Assessment of Flood Induced Loss and Damage in Roshi River Basin of Panauti Municipality, Kavrepalanchok, Nepal

Abstract

Flood has been identified as a frequently occurring natural disaster, with extensive capacity to cause economic and non-economic loss and damage. The main purpose of the research study in the Roshi  River Basin of Panauti Municipality-12 is to analyze temperature and precipitation trends, assess economic and non-economic loss and damage, and identify key adaptive measures adopted by community in response to September 2024 flood. Households Survey, Focused Group Discussion (FGD), Key Informant Interview (KII), Climatic Data Analysis and Field Observation were conducted to obtain the objectives of the study considering 187 households from the most severely affected communities. Findings indicated that the average minimum temperature increased by approximately 0.0345 ^oC per year, while maximum temperature rose by 0.093 ^oC per year, resulting in an overall annual increase of 0.064 ^oC. Precipitation exhibited a declining trend of 1.16 mm/year over the past three decades. The devastating flood event in September 2024 was attributed to the extreme concentration of rainfall under changing climatic conditions, causing an estimated total loss and damage of NPR 536.178 million (USD 3.81 million approximately). The highest impacts were recorded in agricultural land and housing, followed by livestock, crops and other sectors. Statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between economic loss and damage and household income, whereas association with ethnicity and family size were found to be insignificant. Non-economic impacts, including loss of life and disruption of basic services, underscored the severe social consequences of flooding. Livelihood diversification emerged as the most effective adoptive measure, with moderate resilience in insurance utilization and community groups’ engagement. Conversely, settlement planning and riverbank management were identified as low priority areas, highlighting the need for strict enforcement of resilient infrastructure standards, and strengthened multi stakeholder coordination to enhance long term community resilience.