Each year, floods affect the lives and livelihoods of millions living in the river basins of the HKH. By 2030, floods are expected to cost the region an annual USD 215 billion. Communities that live along flood-prone tributaries in the region need localised solutions that are replicable and cost effective.

ICIMOD has piloted Community Based Flood Early Warning Systems (CBFEWS) in multiple flood-prone river basins. The systems are replicable and cost effective, however to be viable in the long term, the systems rest on modest investment and local ownership. 

Recognising the incredible value of the lead-time the system gives local communities, 13 municipalities* in the Lal Bakaiya watershed in Rautahat district of Southern Nepal have recently agreed to establish a common pool of funds to finance its upkeep and maintenance. This ‘basket fund’, which the municipalities will manage themselves, is expected to total USD 9,000 by the end of 2025, underpinning a system that will provide alerts to a quarter of a million people.

ICIMOD plans to scale the CBFEWS model to Bangladesh and Bhutan via pilots in 2025.

*These are the municipalities of Gaur, Ishnath, Rajpur, Paroha, Dewahi Gonahi, Baudhimai, Gujara, Fatuwa Bijayapur, Maulapur, Kathariya, Rajdevi, Madhavnarayan, and Yamunamai, which have all signed the sustainability agreement for the creation of a shared basket fund.