Early warning saving lives: Establishing community based early warning systems in Nepal - Learning and experience 2002-08

Practical Action has been working on community based EWS (early warning systems) in Nepal since 2002 - specifically on systems which give early warning of flood. As a result of its own learning, on-going community feedback, and "real time" evaluation, Practical Action has become convinced of a number of key issues.

• Investment in EWS is a cost effective use of limited resources where risk can be anticipated and measured. Vulnerable communities have a right to such warning.
• High tech/high cost systems are not only inappropriate but unsustainable. Use of local resources both cuts costs and ensures greater ownership.
• Systems should provide information, not warnings per se. Making information intelligible and user friendly are fundamental to any system.
• Users of information should be active participants in systems, not beneficiaries of them. Systems must be established which put users first and at their centre.
• Systems should be based on the principal of “demand for”, not “supply of” information.
• Successful EWS are the product of effective person to person communication and efficient social networks. Communication technologies merely complement these.
• Systems should dictate the technology and not technology the system.

Practical Action hopes this publication helps summarise their learning in EWS and offers practical insight in to how such systems can be replicated and developed elsewhere. Additional information can also be found at www.practicalaction.org/earlywarning