Ek Raj Sigdel*
Introduction
The devastating
floods in Rasuwa have once again exposed Nepal’s growing vulnerability to
climate-induced disasters. As rescue and relief operations continue, an equally
important question confronts the country: will Nepal rebuild what was lost or
will it rebuild differently? The
Government of Nepal has led rescue and relief operations and supported affected
communities since the first days of the disaster, which has affected thousands
of people and caused extensive damage to homes, property, and infrastructure.
As the immediate rescue and relief phase approaches completion, Nepal is now
entering the recovery and rehabilitation phase. Recovery should not simply
focus on replacing infrastructure, including damaged houses, hydropower, roads,
and bridges. Rather, it should help reduce future disaster risks. Nepal’s
recovery effort should therefore begin with Risk-Sensitive Land Use Plans (RSLUP)
on the foundation of risk assessment and supported by resilient infrastructure
and nature-based solutions. Additionally, Nepal must use this moment to bring
international attention to climate-induced disasters and call for
collaboration.
Build Back Better
The UN Global
Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, 2025 emphasizes that
investing in prevention and preparedness is far more cost-effective than
relying primarily on disaster response. This requires integrating disaster
risk-informed planning into sustainable development pathways to prevent and
prepare for future hazards. This is where the principle of Build Back
Better (BBB) becomes important. As defined by the United Nations
Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), BBB refers to “The use of the recovery, rehabilitation and
reconstruction phases after a disaster to increase the resilience of nations
and communities through integrating disaster risk reduction measures into the
restoration of physical infrastructure and societal systems, and into the
revitalization of livelihoods, economies and the environment”. Recovery
should therefore consider livelihoods, local economies, social networks,
cultural practices, public services and locally available human resources,
their knowledge and technologies. Nepal
should resist the temptation to simply rebuild what was destroyed.
Reconstructing houses, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure in the same
locations and following the same designs could reproduce the risks of future
disasters. Instead, recovery should aim to create safer settlements,
climate-resilient infrastructure, restored ecosystems, and more secure
livelihoods.
Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment
As seen in the Rasuwa that the flooding can interact with
landslides, erosion, unstable slopes, sediment movement, and changing river
systems. Risk assessment should therefore begin with examining hazard,
exposure, and vulnerability and withstand capacity. The second step
should involve analyzing comprehensive multi-hazard risk data. It should
identify where hazards are likely to occur, who and what are exposed, why and
which communities and infrastructure are vulnerable, and what capacities exist
to reduce and mitigate the risks. The assessment should then be translated into
risk-zone maps at Basin level. With GIS support, these maps
should guide decisions on where settlements, roads, hydropower projects,
schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure can be safely developed. The
assessment should also identify how these structures can be safeguarded through
utilizing nature-based solutions, including conservation, restoration and
management of ecosystems. High-risk areas should be avoided for new residential
and commercial development where risks cannot be reduced to an acceptable
level. Early warning systems are essential for protecting lives from floods,
but they are not sufficient to ensure the long-term safety and sustainability
of communities and ecosystems. Lessons from past disasters highlight the need
to prepare for future hazards through RSLUP, including zoning to guide
development and reduce disaster risks.
Risk-Sensitive Land-Use Planning
The Risk-zone maps at the basin level would act as the foundation of RSLUP. Unlike a conventional land-use plan, a risk-sensitive
plan considers disaster risk when deciding how land should be used. It can identify
areas suitable for development, areas requiring controlled development, areas
requiring risk-reduction measures, and areas that should be protected or
restored. Where relocation is necessary, it should be carefully planned and
supported by adequate compensation, livelihood opportunities and access to
essential services. Nepal should adopt a basin-level approach to
disaster recovery and land-use planning, particularly in the vulnerable
Trishuli Basin and connected river systems. Basin-level planning should bring
together information on geology, river dynamics, slope stability, land
capability, forests, wetlands, settlements, infrastructure, climate projections,
and cumulative environmental impacts. RSLUP, together with nature-based
solutions, is often more cost-effective than repeatedly rebuilding
infrastructure after disasters.
Enhanced Early Warning System
The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Climate Change:
Synthesis Report (2023) clearly
states that human-caused climate change has already resulted in losses and
damage to nature and people, with vulnerable communities disproportionately
affected. According to a recent press release by the International
Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) regarding the
Rasuwa flood, ICIMOD and partner institutions in Nepal and China are
investigating the science behind the event and its triggers. The government,
media, and scientists are rightly focusing on the causes of the disaster, early
warning systems, and rescue and relief operations. These are critically
important, but equally important is post-disaster management,
particularly preparedness and recovery, which often receive less attention.
Early warning systems are essential for saving lives, but they cannot prevent
development in unsafe locations. Nepal must complement early warning investments
with RSLUP that reduces exposure before disaster occurs.
Whole-of-Government, Whole-of-Society
Approach
The recovery
management requires concerted efforts from local to national to international
levels. No single institution can manage the entire recovery process. The recovery process should be guided by a
whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach that necessitates
coordination and collaboration among state and non-state actors. The approach aims at creating ownership
across all sections of society and ultimately leading to a sustainable and
equitable development pathway. Nepal needs a whole-of-government and
whole-of-system approach involving federal, provincial and local
governments, communities, academia, the private sector and civil society from
the very beginning of the recovery planning process. The federal government
should provide national policies, standards, technical expertise, financing
mechanisms and overall coordination. Provincial governments should help
coordinate basin-level RSLUP. Local governments should lead participatory
planning and implementation processes because they are closest to affected
communities. Further, the affected people should not be treated simply as
beneficiaries. Instead, they need to be treated as rights holders
and important sources of knowledge and skills about local rivers, slopes,
forests, settlements, seasonal hazards, livelihoods, and local environmental
conditions. Their knowledge should be combined with scientific evidence when
preparing RSLUP. Academia and research institutions active in climate change
adaptation and disaster risk reduction should also be engaged in hazard
assessment, mapping, and infrastructure design and monitoring. Strong
coordination, transparent decision-making, and effective enforcement of RSLUP and building regulations will be essential for successful
implementation.
A Test Case Ahead of the UN General
Assembly
The tragedy in
Rasuwa should not become another chapter in Nepal’s long history of disaster
recovery. Instead, it should become the moment when the country finally places
risk at the center of development planning.
The post-disaster period provides
a rare opportunity to correct past mistakes, redesign vulnerable
infrastructure, improve land-use planning, restore ecosystems, strengthen local
institutions, and make public investment more resilient. If Nepal can transform
this recovery effort into a model of RSLUP and climate resilience, the lives
lost today may help protect future generations from similar catastrophes. To
advance its climate justice agenda, Nepal should consider bringing forward a
concept proposal at the High-Level Session of the 81st United
Nations General Assembly to promote basin-level participatory
Risk-Sensitive Land Use Planning (RSLUP).
*Independent Nepali professional working in Environment and Climate Change Policy and Governance
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