The Institute of Himalayan Risk Reduction (IHRR), with support from USAID and in coordination with Bhimeshwor Municipality, Dolakha, implemented the ALERT BHIMESHWOR: Adoption of Landslide Early Warning System initiative to strengthen landslide risk monitoring, early warning communication, and community preparedness.
The initiative focused on the four pillars of an effective early warning system: disaster risk knowledge; detection, monitoring and forecasting; warning dissemination and communication; and preparedness and response capabilities.
Key activities included landslide susceptibility mapping, drone surveys, installation of rainfall gauges, soil moisture sensors and an extensometer, development of rainfall thresholds, and establishment of a monitoring dashboard. IHRR also supported multilingual early warning communication in Nepali, Dolakha Newari, Thami and Tamang, citizen science-based monitoring, development of local Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and community capacity-building and simulation exercises.
Through collaboration with the municipality and local communities, the initiative helped connect scientific monitoring with community knowledge and local preparedness mechanisms, contributing to improved landslide risk awareness, timely information sharing, and disaster readiness in Bhimeshwor Municipality.
