Publication Date
Summer 2025
Abstract
As global temperatures rise, flood frequency and severity increase due to unpredictable rainfall, consequently escalating flood risk for Nepal's population. Therefore, implementing mitigation strategies and disaster risk reduction operations has become of utmost importance to effectively protect the people of Nepal. In 2024, countless lives were lost and a great deal of infrastructure was destroyed in Kathmandu due to the floods that swept through the city. The scale of damage the flood caused could have been minimized if the risk management policies in place were enforced properly. This investigation uses interviews, news reports, policies, policy analyses, and the case study of the September 2024 Kathmandu flooding to understand the role of governmental policies and non-governmental organisations in mitigating risks caused by flooding in Nepal. There are countless pieces of legislation that address disaster risk reduction and guidelines for managing disasters, including the Constitution of 2015, the Local Government Operation Act (2017), the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act (2017), the National Policy for Disaster Risk Reduction (2018), and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Strategic Action Plan for 2018-2030. Although these policies exist, there are several factors that limit their effectiveness in reducing risks associated with flooding. Rescue and relief services are insufficient due to a scarcity of investment into proper equipment. Policies are vague, which creates ambiguity in the roles and responsibilities of government agencies, in turn lowering the effectiveness of risk reduction and disaster management strategies. There is a severe lack of implementation of policies and frameworks, making them seem almost ritualistic. Lastly, there is very little governance over development, which leads to increased flood risk. There are many Non-governmental organisations that help reduce flood risk, mitigate flood impacts, and provide humanitarian services including the Disaster Preparedness Network, Practical Action, Nepal Red Cross Society, People in Need, and the Nepal centre for Disaster Management. Investment in forecasting and development, enforcement of policies, and collaboration among NGOs, government agencies, universities, and other stakeholders is necessary for the successful implementation of risk reduction strategies and effective protection of the Nepali population.
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Cutler, Elsa, "Flood Risk Reduction: An Analysis of Policy, Policy Implementation, and the Role of Non-Governmental Organisations" (2025). Nepal: Geoscience in the Himalaya. 9.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/npg/9