Nepal is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world due to its topography, climate conditions, and underlying vulnerabilities. As temperatures have risen in recent years, the frequency and intensity of extreme events have increased, stretching the humanitarian system.
To address these challenges, DCA Nepal implemented a pilot project titled “B-Ready: Demonstration of Scalable Model of Local-Led Anticipatory Humanitarian Action in Mahakali River Basin, Western Nepal” with financial support from the DCA Innovation Fund. The project’s main purpose is to increase flood resilience in the targeted community and reduce the need for humanitarian assistance by enabling Anticipatory Action (AA) approach in Dodhara Chandani Municipality, Kanchanpur District.
The project focused on three key areas:
i. Co-designing and testing a flood forecasting model for e for effective anticipatory action at Dodhara Chandani Municipality.
ii. Enhancing the capacity of local government and communities at risk to take anticipatory action based on available forecast information
iii. Consolidating evidence and learnings to integrate the forecast-based anticipatory action approach into disaster risk management policy.
The anticipatory action approach links forecast and risk analysis to action plans and pre-arranged finance. The project facilitated the development of an anticipatory action protocol for Dodhara Chandani Municipality, clarifying roles, actions, timing, and locations. Pre-agreed actions are defined based on specific triggers. Additionally, a community-based AA protocol was designed, and simulation exercises were conducted, led by at-risk community members.
DCA supported communities by constructing safe shelters, establishing a multi-hazard siren system, conducting mock drills on AA protocol, providing lifesaving equipment, setting up a cash transfer mechanism, introducing group cash transfers, and mobilising youth volunteers to scale up the anticipatory action approach in Nepal.
The project team captured several key learnings from the implementation of the “B-Ready project. These learnings are crucial for refining future efforts and scaling up the anticipatory action approach both humanitarian and development context.