The lack of vegetation causes erosion and triggers landslides and sedimentation in the rivers. The highly fertile land and physical infrastructure downstream are routinely damaged, threatening already precarious lives and livelihoods.
A UNDP-supported scheme is helping the government to mitigate these floods and landslides, which account for over three quarters of economic loss caused by disasters in the country.
Selected villagers in the district are trained in flood control and mitigation measures, as well as erosion prevention and drought mitigation. The low cost solutions focus on bio-engineering or planting various plants, such as bamboo, to hold the soil together.