NH43B-1032: Community Based Flood Early Warning System in...

NH43B-1032: Community Based Flood Early Warning System in Nepal:

Citizen Science and Participatory Approach towards Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Building

Madhab Uprety1, Dinanath Bhandari1, Gopal Ghimire1, Gehendra Gurung1, Jonathan David Paul2, Puja Shakya1 1Practical Action, Nepal, 2Imperial College London, UK

1. Introduction

• Two approaches of EWS: “the last mile”-which is hazard centered and top-down, “the

first mile” which is people centered and bottom up

• First mile approach- Community Early Warning System, Community centric,

Community based or participatory EWS

• Various forms of citizen science engagement exist across Participatory EWS

elements- Participation model could be contributive, collaborative, and co-creative

• Community based Flood Early Warning Systems in Nepal is employing various

citizen science models and approaches for participatory flood risk reduction

• Concerning community based disaster risk management, particularly the

participatory EWS, there are participation as well as barriers to citizen engagement

and coproduction of knowledge

• However, local level capacity is always crucial to ensure involvement and ownership

in EWS

2. Flooding Context in Nepal

3. . Evolutional History of Flood EWS in Nepal

Figure 4: EWS related Technology Development/Use in Nepal

1. IFRC (2012), Community Early Warning Systems: guiding principles

2. Marchezini et.al. (2018). Front. Earth Sciences

3. Paul et.al (2018), Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews

4. Practical Action (2016), Flood Early Warning System in Practice

• Floods and landslides- the

most recurrent nature-

induced disaster

phenomenon

• Ganga flood plains in the

south- the recipient of all

the water that flows

through these mountain

corridors

• More people live in flood

vulnerable area

• Flood eroding

development gains (3-5 %

GDP

5. Conclusions

References

• Flood risk reduction actions should recognize the importance and

usefulness of citizen participation in all elements of EWS

• Citizen engagement in formal EWS is necessary to get the system function

properly

• Need for transdisciplinary dialogs among experts, practitioners,

communities, policymakers, as well as interdisciplinary methods of data

collection, analysis and dissemination of locally relevant information

• However advancement in the EWS technology is posing challenges to get

the citizen engagement and ownership towards the system

Citizen

Science Communication

Risk

Knowledge

Response

Capacity

Participatory EWS

Monitoring

0.00

50.00

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350.00

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500.00

Nu

mb

er

Peop

le c

overe

d b

y E

WS

messa

gin

g

Construction

of watch

towers

Link to

upstream

gauge station

Automation

of gauge

station

Flood

forecasting

and Mass SMS

Two third

country

populati

on

12 river systems

(400000 Hhs )

7 river

systems (

68000Hhs)

3 river systems

( 29000 Hhs)

Indigenous

techniques

was in place.

Improvements in

tower systems,

sirens, signalling.

Weather

Forecast

( Radar)

Increased lead

time, staff

gauge, shaft

encoder, bubbler

sensors,

wireless phones

Lead time upto 5

hours, shaft

encoder and

bubbler system,

computer

modelling, Radar,

tele/satellite

communication

Radar technology,

Forecast based

warning, use of

GLOFAS and

localized

forecasting

models,

telecommunication

2000s 2006 2010 2014

4. Citizen Science Initiatives for Participatory Flood EWS

Risk Knowledge

• Community Participatory Mapping (PRA, VCA

and others) - Digital and Open

• Open street mapping using both satellite images

and community maps

• Local stakeholders fill major data gaps (locally

relevant risk data)

• Focus group discussions with local communities

to discuss and further improve the baseline

maps

• Can periodically update the maps and

knowledge sharing across communities and

local stakeholders

Risk Monitoring

• Community systems of manual river-

gauge monitoring have been

integrated with national real time

monitoring systems

• River and Rainfall monitoring - done

by DHM staff (gauge readers)

• Formal risk information is

complemented by low-tech

monitoring of river levels within

communities,

• Early Warning System Task Forces

using color-coded gauges painted on

buttresses of bridges or on bamboo

poles

Risk Communication

• Communication Flow Channel

for Flood Early warnings (two-

way flow of information)

• Early Warning task forces in

the communities

• Use of sirens, hand mikes and

colored flags to alert people for

different risk level

Response Capacity

• Community level institutions like disaster

management committees, task forces etc. and

preparing evacuation plans etc.

• Several Training sessions, educational activities

and public displays of information

• Capacity Building – awareness programs,

seminars, workshops, interactive programs, mock-

drill exercises etc. Multipurpose Safe Shelters

Figure 1: Elements of Participatory EWS & Citizen Science Model

Three distinct types of rivers

•Big perennial snow-fed rivers (2008 Koshi

Flood, 2013 Mahakali Flood, 2014 Karnali

Flood)

•Rivers originating from middle mountains

(2017 Flood)

• Torrents or streams originating from the

Chure Hills and Siwaliks (2017 Flood)

Figure 2: River Basins of Nepal & Hydro-met Stations

Figure 3: Annual Loss of Lives due to

Flood After 2000 in Nepal

Figure 5: Participatory way of Digital Mapping

OUTPUTS

Rainfall Monitoring

Information on

Flood levels

Streamflow/Flood

monitoring

Weather forecasting

Threshold level of

rainfall for landslide,

flashflood advisories

Weather advisories

Forecast based

preparedness

Heavy rainfall alert

Flood, landslide alert

Flood warning

RIS

K C

OM

MU

NIC

AT

ION

1. Below warning level

2. Warning level & above

3. Danger level & above

Risk

monitoring

Figure 6 : Risk Monitoring through stages

Figure 7 : EWS Communication Channel

Figure 8 : Community Mock drill Exercise

Contact:

Madhab Uprety, Practical Action

madhab.uprety@practicalaction.org.np