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Dhangadhi, March 5, 2025 – A successful knowledge-sharing workshop on anticipatory action was held in Sudurpashchim Province, gathering 81 key stakeholders, including government representatives, international and national NGOs, security forces and technical experts. The event, coordinated by DPNet and organized by the MoIAL of Sudurpashchim Province, was supported by GSMA funded Act First project implemented by Naxa Pvt. Ltd., DCA, IHRR, VIAMO, and NNSWA. The workshop aimed to strengthen anticipatory action in disaster risk management.

The workshop was chaired by Dr. Kamal Prasad Pokhrel, Chief Secretary of Sudurpashchim Province, with Honorable Minister of Internal Affairs and Law, Mr. Hira Sarki, serving as the Chief Guest. Special guests included Honorable Dharma Raj Pathak, Chairperson of the Social Development Committee, Sudurpashchim Province Assembly, and former Secretary and disaster activist, Kedar Neupane. Also in attendance were Mayor Kishor Kumar Limbu of Dodhara Chandani Municipality, representatives from Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and various development partners while the DPNet General Secretary, Er. Suraj Gautam served as the emcee for the program.

The program commenced with a welcome speech by Sher Bahadur Basnet, Chairperson of DPNet Sudurpashchim, followed by an introduction to the event’s objectives by Surya Bahadur Thapa. A technical session featured a compelling video presentation showcasing the impact of incessant rainfall in Sudurpashchim Province during the 2024 monsoon season. Despite historic rainfall exceeding 600 mm within 24 hours, there were zero casualties, demonstrating the effectiveness of early warning systems and anticipatory action.

Engineer Sanjay Shah, Head of the Mahakali Field Basin Office, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), delivered a presentation on the activities of DHM, Impact based forecast (IBF), highlighting DHM's role in disseminating timely weather forecasts to vulnerable communities. DRR Focal Person Mr. Amrit BK, Mr. Manoj Prasad Bhatta, Mr. Hirdesh Dhami, from Dodhara Chandani, Bhimdatta, Parshuram respectively shared their proactive approaches adopted during the cloudburst 2024. Dodhara Chandani Municipality highlighted the importance of Impact based weather forecasting and also the role of DASTAA in risk understanding and risk communication.

Ms. Biddhya Bhandari from Naxa Pvt. Ltd. highlighted the importances of Household level risk reduction, distribution of Household Level Disaster Management Plan (HDRMP), role of DASTAA in visualizing the risk and how municipality is implementing data-based decision making in the region. DASTAA supported the municipality in identifying vulnerable household including Persons with Disability, Senior Citizens, Pregnant women and thus supported to take proactive decisions such as early evacuation, dissemination of risk messages (SMS and Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

Besides, DRR focal person from Tikapur Municipalities also shared local experiences on disaster preparedness and response. Mr. Dinesh Gurung, Program Manager at DCA Nepal then highlighted the three key issues for the anticipatory actions: a) Need of better forecasting and investment for the Early Warning System (EWS), b) identification of Early Action and Pre-agreed financing, and c) policy integration to build a more disaster resilient Nepal. He also emphasized on the need of collective localized DRR and CCA initiatives.

Dr. Raju Thapa from DPNet presented a ten-year data analysis on wildfire trends in Sudurpashchim Province, urging provincial and local governments to adopt proactive measures to mitigate increasing forest fire incidents. He stressed the need for both policy-driven interventions and community participation to prevent widespread damage caused by wildfires.

During the remarks session, Dr. Kamal Prasad Pokhrel reiterated that Sudurpashchim Province prioritizes preparedness and anticipatory action to address earthquakes, monsoon-induced disasters like floods and landslides, and emerging risks such as wildfires. He emphasized the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in building disaster resilience.

Former Secretary Kedar Neupane highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts among government agencies, security forces, and development partners to strengthen disaster response mechanisms. Honorable Dharma Raj Pathak stressed the vital role of early warning systems and the need for enhanced preparedness mechanisms at the local level to minimize disaster risks. He committed to initiate disucssion on Social Development Parliamentary Committee in this issue.

In his closing speech, Honorable Minister Hira Sarki reaffirmed the government’s commitment to integrating indigenous knowledge with modern science and technology to enhance early warning systems, disaster risk reduction, and anticipatory action in Sudurpashchim Province. He emphasized the importance of collaboration among local governments, security agencies, and humanitarian organizations in making the province more disaster-resilient.