Landslide Loss and Damage in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal: Comparing Income Groups with Implications for Compensation and Relief

Abstract The 2014 Jure landslide in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal, caused significant loss and damage to ecosystems and livelihoods in the area. In the direct aftermath of the landslide, several disaster loss assessments were conducted, with the aim of counting casualties, injured people, and damage...

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Main Author: Kees van der Geest
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2018-06-01
Series:International Journal of Disaster Risk Science
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13753-018-0178-5
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author Kees van der Geest
author_facet Kees van der Geest
author_sort Kees van der Geest
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description Abstract The 2014 Jure landslide in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal, caused significant loss and damage to ecosystems and livelihoods in the area. In the direct aftermath of the landslide, several disaster loss assessments were conducted, with the aim of counting casualties, injured people, and damaged houses and infrastructure. Although useful and necessary in their own right, such rapid assessments do not reveal the true extent and significance of the losses and damages that people in disaster areas face, including their monetary value. We address this gap, based on a comprehensive household survey (N = 234), as well as other, qualitative research tools. Our results highlight the importance of differentiating between loss and damage in absolute monetary terms as opposed to losses relative to annual income. We find a stark contrast between the high absolute losses incurred by nonpoor households, and the high relative losses—up to 14 times their annual income—experienced by poor households. These results have important implications for policy that addresses loss and damage, not only of landslides but also of other disasters. Loss and damage assessments need to take the livelihood characteristics of affected households into account to identify and support those most in need of compensation and relief.
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spelling doaj.art-09bfe37fbe07455795d4c532cfbf8e4f2022-12-22T03:15:31ZengSpringerOpenInternational Journal of Disaster Risk Science2095-00552192-63952018-06-019215716610.1007/s13753-018-0178-5Landslide Loss and Damage in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal: Comparing Income Groups with Implications for Compensation and ReliefKees van der Geest0United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human SecurityAbstract The 2014 Jure landslide in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal, caused significant loss and damage to ecosystems and livelihoods in the area. In the direct aftermath of the landslide, several disaster loss assessments were conducted, with the aim of counting casualties, injured people, and damaged houses and infrastructure. Although useful and necessary in their own right, such rapid assessments do not reveal the true extent and significance of the losses and damages that people in disaster areas face, including their monetary value. We address this gap, based on a comprehensive household survey (N = 234), as well as other, qualitative research tools. Our results highlight the importance of differentiating between loss and damage in absolute monetary terms as opposed to losses relative to annual income. We find a stark contrast between the high absolute losses incurred by nonpoor households, and the high relative losses—up to 14 times their annual income—experienced by poor households. These results have important implications for policy that addresses loss and damage, not only of landslides but also of other disasters. Loss and damage assessments need to take the livelihood characteristics of affected households into account to identify and support those most in need of compensation and relief.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13753-018-0178-5Compensation and reliefImpact assessmentLandslidesLoss and damage analysisNepal
spellingShingle Kees van der Geest
Landslide Loss and Damage in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal: Comparing Income Groups with Implications for Compensation and Relief
International Journal of Disaster Risk Science
Compensation and relief
Impact assessment
Landslides
Loss and damage analysis
Nepal
title Landslide Loss and Damage in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal: Comparing Income Groups with Implications for Compensation and Relief
title_full Landslide Loss and Damage in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal: Comparing Income Groups with Implications for Compensation and Relief
title_fullStr Landslide Loss and Damage in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal: Comparing Income Groups with Implications for Compensation and Relief
title_full_unstemmed Landslide Loss and Damage in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal: Comparing Income Groups with Implications for Compensation and Relief
title_short Landslide Loss and Damage in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal: Comparing Income Groups with Implications for Compensation and Relief
title_sort landslide loss and damage in sindhupalchok district nepal comparing income groups with implications for compensation and relief
topic Compensation and relief
Impact assessment
Landslides
Loss and damage analysis
Nepal
url http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13753-018-0178-5
work_keys_str_mv AT keesvandergeest landslidelossanddamageinsindhupalchokdistrictnepalcomparingincomegroupswithimplicationsforcompensationandrelief