“अब लाम्चेढुङ्गा समुदायले हरेक मनसुनमा कति खेर पहिरो जान्छ भन्ने डरले बस्नु पर्ने अवस्था छैन” -टुकु सुवेदी, वडा अध्यक्ष, उत्तरगया गाउँपालिका-२”
Figure 1: Lamchedhunga landslide site (before)
“घाँस र बुट्यान राम्ररी हुर्केकोले जोखिमयुक्त पाखो स्थिर भएको छ र अहिले हामीले सुरक्षित महशुस गरेका छौं” -गणेश अधिकारी, सामुदायिक विपद् व्यवस्थापन समिति, अध्यक्ष तथा स्थानीय बासिन्दा”
Figure 2: Stabilized Lamchedhunga landslide site (after)
“हामीले साधारण सिभिल ईन्जिनियरिङ्ग संरचना, घाँस, बोटबिरुवा तथा स्थानीय सामग्रीको प्रयोग गरी भिर पाखोको सुरक्षा गर्ने र पहिरो जोखिम घटाउने विधि सिकेका छौँ । यस प्रकारका व्यवहारिक अभ्यास अन्य जोखिमयुक्त ठाउँमा पनि लागू गर्ने योजना गाउँपालिकाको रहेको छ ।” -चमेली गुरुङ्ग, उपाध्यक्ष, उत्तरगया गाउँपालिका
Lamchedhunga, a small village with 30 households in Uttargaya Rural Municipality-2, Rasuwa, used to face fears of landslides during every monsoon season. In June 2023, the efforts by the community, the local government, and the Pratibaddha-II Project, supported by EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid, introduced a cost-effective and environment friendly Nature based Solution (NbS) approach to stabilize the slopes, bringing greater safety and resilience to the community.
Through hands-on training from Pratibaddha-II, community members, local engineers, and community leaders learned to use Nature-based Solutions specifically bio-engineering measures, such as planting native species like Amlisho, Simali, Khar, and Bamboo, and setting up functional drainage and simple gabion boxes to hold the soil in place. These efforts have proven effective in stabilizing the slopes and reducing landslide risks in the community.
Months later, the results spoke for themselves. “This community no longer live in fear each monsoon,” said Ward Chairperson, Mr. Tuku Subedi. Mr. Ganesh Adhikari, community member and chairperson of community disaster management committee, shared, “Our slopes are now stable due to the matured grass and plants; our community feels safe.” Chameli Gurung, Vice-Chairperson of Uttargaya Municipality, added, “We’ve learned to protect our slopes with locally available materials and plants with simple engineering structures. Now, we’re planning to bring these simple but practical and effective methods to other areas in need.”