Clean Energy Nepal together with its consortium member Arbonaut Ltd. Finland and OXFAM Nepal and implementing partners Bheri Environmental Excellence (BEE) Group and Nepalgunj Sub Metropolitan City (NSMC) launched the Municipal Adaptation Plan (MAP) of Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City during a program organized on 2nd May, 2018 in Nepalgunj, Banke under the project “Building Resilience and Climate Adaptive Planning in Urban Centers of Nepal”. The MAP emphasized several ways and approaches with actions to combat different aspects of climate change impacts and climate induced disasters.

 

“The main objective of formulating the Adaptation Plan is to make urban centers more resilience towards climate change impacts”, said Mr. Rajan Thapa, Program Manager of CEN while sharing about MAP formulation process. 

Speaking at the program, Dr. Dhawal Samsher Rana, Mayor of NSMC assured to incorporate action plans under annual planning process with budgets on a periodic basis and urged every ward chairpersons for the provision of Relief Fund to be able to respond post disasters. “That is also a mechanism for our resilience as we can reach and support the victims immediately”, he stressed exemplifying the case of destroyed houses by hailstorms a day before. The MAP was launched by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor together with the consortium partners including BEE Group.

 

Ms. Uma Thapa Magar, Deputy Mayor of NSMC highlighted the need for economic safeguard and optimizes local resource use to implement the adaptation plan based on the vulnerability assessment. Among the speakers was Mr. Jeevan Kasula, Urban Resilience coordinator from Oxfam, Nepal, Mr. Dinesh Acharya, NCCSP Coordinator, Kailali and Mr. Basanta Gautam, Manager, Arbonaut Ltd, Finland. During the Launching Program, Mr. Gautam from Arbonaut shared about different aspects and practices of climate change adaptation from the Nordic countries. 

 

Mr. Ram Niwas Yadav, Project Coordinator of BEE Group thanked all the distinguished guests and consortium partners for their rigorous efforts in formulating the MAP and highly regarded the valuable presence from government organizations at the district, members of the Municipal Council, experts and civil servants.