Mitigate Disaster Impacts

Monsoon is around the corner. The season comes as a boon for an agricultural country like Nepal, bringing in much-needed rains that feed the crops. The rains are vital to replenish depleted groundwater. The rains-fed swollen rivers raise the electricity production, a crucial export for the last few years. But monsoon is also synonymous with disasters. Floods, landslides, inundation and other monsoon-induced disasters claim hundreds of lives every year. Owing to its topography, which is overwhelmingly comprised of hills and mountains to the north and a little bit of plain land to the south, Nepal is especially vulnerable during this time – a grim fact that mandates a matching response in the form of preparedness before its onset as a way to minimise casualties in the event of disaster.