Regional Climate Risk Reduction Project ( RCRRP) in the Himalayas

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The Regional Climate Risk Reduction Project, a UNDP- ECHO Initiative, is being implemented in four countries in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region viz. Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. The Project is supported by DIPECHO and is being implemented by Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) through the UNDP Country Offices in each project country. The Project seeks to develop and implement comprehensive risk management strategies in the Himalayan region to reduce the risks faced by mountain communities and to mitigate the impacts of hydro-meteorological/climatic hazards. As an regional effort to combat looming disaster risk in the region, UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), South and South-West Asia through funding assistance from DIPECHO supported the national focal points in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan to implement a Regional Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) Risk Reduction in the Himalayas Initiative from December 2007 to February 2009. In Nepal the project was guided through a steering mechanism in the form of Core Working Group (CWG) led by MoHA, the national focal point for DRM in Nepal. Other institutions participated in the CWG included National Planning Commission (NPC) , Department of Water-Induced Disaster Prevention (DWIDP), Water and Energy Commission ( WECS), Tribhuvan University, Disaster Preparedness Network- Nepal (DPNet-Nepal), Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and other stakeholders who participated through consultations. During the first phase of the project implementation In Nepal, two glacial lakes were identified namely Dig Tsho (in Nangpa Valley) and Imja Tsho (in Imja Valley) to carry out project activities around these lakes. The Preparatory Assessment Report on GLOF impacts produced by the project is available at project website (http://managingclimaterisk.org/glofs). With a view to better understand the dynamics of climate induced hazard and vulnerability profile in the Himalayan region, UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) from the financial assistance of DIPECHO has designed a Second Phase Regional Project called Regional Climate Risk Reduction in the Himalayas to be implemented in all four countries of this region who participated in the first phase. The Project is being implemented on pilot basis in select districts/communities in all four countries including Nepal, to achieve the following key objectives: I. Assess risks and impacts of climate-induced hydro-meteorological hazards in the Himalayan region II. Identify and implement community-based climate risk reduction and preparedness measures III. Initiate the process for formulation of policy frameworks for climate risk reduction and promotion of regional and national networks for knowledge sharing and coordination. In the connection, Project Advisory Committee (PAC), headed by Ministry of Home Affair, has been formed at the central level and concerned line ministries/ department, institutions and individual expert will be the members of the committee. Similarly, a Project Working Committee ( PWC) has also been formed at the district level involving all the concerned line agencies and stakeholders under the umbrella of DDRC/DDMC under the chairmanship of Chief District Officer (CDO) to provide oversight and coordinate the project activities in the field level. The advisory committee meets every quarter (4 times in the year) to review the project progress ( proposed Composition and functions attached ). The project support office based in UNDP CO will provide necessary information and facilitation for the PAC. The project activities will be guided by National Strategy for Disaster Risk Management (NSDRM), recently endorsed by Government of Nepal in October, 2009. The implementation process has been involving the local administration, local partners (NGOs) and government institutions with field presence to enhance impact of interventions. Partnership approach shall underline association with scientific/technical and research organizations at national, regional and international level. The activities shall focus on building capacity of women (constituting the mainstays of households and communities in mountain areas as men-folk primarily move out in search of employment or work), elderly and physically challenged. Special attention has been accorded to children by involving schools in disaster preparedness activities. ECO- DRR clubs have been formed in the schools of project communities. The sequencing and prioritization of activities shall be done in consultation with the counterpart national departments/agencies and local administrations and the work plan shall reflect the same. A Workshop shall be organized at the end of the project period to showcase the activities and outcomes and to share experiences and strategies with stakeholders from the region including national nodal departments/agencies and national, regional and international institutions/organizations, technical/research and training institutions and others.

Recognizing that climate change plays a key role in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to poverty, hunger, gender, health and environmental issues, UNDP has been engaging various stakeholders to develop holistic risk management strategies. These entail using DRR as a pro-active tool to reduce/mitigate the impact of natural hazards. Collaborative initiatives with the Energy and Environment Group (EEG) of UNDP, the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) and other nodal institutions have been taken. In this process, a Workshop on ‘Managing Risks of a Changing Climate to Support Development: Regional Workshop for Asia’ was organized in 2007 (in Kathmandu, Nepal) with participation of practitioners from eight Asian countries to develop a holistic risk management approach. Efforts have been made to combine DRR efforts with climate science and long-term adaptation strategies and promote synergies of action. The National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) initiatives (undertaken in some countries in the region viz. Bhutan and Nepal) had identified nine priority areas related to disaster risk reduction. In accordance with priorities identified under NAPA, number of risk mitigation and preparedness initiatives has been implemented with select communities in these countries. These interventions have a potential for up scaling and are sought to be strengthened to address increasing hydro-meteorological hazards in the Himalayan countries. The knowledge networking and information sharing efforts with various stakeholders have highlighted the need to adopt an integrated approach to address all hydro-meteorological hazards in an integrated manner and strengthen the existing knowledge with regard to hazards in mountain areas by studying and analyzing their causes, triggers and impacts.