Community resilience to multi-hazard risks: Insights from Narayani Basin, Nepal

Nepal's diverse topography and changing climate expose communities to interconnected multi-hazard risks, including floods, landslides, storms, and earthquakes. This study examines the status and interlinkages of five resilience dimensions—social, economic, physical, institutional, and environmental—within the Narayani basin, one of the country's most hazard-prone regions. Employing a mixed-methods approach with household surveys, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions in Khairahani and Bharatpur municipalities, the study finds a disconnect between strong informal networks and limited formal systems. Social solidarity is robust, but formal social protection and inclusive decision-making are weak. Economic resilience is constrained by dependence on subsistence agriculture and daily wage labor, with limited access to financial services. Infrastructural resilience is uneven, with gaps in disaster-resilient infrastructure and early warning systems creating cascading vulnerabilities. Institutional capacity is limited by resource shortages and weak inter-agency coordination, while environmental resilience is threatened by climate change and fragile ecosystem services despite community-led initiatives. The findings highlight the interdependence of resilience dimensions, showing that deficits in one area amplify vulnerabilities in others. The study contributes a context-specific multi-hazard resilience framework for Nepal and provides actionable insights for integrated, multi-capital strategies to strengthen resilience in complex hazard environments. • Multi-hazard resilience assessed across social, economic, infrastructural, institutional, and environmental dimensions. • Integrated framework links community capitals to adaptive and transformative resilience. • Social networks and community participation are key drivers of local resilience. • Economic, infrastructural, and governance gaps limit comprehensive multi-hazard resilience.