Disaster risk profile and existing legal framework of Nepal: floods and landslides

Abstract

Nepal has a complicated geophysical structure that is prone to various kinds of disasters. Nepal ranks the most disaster-prone country in the world and has experienced several natural calamities, causing high property and life losses. Disasters are caused by natural processes, but may be increased by human activities. The overall objective of this paper is to analyze the disaster risk profile and existing legal framework of Nepal. The paper is based on secondary data sources. Major causative factors for floods and landslides are heavy and continuous rainfall, outburst floods, infrastructure failure, and deforestation. Historical data of natural disasters in Nepal show that water-induced disasters have killed hundreds of people and affected thousands every year. Likewise, properties worth millions of US dollars have been damaged. There is an increasing trend toward landslides and floods, which will likely continue to rise if proper intervention is not taken. A positive correlation between water-induced disasters and deaths has been observed. Nepal has a poor Index for Risk Management (INFORM). There are fluctuations in the recording of death data caused by flood and landslides. The Government of Nepal focuses more on the response phase than on the preparedness phase of disasters. The existing disaster management act seems to be weak and outdated. There is a gap in current legal procedure, so the country is in dire need of a comprehensive legal framework. The new proposed act seems to take a much broader approach to disaster management. With a long-term vision of managing disaster risk in the country, the Government of Nepal has begun the Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium (NRRC) in collaboration with development and humanitarian partners. In order to improve the vulnerability of Nepal, an early warning system, mainstreaming disasters with development, research activities, community participation and awareness, and a rainfall monitoring system must all be a focus.

Keywords: monsoon rainfall; natural disasters; natural hazards; risk; risk factors; vulnerability.

Figure 1

Impact of floods (1954–2014). Notes: The figure illustrates the total affected and total economic loss encountered due to flooding over 60 years. Total number of flood events in the history were 41. The total number of people killed was 6,450 and the total affected was 3,598,175, while more than USD 1 billion in economic loss was caused by floods alone. On average, there were 157 deaths and 87,764 people affected per event. Total affected= injured + affected + homeless. Data from EM-DAT: The International Disaster Database [database on the Internet]. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters – CRED; 2015.

Figure 2

Number of houses damaged and destroyed by landslides (1971–2011). Notes: The above line graph shows the frequency of houses destroyed and damaged by landslides over 40 years. The highest peak of houses damaged is seen in 2010, which covers 59.67%. Similarly, the total destroyed houses were 18,491, out of which 4,339 (23.46%) were in the year 1996. In each of 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2002, more than 1,000 houses were destroyed (N=18,491). Similarly, in each of 1993, 1995, 1996, 2009, and 2010, more than 1,000 houses were damaged (N=33,960). Data from DesInventar. Inventory system of the effects of disasters [database on the Internet]. Colombia: Corporación OSSO; 2011.

Figure 3

Number of deaths caused due to landslides (1971–2011). Notes: In 2002, the highest number of deaths (15.65%) due to landslides were recorded, followed by deaths in 2001 (9.28%), 1993 (8.5%), and 2003 (7.7%) (N=4,476). These percentages were measured out of total deaths. There is an increasing trend in deaths caused due to landslides in Nepal. Data from DesInventar. Inventory system of the effects of disasters [database on the Internet]. Colombia: Corporación OSSO; 2011.

Figure 4

Association between number of deaths and increasing year. Notes: The scatter plot illustrates that there is an upward trend and positive correlation in deaths due to floods and landslides every year. If the deaths continue in the same way, they are expected to be higher in coming years. Data from EM-DAT: The International Disaster Database [database on the Internet]. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters – CRED; 2015.

Figure 5

Association between the number of events (floods and landslides) and deaths caused by them every year. Notes: The scatter plot shows that there is a positive correlation between floods and landslides and deaths of people. It indicates that there is a positive linear relationship between number of events and deaths caused by them. Data from EM-DAT: The International Disaster Database [database on the Internet]. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters – CRED; 2015.

Figure 6

Comparison of international data and national data records regarding the number of deaths.,, Notes: A comparison of death records due to floods and landslides between international databases and national databases is shown in the figure. The record regarding the number of deaths for the same event fluctuated in different data sources. A higher number of death records can be seen in Nepal data (1983–2000), while lower records are seen in EM-DAT and DesInventar databases. Similarly, a higher record is seen in DesInventar than in other sources (2008).