SUMMARY

Designing local development plans that consider site specific hazard risks is crucial. However, this consideration is often overlooked, even in areas with high hazard risks, resulting in significant damage to public resources. This policy brief examines the challenges that arise from ignoring local conditions by using Gobargada, a flood-prone village in Eastern Nepal, as a case study. In this village, local people construct houses using easily disassembled, cost-effective, and easily repairable local resources, whereas the government school consists of permanent concrete buildings that were destroyed due to the shift of the river channel, a regular occurrence in the region. Such inconsistencies in the government’s programs reflect a complete disregard for local circumstances. In conclusion, local governments must prioritize local knowledge in disaster risk reduction to create more sustainable and resilient communities.