Flood risk management under climate change: a hydro-economic perspective

Flood risk management under climate change: a hydro-economic perspective

Most developing countries, like Nepal, are expected to experience the greatest impact of climate change
(CC) sooner and on a greatermagnitude than other developed countries. Increase in themagnitude and
frequency of extreme rainfall events is likely to increase the risk of flooding in rivers. TheWest Rapti River
basin is one of the most flood prone and also one of the most dynamic and economically important
basins ofNepal. This study elicits thewillingness to pay (WTP) fromthe local people in the basin to reduce
risks from possible floods due to CC. The WTP for flood mitigation in different flood hazard zones and
flood scenarios were determined using referendum method and a face to face questionnaire survey.
From a total of 720 households across all flood zones, a stratified randomly selected sample of 210
households was surveyed. The sample included households from a range of socio-economic
backgrounds. The average WTP varied by flood hazard zone and within each zone, by CC-induced flood
scenarios. The average WTP of respondents was highest for the critical flood prone zone, followed by
moderate and low flood prone zones. Similarly, within each zone, the average WTP increased with
increasing flood magnitudes due to CC. The variation of average WTP of respondents in different flood
prone zones and scenarios indicate different levels of perceived severity. Moreover, the introduction of
the concept of ‘man-day’ or ‘labour-day’ in WTP research is a novel and applicable methodological
approach, particularly in the South Asian region. The findings of this study are useful for policy
implications for the design of participatory flood management plans in the river basin.

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