Raja Ram Chandra Timilsina delivered a presentation titled "Living in Koshi floodplain: Mobile human settlement and reliance on local resources are adaptation strategies to disaster risk reduction" on September 28th, 2022 at the EbA Kathmandu Conference III, organized by the Resources Himalaya Foundation.

The presentation focused on the unique adaptation strategies employed by local communities living in disaster-prone areas. These strategies were based on the communities' socio-cultural systems, local context, and environmental resources. One of the key findings shared during the presentation included a detailed examination of how the communities in Sri Lanka Tappu (Gariya Tappu) and Gobargada villages, living along Koshi floodplains are coping with recurrent floods and river channel shifting. The findings revealed that the abundant and productive lands in these areas provided critical livelihood support for the communities, who relied heavily on animal husbandry and agriculture production. Additionally, a swift shift of human settlement in response to the change in the river channel was found to be an effective coping strategy.

Almost all of the construction materials of houses and buffalo sheds (98%) in these areas were made of three plant species that were abundant in the surrounding environment. Furthermore, the houses were designed in such a way that they can be disassembled into several pieces, making them easier to transport and assemble in case of need.

The study concludes that these unique adaptation strategies are critical for local communities' resilience to disasters, and they should be given full consideration in future disaster risk reduction strategies in similar areas.