An agreement on implementing the project was signed by Director General of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) Rishi Ram Sharma and UNDP´s Deputy Country Director (Programme) Jorn Sorensen on Monday, according to a press statement issued by UNDP in Kathmandu. [break]
Community Based Flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Risk Reduction Project (CBFGLOF), a joint initiative of the government and UNDP, will directly benefit an estimated 96, 562 members of communities vulnerable to climate change. The project contributes to Nepal´s National Adaptation Plan of Action´s (NAPA) Profile 3 and 4 Community-Based Disaster Management for Facilitating Climate Adaptation and GLOF Monitoring and Disaster Risk Reduction respectively.
“It will be implemented by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. The major source of funding to this project comes from the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) managed by Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNDP which totals to USD 7.2 million for a duration of four years from 2013 to 2017,” the statement said. “This is the first project being implemented with the Global Environment Facility´s Least Developed Countries Fund after completion of NAPA.”
Climate Change is projected to increase the severity and unpredictability of GLOFs in the high mountains as glaciers retreat and glacial lakes expand affecting communities, tourists and the nature downstream. Likewise, the threat from flooding to the communities living in the Tarai region is increasing with more intense precipitation every year. The project aims to reduce human and material losses from Glacier Lake Outburst Flood events in Solukhumbu district and catastrophic flooding events in the Tarai and Churia Range of Nepal.
According to the statement, the first component of this project plans to reduce GLOF risk from Imja Lake that threatens livelihood of downstream communities of the Sagarmatha National Park, including its buffer zone. “The complementary second component plans to reduce human and property losses in four districts in the Tarai and Churia Range, specifically Mahottari, Saptari, Siraha and Udaypur that experience recurrent flooding events,” the further said.
“A community-based early warning system (CBEWS) to build community´s resilience from flood and GLOF risk will also be installed.”
The project was developed by UNDP with the technical assistance from ICIMOD following wider consultations at different levels. This intends to help the GON to overcome some of the key barriers to manage the growing risks of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) in the High Mountains and flooding in the Tarai and Churia Range of Southern Nepal through a strong emphasis on community engagement, empowerment and social inclusion.
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