Governing Disaster Risk Reduction in Nepal

Abstract

How can a community cope with the risk of water-induced disaster when its government is either unable or unwilling to act? Communities typically rely on governments to coordinate disaster mitigation efforts and finance risk reduction initiatives; however, climate change may exceed the capabilities of this government-centered model. In the search for an alternative, this chapter considers the special case of Nepal. Already weakened by misguided development, extreme poverty, and a decade of conflict, Nepal must also cope with the rapidly increasing risk of water-induced disaster. To do so, this chapter argues in favour of expanding private sector participation in disaster risk governance. Support for this argument includes a brief review of the disaster literature, a summary of endogenous and exogenous threats, as well as an overview of recent international risk mitigation efforts. Following this, the focus returns to Nepal and the potential benefits of increasing private sector participation in its disaster management efforts. The paper concludes with recommendations for expanding the private sector role in disaster risk governance.