Geospatial approach to the risk assessment of climate-induced disasters (drought and erosion) and impacts on out-migration in Nepal

Abstract

Out-migration is one of the most recognized adaptation practices when dealing with scarce resources and disasters. With the general objective of exploring migration as an impact of climate-induced disasters, our study was conducted in Khaniyapani, in the Sunapati rural municipality of Ramechhap district, Nepal. Disaster prioritization was conducted using the pair-wise ranking method, with results suggesting that drought and soil erosion are the most severe disasters in the study area. The severity maps were prepared using remotely sensed data. A Normalized Difference Drought Index and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation were used to produce the drought and erosion severity maps, respectively. Approximately 46.2% of the total study area was found to experience severe droughts, and almost 10% of the area had high soil erosion rates. In total, 100 out of 794 households were interviewed for a semi-structured questionnaire. Drought severity was found to directly impact livelihoods due to a decline in agricultural productivity, a decline in livestock, and drying of water sources. Out of 100 families, 64 practiced seasonal migration. A decline in agricultural productivity and livestock, and water scarcity were identified as the most influencing push factors. Excessive seasonal migration has reduced the resilience of these families. Drought-resistant land, water, and crop management techniques and practices, and alternative income-generating activities should be promoted to curb the seasonal migration.