KAR dessimination handout

Action Together for Livelihood Management Plan in Flood Situation in Jaleshwor

Background
Jaleshwar Municipality lies in the eastern part of the country in the district of Mahottari. Though a municipality, most of its wards are very much rural, lacking an access to basic infrastructure like roads, piped water supply, telephone, electricity and good health facilities. For most of the people, agriculture is the main source of income. The presence of industries and businesses is rare except for the trading of daily necessities and some seasonal small scale manufacturing of bricks, cement tiles, clay tiles. These businesses provide a very little employment for very small period of time. The population is largely made of the traditional terai ethnic groups. There has been very little migration of people from the hills to this municipality.

In addition to the usual problems of all other municipalities, Jaleshwar has one more problem - the problem of flooding. Every year during the monsoon, flood from Ratu, Bighi and Jangha River, originating in the Churia range, creates havoc in Jaleshwor. It affects various elements such as agriculture, water supply, transport, housing, fishery, environment and so on.

The residents of Jaleshwor are primarily dependent on agricultural produce of their field. Due to flood, productivity has declined considerably. Poverty stricken men from Jaleshwor migrate seasonally to India to work and to bring home money to sustain their households. When floodwater seeps in, people vacate their houses with little assets they own and take shelter at a higher place. There are no provisions for temporary accommodation therefore people are compelled to take refuge at schools nearby or at relative's place that are safer than their own. After the water recedes they return back to their houses and land and try to make out a living from whatever is left.

People's vulnerability to flood is augmented by the fact that: most of the houses are made of mud, people's income is too low to recover from the damages caused by flood, the municipality and other agencies are heavily under resourced to take necessary preparedness measures and people are not aware of the capacities they have, to cope with the flood.

Project overview
Knowledge and Research (KAR) is primarily an urban-based action research project with an overall aim of mainstreaming disaster mitigation for urban poverty reduction. The project will implement community based low cost flood risk reduction measures through action planning. KAR intends to build in the community's indigenous knowledge of preparedness and mitigation for fighting with the flood. The project also intends to explore and implement alternate livelihood mechanisms to enhance people's capacities to withstand flood disasters.

Partners
CARE-Nepal will implement this project in partnership with Nepal Red Cross Society, Mahottari District Chapter and in close cooperation with Jaleshwar Municipality.

Goal
The goal of he project is to reduce urban risk to disaster caused by flood and improve livelihood of flood affected people in Jaleshwor municipality.

Plan of action
Flood risk reduction measures will become more effective and sustainable if they are localized or developed with community's participation. Therefore communities will be involved in all stages of the project. Since disasters have severe effects on both the sexes and children as well, the research will involve all categories of victims in all stages.

The project will attempt to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the problem at the ground level. It will examine local/indigenous practice applied thus far to mitigate the effects of flood and will find ways to strengthen these practices.

To address the livelihood security of vulnerable groups in flood situation, the project will explore alternative means of livelihood to uplift their economic well being and reduce their vulnerability.

The project also plans to enhance the capacity of communities and the partner agencies to cope and manage with flood disasters. In order to accomplish this various committees like Community Based Disaster Management Committee, Disaster Preparedness Sub committees, First Aid Sub committees, Disaster Relief Subcommittees, Coordination Subcommittees will be formed. These committees will be provided with relevant skills and knowledge to enable them to handle disasters more efficiently and effectively. With the lessons learned from the implementation strategies and recommendation for such situation will be formulated and disseminated.

Project Outputs
The major outputs of the project include:
-Increased capacity of local community, partners and municipality to manage livelihoods of flood affected communities.
-Alternate mechanisms or safeguarding livelihoods of flood affected communities identified and implemented
-Low cost Flood risk reduction measures piloted and documented.
- Code of conduct for urban hazard prepardness and rights to safety.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY FROM FLOOD

YOUR FAMILY DISASTER PLAN