Community Based Disaster Risk Management for Earthquake Risk Mitigation Planning in Historic City Center Area, Kathmandu, NepalJeny ShresthaDMHA CapstoneSpring 2014Jeny Shrestha1Problem StatementDue Due to the unpredictable nature of sudden earthquakes, humans are often caught by surprise. The issue is even more pressing as research highlights a direct link between disaster risk and vulnerability within vulnerable local communities in developing countries (Dixit, et al., 2013; Uprety and Yoshida, 2009). This was evident in the cases of the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and the Gujarat earthquake in 2006. Geologically squeezed between the Indian and Tibetan plateaus, Kathmandu is at the highest earthquake risk (GHI, 2001; IDRL, 2011). Rapid urbanization, increasing urban growth rate to 6%, haphazard construction, lack of land use plans and implementation of building regulations, lack of emergency facilities and policy implementation further aggravate the vulnerability (Bhattarai, 1999; JICA, 2002). According to NDR (2011), an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 8 occurs every 75 years in Kathmandu. The 1934 earthquake cost the lives of 8,500 people, destroyed 20% of buildings, and caused significant damage to cultural and critical infrastructure. According to an estimate by NSET (2002), in the event of an earthquake of similar magnitude in the current context, Kathmandu would suffer 100,000 deaths, 300,000 injuries, the displacement of over one million residents along with increased possibilities of liquefaction. Therefore, being the main hub for trade, education and administration, any future major earthquake in the capital will likely cause severe effects to its citizens if the country fails to take adequate preparation in advance. Most of... . middle of paper ......if vulnerability to disasters. (IDRL, 2011). While the role of the national government is appropriate to develop plans, policies and programs that guide local government actions, it is important to focus at the local level to reduce the scale of the disaster. Therefore, CBDRM could be an effective step towards resilience, as local populations are the first to experience and respond to disasters. Such an approach could act as a nexus between local knowledge and existing capabilities to balance the conventional top-down approach. The document, therefore, highlights the need to focus on the integration of local people in awareness-raising and decision-making activities to act against seismic risk and their involvement in the execution of the Jeny Shrn disaster mitigation program. Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). Program completion report. March 26, 2004. URL: htt