THE SMALL EARTH NEPAL

Project Background:
An overview of data trend from 1983 to 2000 (18 years), and from 2001 to 2013 (13 years) show the national scenario that losses due to epidemics, the major actor to cause the most lives lost, which was staggeringly high during the first eighteen years have fallen down in the last thirteen years remarkably to 786. On the other hand, the losses due to the floods and landslides have risen to the top with 2,571 lives lost in the same period of thirteen years (Disaster Review, 2013, Table 1, p.7). The year 2013, according to data available, happens to be one of the worst years with a loss of 219 lives due to floods and landslides alone. The estimated financial loss in the year 2013 (June) was NRs 3.4 billion., the first time to cross the mark of NRs 2 billion in the last twenty years.

Locally, Mahakali River experienced unprecedented monsoon flood flow on June 15, 2013, and caused heavy losses in the administrative capital of Darchula district called Darchula Khalanga. The flow was generated by a highly intense rainfall in its upstream watershed areas. In addition to other areas along the river-course, the areas close to the Darchula Khalanga were heavily damaged. All these areas have significant importance in terms of agriculture, housing, trade, business and for administrative purpose. The assumption that the event could be treated as a benchmark to make economic assessment of the losses due to water- induced disasters has been considered strong justification to take up this research project.

Project Goal and Objectives:

The primary goal of this proposed research is to come up with an outcome or a model that provides a tangible input to the national policy formulation in the process of mainstreaming climate change risk management in development. The second goal is to add more information to the existing wealth of knowledge regarding economic aspect of the losses due to water-induced disasters, also considering the climate change impact.

This research will attempt to arrive at an outcome and hopefully a ‘Mahakali Model’ that will help to evaluate the physical losses happening in similar sites and similar situations into an economic term. This will help the government to assess fairly the economic losses due to water induced disasters in broader form. Since the impacts of climate change will also be considered to a certain extent, the research will have contribution to climate change related national programs and planning. Also, the accomplishments made by the research will contribute to an additional flagship stage from where a next research could be further continued.

Project Site:

The project area, Darchula, has five study sites, all are on the left side (eastern) bank of Mahakali river in Darchula district of the Far Western region, Nepal. Physically, the project area is located within the geographic coordinates between 29.850N latitude and 80.550E longitude. There are three different ways to reach the project location. One way is to go to Attariya (Kailali, Dhangadhi), 646 Km west from Kathmandu and then take a hill-road to Darchula through Baitadi. The other way is to go Daiji (Kanchanpur district), 30 Km further west from Attariya and then take another hill-road through Baitadi to Darchula. The total distance along the first route is 946 Km and along the second route is 976 Km. The third option, however, is to go across the border in Gaddha Chowki into India and take a bus along the other side (right) bank of Mahakali river to reach Darchula.

Project Summary :
Principal Researcher: Er. Mahendra Bahadur Gurung, The Small Earth Nepal
Research Team:
Mr. Arun Prasad Bhattarai, Program Coordinator, The Small Earth Nepal
Mr. Sudarshan Rajbhnadari, Vice President, The Small Earth Nepal
Er. Sudeep Hada, The Small Earth Nepal
Dr. Uma Kanta Silwal, Professor, Tribhuvan University Nepal
Project Supported by: Nepal Academy of Science and Technology
Project Duration:18 Months (March 2015- August 2016)