10 Preparation and Adoption of Risk Sensitive Land Use Plans ...
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risk reduction is mainstreamed into development plans and policies to promote
sustainable development.
Even though the urban population in Nepal is exponentially increasing, the major
chunk of the urban population is still living in a rural setting with limited basic urban
amenities and services. The urban municipalities of Nepal are of typical character -
more than 50% of the total area in an average is still rural, with agriculture farm land,
thatch-roof houses, and narrow roads still common features of the urban municipalities. With the growing urbanization trend, urban disaster risk is also increasing at a
rapid pace. Just like other disaster vulnerable countries, Nepal has also recognized
this fact and is giving attention to the evolving demand for disaster risk reduction in
urban centers of Nepal.
The Local Disaster Risk Management Plan (LDRMP)—2010 issued by the
Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MOFAGA) has been a major
guiding document for undertaking risk analysis and development of risk management plan in Nepal. Similarly, Local Adaptation Plan of Action (LAPA) framework
prepared by the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MOFE) is being used to prepare
local level climate change adaptation actions at the municipal levels. The MOFAGA
has begun the process to integrate municipal level DRRM and climate change adaptation planning using a common and coherent tool called Local Disaster and Climate
Resilience Plan (LDCRP), which is still in draft version.
Disaster risk in urban areas is increasing due to high population density, unplanned
development practices, unsafe construction, and lack of urban planning, poverty, and
high inequality in terms of access to public services. As cities continue to urbanize
risk level increases particularly in the lower-middle-income countries like Nepal
where the pace of urbanization is fastest. Although urban growth rate in Nepal is
high, population distribution across cities and towns remains uneven. This can have
a variety of effects on the development of urban communities. As Nepal’s urban population has exceeded the rural population, the number of urban disasters is increasing
and impacts are also on the rise. Reducing disaster risk caused by natural hazards is
largely a development issue and needs to be addressed within the context of a wider
urban development framework.
10.1.2 Urbanization in the New Federal Structure
Nepal’s 2015 constitution set the course for a tectonic shift of power from the federal
to the provincial and municipal levels of government. The government is in the
process of developing and refining its legal frameworks, comprising of more than
a dozen different acts that assign disaster risk reduction and management roles and
responsibilities to different Government of Nepal (GON) entities, and resulting in
inefficiencies and confusion during and after disaster events. A good step in the
process is that under the new federal structure, the recently passed Local Governance
Operations Act, 2017 (MoFAGA) shifts the responsibility for disaster risk reduction
and management to the municipalities.
177
risk reduction is mainstreamed into development plans and policies to promote
sustainable development.
Even though the urban population in Nepal is exponentially increasing, the major
chunk of the urban population is still living in a rural setting with limited basic urban
amenities and services. The urban municipalities of Nepal are of typical character -
more than 50% of the total area in an average is still rural, with agriculture farm land,
thatch-roof houses, and narrow roads still common features of the urban municipalities. With the growing urbanization trend, urban disaster risk is also increasing at a
rapid pace. Just like other disaster vulnerable countries, Nepal has also recognized
this fact and is giving attention to the evolving demand for disaster risk reduction in
urban centers of Nepal.
The Local Disaster Risk Management Plan (LDRMP)—2010 issued by the
Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MOFAGA) has been a major
guiding document for undertaking risk analysis and development of risk management plan in Nepal. Similarly, Local Adaptation Plan of Action (LAPA) framework
prepared by the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MOFE) is being used to prepare
local level climate change adaptation actions at the municipal levels. The MOFAGA
has begun the process to integrate municipal level DRRM and climate change adaptation planning using a common and coherent tool called Local Disaster and Climate
Resilience Plan (LDCRP), which is still in draft version.
Disaster risk in urban areas is increasing due to high population density, unplanned
development practices, unsafe construction, and lack of urban planning, poverty, and
high inequality in terms of access to public services. As cities continue to urbanize
risk level increases particularly in the lower-middle-income countries like Nepal
where the pace of urbanization is fastest. Although urban growth rate in Nepal is
high, population distribution across cities and towns remains uneven. This can have
a variety of effects on the development of urban communities. As Nepal’s urban population has exceeded the rural population, the number of urban disasters is increasing
and impacts are also on the rise. Reducing disaster risk caused by natural hazards is
largely a development issue and needs to be addressed within the context of a wider
urban development framework.
10.1.2 Urbanization in the New Federal Structure
Nepal’s 2015 constitution set the course for a tectonic shift of power from the federal
to the provincial and municipal levels of government. The government is in the
process of developing and refining its legal frameworks, comprising of more than
a dozen different acts that assign disaster risk reduction and management roles and
responsibilities to different Government of Nepal (GON) entities, and resulting in
inefficiencies and confusion during and after disaster events. A good step in the
process is that under the new federal structure, the recently passed Local Governance
Operations Act, 2017 (MoFAGA) shifts the responsibility for disaster risk reduction
and management to the municipalities.