Stakeholder consultation on development of a landslide monitoring and forecasting system for Nepal

Date 10 Nov 2022 to 10 Nov 2022
Venue ICIMOD headquarters, Kathmandu, Nepal
Contact Persons servirhkh@icimod.org
Type Consultation
Programmes Mountain Environment Regional Information Systems (MENRIS), SERVIR-HKH

About the meeting

Our SERVIR-HKH Initiative, a joint initiative of USAID and NASA, is working on developing services using Earth observation and geospatial information technology. Together with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), SERVIR-HKH is organising a stakeholder consultation on existing technology needs to extend collaboration on landslide monitoring and forecasting in Nepal.

Objectives

  • Bring together relevant stakeholders working on landslide studies and discuss current needs
  • Share planned activities and methodology for the development of a reliable landslide mapping, monitoring and forecasting system
  • Propose a technical advisory team for support during the implementation of the system

Background

Landslides are a major natural hazard in Nepal, causing the loss of lives and properties and substantial damage to infrastructure every year. Rainfall is a primary trigger of landslides, causing the movement of new material and the remobilisation of old landslide deposits. There is limited open access information on historical landslides, land surface characteristics, vulnerability, and rainfall – variables which are essential for effectively characterising landslide hazards and risks to the decision-making and disaster risk reduction processes. The advancements in Earth observation data and modelling technologies have created new opportunities for developing operational systems for landslide monitoring and near real-time forecast of rainfall-induced landslide hazards.

NASA-GSFC has worked on improving regional landslide models and generating regional landslide projections across multiple temporal windows. To complement the ongoing High Mountain Asia (HMA) work and leverage the experience of the team, SERVIR-HKH and NASA-GSFC are initiating activities on developing a landslide mapping system and a customisable landslide forecasting system.

Tentative agenda

10 November 2022, 10:00–12:30 (NPT) | Kanchenjunga Hall, ICIMOD

Time Particulars Speaker/resource persons
09:30–10:00 Registration and tea/coffee Angeli Shrestha, ICIMOD
10:00–10:15 Welcome remarks and introduction of participants Izabella Koziell, ICIMOD
10:15–10:25 Introduction to SERVIR and objectives of the meeting Birendra Bajracharya, Chief of Party –SERVIR-HKH, ICIMOD
10:25–11:00 Technical presentation on landslide monitoring and forecast system and project work plan NASA-GSFC, ICIMOD
11:00–11:45 Mapping of stakeholders, ongoing initiatives, and needs Moderator: ICIMOD
11:45–12:15 Discussion on the work plan and proposal for the technical advisory team Moderator: NASA-GSFC
12:15–12:30 Way forward and closing Birendra Bajracharya, ICIMOD
12:30 onwards Lunch

About SERVIR

A joint initiative of NASA, USAID, and leading geospatial organisations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, SERVIR partners with countries in these regions to address critical challenges in climate change, food security, water and related disasters, land use, and air quality. Using satellite data and geospatial technology, SERVIR co-develops innovative solutions through a network of regional hubs to improve resilience and sustainable resource management at local, national and regional scales.

ICIMOD implements the SERVIR Hindu Kush Himalaya (SERVIR-HKH) Initiative – one of five regional hubs of the SERVIR network – in its Regional Member Countries, prioritising activities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

For more, please visit servir.icimod.org or write to servirhkh@icimod.org.