Challenges and Prospects of Flood Early Warning Systems: A Study of Narayani Basin

Floods are the most dangerous and detrimental hazards in Nepal. Communities inhabiting the Narayani basin are getting affected by floods every year. However, no studies have been conducted to analyze the existing early warning system’s functional capacity and community feedback. Literature on disasters and calamities indicates that an efficient and effective flood early warning system is crucial for making communities flood resilient but we note that unless ‘community capacity for response’ is also strengthened, early warning technology alone cannot protect against losses and damages. Employing a qualitative approach, we explored the existing status of a community-based flood early warning system, and the challenges and prospects of these technologies for building flood-resilient communities in the Narayani basin of Nepal. We found that the existing warning system in the basin is fragmented, unreliable and cannot contribute to building flood-resilient communities. This study concludes that making communities flood resilient, at least, needs five components inclusive of the installation of more reliable early warning technologies; promotion of community-based early warning systems; timely communication of early warning alerts; training on preparedness and response; flood and climate-proof livelihood options.