Local Curriculum on Early Warning Systems for Disaster Preparedness in Dhading

Date 28 Nov 2024
Venue Benighat Rorang Municipality, Dhading, Nepal
Contact Persons Rajesh Bahadur Thapa
Type Consultation workshop
Programmes SG3, SERVIR-HKH

Agenda

About the workshop

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), under the SERVIR-HKH initiative, in collaboration with Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality, is organising a consultation workshop on SERVIR-HKH Early Warning System (EWS) tools to assess needs and explore the integration of these tools into the local course curriculum for secondary schools in Dhading district.

Objectives

The overall objective of this consultation workshop is to orient, review and gather feedback on SERVIR-HKH EWS tools for integration into the local curriculum of secondary schools in Dhading district.

Expected outcomes

The workshop will enable participants to identify the need for customisation and updates to the curriculum content based on feedback. It will also facilitate discussions and encourage the municipality education officers to integrate EWS curriculum and course into secondary schools in Dhading district.

Expected participants

The workshop will include a total of 20 Education Officers from local governments (municipalities) in Dhading district.

Resource Persons /Facilitators

  • Bodhraj Pathak, Education Officer, Benighat Rorang Municipality
  • Rajesh Bahadur Thapa, Science and Data Lead, SERVIR-HKH, ICIMOD
  • Manish Shrestha, Hydrologist, ICIMOD
  • Jitendra Bajracharya, Photographer/Photo Editor, ICIMOD
  • Keshab Kandel, Vice Principal, Shree Chandrodaya Secondary School
  • Rajesh Shrestha, Programme Associate – SERVIR-HKH, ICIMOD

Background

Natural disasters, such as floods, storms, wildfires, and earthquakes, are sudden and dangerous events that can severely disrupt lives and the environment, increasingly posing threats to human lives and property. Floods often result from heavy rainfall, dam failures, or melting snow, while wildfires spread quickly in dry, windy conditions in forests or grasslands. Sustainable ecosystem management and mitigation of risks from natural hazards are pressing challenges for countries in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, including Nepal.

As Nepal shifts its focus from Disaster Response to Disaster Risk Reduction, the integration of science-based applications becomes crucial for understanding and mitigating disaster risks. In the federal structure of Nepal, municipal governments play a pivotal role as they directly engage with communities in developing and implementing effective strategies.

ICIMOD’s SERVIR-HKH Initiative, a joint partnership between U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has developed science applications including tools for forecasting flash floods, high-impact weather events, and streamflow in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region to support evidence-based decision-making by stakeholders, governments, communities, and individuals. These tools utilise scientific data, earth observation, and geospatial technologies to address disasters, natural resources, agriculture, environment, and climate change. However, capacity gap in the HKH region is still a challenge and schools can play a crucial role in raising awareness and equipping young students with the knowledge and skills to understand and respond to natural hazards and transfer the knowledge to wider communities.

In this context, SERVIR-HKH has developed a local curriculum course on Early Warning Systems (EWS) for grade-8 students in Benighat Rorang Municipality, Nepal. In collaboration with the Municipality and its school, a Training of Trainers (TOT) was conducted on EWS for disaster preparedness from 20–21 September 2024 in Shree Chandrodaya Secondary School, for grade-8 schoolteachers. Additionally, an orientation training session for grade 9 to 12 was held in September 2024, focusing on curriculum and course integration. Following up on the above, this consultation workshop aims to disseminate SERVIR-HKH’s EWS tools and gather feedback on integrating Geographic Information Technology (GIT), Earth Observation (EO) knowledge and EWS courses for different grade levels in schools, with the potential to scale the course to other municipalities.

Following the successful integration of recent developments and the use of scientific data and technology in the school curriculum, SERVIR-HKH in collaboration with Benighat Rorang Municipality, is extending its outreach to the remaining local governments in Dhading district. This event aims to share the rationale and objective behind integrating disaster-related curriculum and courses into school education. The goal is to expand this initiative throughout the district, setting an example of proactive measures that local governments can take to empower communities in reducing disaster risks.