Nepal Red Cross Society and the Danish Red Cross together with Belgian Red Cross have concluded an agreement to implement a Community Based Multi Hazards Risk Reduction Programme in Kathmandu valley for two years. This programme focuses on reducing the earthquake vulnerability of six wards of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts and 15 rural communities of Udayapur, Sindhuli and Kavre districts. The programme is expected to establish and strengthen community based mechanisms for disaster preparedness and response, to build public awareness on disasters and expand preparedness both at school and household levels. At least one million people will benefit from this programme by the end of January 2009. The European Commission department for Humanitarian Aid – (ECHO) through its Disaster Preparedness programme-DIPECHO, provides a grant of 34, 335,675.45 rupees for the period November, 2007 to January, 2009.

The Community Based Multi Hazard Risk Reduction programme is the continuation of cooperation between the Red Cross consortiums and ECHO starting in 2006. In 2006, ECHO, through its DIPECHO programme, supported the implementation of a similar Community Based Disaster Management Programme (CBDM) in three districts in the Kathmandu valley and three rural districts (Morang, Kapilbastu and Bardiya). Close to one million people from 10 earthquake vulnerable wards and 15 flood prone communities in Bardiya, Kapilbastu and Morang districts Benefited from this programme. The ECHO contribution amounted to 29, 261, 250.15 rupees. 

Nepal is a disaster prone country due to her steep terrain, a rugged and fragile geomorphic condition, volatile tectonic processes, variable climatic conditions, economic condition, unplanned settlements and low literacy rate. Disasters such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, lighting, glaciers lake outburst floods, avalanches and epidemics often occur causing enormous physical damages and human life losses. Nepal ranks 11th in terms of earthquake risk, and 30th in terms of flood risk according to the global report on disaster risk. Besides, Out of 21 cities around the world that lie in seismic zones, Kathmandu is at the highest risk of earthquake exposure.

Nepal Red Cross has been implementing various Community Based Disaster Management programme in 40 districts with the support of different partners. Each year, more than 90,000 people benefited from these programmes without counting the emergency relief operations. This year more than 200,000 people in 62 districts have received emergency relief services- food and non-food items from Red Cross when they were affected by floods and landslides.

For more information, please contact:

 Sanjeev Kumar Kafley: sanjeev@nrcs.org Mob: 9851074246
Indra Adhikari: iadhikari@nrcs.org, Mob: 9851086198