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Summary

This paper presents the EWS status in Nepal, identifies gaps and challenges, and suggests a framework for a people-centered EWS in the country. EWS is crucial for disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, as recognized in both the Hyogo Framework and the Sendai Framework. An effective EWS provides information on hazards, community vulnerability, and impending risks, and mobilizes responses. While Nepal has made progress in developing EWS for certain hazards like floods, landslides, and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF), the study reveals that EWS covers only a limited range of hazards and locations, lacking all four components of an effective community-based EWS. The absence of supportive policy and legal frameworks has hindered EWS efforts, and community response capacity building remains fragmented and project-dependent.