertainty, the life of people living in Bardiya and Banke is much different.
Although the residents of Holiya, Phattapur and Betanhai in Banke and Gulariya and Mohadpur in Bardiya, 200 kilometers west of Kanchapur, too, lived for years with sleepless night during monsoon, the situation has changed now.
With the installment of sirens, use of local radio and other communication tools as early warning system, the people living in those areas are now in a position to get information before the flood comes to their home. They are now in a position to save themselves.
"Since it will take about five to six hours to reach flood in our region from its watershed, we can manage to go to safe place when we receive the warning from our siren, local radio or other way of communication," said Shri Ram, a resident of Holiya.
According to Disaster Management Division of Ministry of Home Affairs, between 1971 to 2006, 2864 people died, 349 injured and 3315 houses were destroyed by floods and property worth of Rs 37 billion was destroyed by floods.
As the rainfall pattern is changing with more intense precipitation, the damage caused by the flood will be further intense and devastating.
At a time when the flood is a regular phenomenon devastating the life of tens of thousands of people, Practical Action has come up with a program of early warning system.
Having successfully implemented warning system in Nawalparasi, and Chitwan districts, Practical Action is now launching the program in Bardiya and Banke districts with active participation of local community.
According to Practical Action, the program is now implemented in Holiya, Betanhia, Phattapur in Banke and Gulariya and Mohamadpur in Bardiya involving all the stakeholders in the process. Unlike in the past, the people in the area don't have to worry about the future."
Supported by European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department under the three phase of DIPECHO Action Plan for South Asia, it is working in those areas with close cooperation from Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, local government officials and the local community.
With more than 6000 rivers and rivulets belonging to four main drainage basins and about 72 percent of monsoon rainfall going as surface runoff from basins; the flood has been creating havoc in Nepal.
The project in two districts is now run and owned by community. The community has been given all the responsibility to prepare for the disasters involving the government offices.
Having learnt lessons in Bhadara, Piple, Jagatpur and Meghauli in Chitwan, Pithauli, Kolhuwa and Parasauni in Nawalparasi, this is a modified project suitable to local institution and channel for information flow and simple technology.
Although Hydrological and Meteorology Department is gradually increasing its capability, it is yet to have equipments to predict accurately the nationwide weather pattern. "We don't have adequate meteorological infrastructures for early warning system," said Nirmal Hari Rajbhandari, director general of the department. "The studies have shown that climate change will produce more extreme events like high precipitations and so on. Since Nepal has topographical variations, one cannot predict the entire situation looking at one point."
As the temperature is gradually rising, the weather becomes more unpredictable. With the introduction of early warning system in Banke and Bardiya districts, many people have hope for their safety. Such helpful measures need to be expanded to help larger section of population.
