LocationsHow peer learning is transforming disaster preparedness in Western Nepal
July 23, 2026
For years, local governments across Western Nepal faced a relentless, shared adversary: recurring disasters. From the devastating monsoon floods along the river basins of Belauri to the rapid spread of fires in the expanding urban centres of Kohalpur, municipalities fought these battles largely in isolation. Hampered by limited budgets and a lack of technical expertise, disaster risk reduction (DRR) was almost entirely reactive.
DRR focal persons and other representatives from nearby municipalities participate in the inter-municipal coordination meeting held in Nepalgunj, January 2025.
Today, that landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift. Driven by inter-municipal coordination and peer-learning facilitated by the ECHO-funded SUPER project, a powerful movement of replication and resource-sharing is taking root. By closely studying the successful models established by Dhangadhi and Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan Cities—the neighbouring municipalities of Belauri, Khajura, and Kohalpur have proven that the fastest way to improve disaster preparedness is to learn from—and with–one another.
Replicating critical infrastructure
The foundation of this transformation began with establishing dedicated disaster command hubs. During a peer-learning visit to Nepalgunj, municipal leaders from Belauri witnessed the life-saving potential of a well-managed Local Emergency Operation Centre (LEOC) and an emergency warehouse (Godam Ghar).
A municipal official of Belauri Rural Municipality opens the Godam Ghar to perform the regular maintenance duty.
"After studying the operational layout of the LEOC and emergency warehouse in Nepalgunj, our executive members recognised the urgent need to establish our own," shared Ashok Pandey, DRR Focal Person for Belauri Municipality.
Despite initial budget constraints, the municipality partnered with the SUPER project to localise this model. Belauri constructed a tailored emergency warehouse using cost-effective lightweight materials and built an LEOC that now also dual functions as a disaster-readiness learning centre for local students.
Students visit the Belauri LEOC to learn disaster preparedness and response.
Similarly, Khajura Rural Municipality, which previously lacked a functional DRR plan, established its own LEOC and emergency inventory database, moving from zero foundational capacity to an institutionalised disaster management framework in just two years.
The move toward resource co-management
Recognising that disasters do not respect municipal borders, these local governments have transitioned from isolated resource management to innovative, cross-border resource sharing.
Bir Bahadur Thapa, DRR Focal Person for Kohalpur Municipality and Chief of Municipal Police, in his office.
In Kohalpur, the municipal police oversee an advanced 24/7 disaster response system with a reach that extends far beyond its borders. The municipality actively shares its firefighting assets with three neighbouring rural municipalities—Baijanath, Rapti Sonari, and Janaki—that lack their own firefighting infrastructure. As Bir Bahadur Thapa, Kohalpur’s DRR Focal Person, notes: "Our resources are mobilised regionally to support neighbouring communities that do not have their own firefighting capabilities."
Bir Bahadur Thapa, DRR Focal Person for Kohalpur Municipality, showing the LEOC.
This spirit of supporting one another in times of crisis is now being formalised across the region:
- Joint-financing assets: Belauri partnered with neighbouring Laljhadi Rural Municipality to jointly procure a fire truck. Laljhadi contributed 35 percent of the cost, and the two governments established a formal joint-operation procedure to share ongoing maintenance and operational expenses.
- Inter-municipal resource swaps: Following the loss of its only ambulance during protests, Kohalpur reached out to its neighbours. Now, the municipality is initiating a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality to exchange critical health resources: utilising Rapti Sonari's ambulances in exchange for access to Kohalpur’s municipal hospital.
- Operational MoUs: Khajura, which currently lacks a fire engine, signed an MoU with Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City to ensure rapid fire truck deployment during emergencies, demonstrating that a municipality does not need to own an asset to guarantee protection for its citizens.
A back view of the fire truck purchased by Beluari in partnership with Laljhadi Rural Municipality.
The scaling of localised disaster insurance
Perhaps the most groundbreaking result of this peer-learning model is the adoption of localised disaster insurance—a risk-transfer mechanism designed to provide a financial cushion to vulnerable families and prevent them from falling into extreme poverty post-disaster.
First implemented by Nepalgunj, the insurance model was studied by Khajura during a SUPER project coordination meeting. Khajura subsequently became the first rural municipality to successfully replicate the scheme. “For the current fiscal year, Khajura enrolled 111 highly vulnerable households in the insurance scheme,” shared Lokraj Sanjyal, DRR Focal Person for Khajura Rural Municipality. “By paying a modest municipal premium of just NPR 373 per household, these families are now covered for up to NPR 500,000 in disaster-related losses.”
Khajura Rural Municipality officials, together with a SUPER staff, interact with a local during the disaster insurance data collection.
The success in Khajura has triggered a domino effect. Belauri Municipality has already begun community data collection to launch its own insurance scheme, and Kohalpur is actively drafting procedural guidelines to request budget allocations for disaster insurance in the upcoming fiscal year.
A blueprint for regional resilience
In a remarkably short time, the municipalities of Western Nepal have transitioned from fragmented disaster response to a coordinated, resilient network. They have successfully institutionalised strategic DRR budgets, localised complex risk-transfer schemes, and established cooperative frameworks to share life-saving resources.
NDRRMA, together with SUPER and other partners, during the coordination meeting on resource sharing at NDRRMA,
To support the scaling of these localised models, the ECHO-funded SUPER project is working closely with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA)—the Government of Nepal’s central agency for DRRM—to finalise provincial and municipal resource-sharing procedures. By formalising these guidelines, this peer-led approach can serve as a blueprint for risk reduction and climate resilience across the entire country.
NDRRMA Chief Executive and Joint Secretary, Pradip Kumar Koirala, addresses participants of the interprovincial and intermunicipal resource sharing workshop in Kathmandu.
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