CBFEWS sites installed across the HKH by ICIMOD in collaboration with its partners

A community-based flood early warning system (CBFEWS) is an integrated system of tools and plans managed by and for communities. It provides near real-time early warnings when rising flood waters are detected. The warning information is transmitted to caretakers who disseminate the information to the rest of the community, government line agencies, and stakeholders. Although the detection of flood risk and its communication to vulnerable communities are driven by technology, the primary functioning of the CBFEWS lies in a people-centred approach to flood response. We have been piloting this system along flood-prone transboundary rivers in the HKH, helping communities across Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. We – along with Aaranyak and Sustainable Eco Engineering (SEE) – received the UNFCCC’s Momentum for Change: 2014 Lighthouse Activity Award in the ICT category for our work with CBFEWS.

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning has identified four key elements for a complete and effective early warning system. Based on UNISDR’s four key elements, we have also defined four key elements for CBFEWS implementation (presented in the graphic below). From our experiences implementing CBFEWS, we have integrated sustainability in the entire mechanism. For the system to function effectively, the community needs to be able to independently operate and maintain the equipment. An isolated approach cannot make the CBFEWS successful. It is important to understand that these four elements (with sustainability binding them) are interrelated and failure in one element can result in failure of the entire system.

Key elements for CBFEWS implementation