Dr Komal Raj Aryal is a Lecturer in Crisis and Disaster Management at Aston Business School with over 25 years of experience in local risk governance. His work strengthens local risk, response and resilience governance capabilities support to local authorities in the UK and South East Asia. He currently leads and co-leads three UKRI-NERC and ESRC-funded projects (2024–2029) focused on evidence-based policy and multi-level disaster risk reduction and response governance.
Dr Aryal told Asian Voice that climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, driven by both environmental vulnerability and human activity. He emphasised the need for adaptive, forward-looking strategies, noting that while some impacts can be mitigated through collaborative risk and resilience management planning, others demand a more proactive and integrated approach to monitor emerging risks.
Advising on community-led disaster planning in South and Southeast Asia, regions already facing severe frequent climate impacts, Dr Aryal believes key lessons from these areas can inform the UK’s approach to climate adaptation. “Over the past 25 years, working with communities in countries like India, Taiwan, Nepal and Japan, I’ve learned that raising awareness of localised hazards is essential,” says Dr Aryal. “In places like Taiwan and Japan, public education about potential disasters plays a vital role in building resilience—but communicating these risks effectively with most vulnerable remains a challenge.”
Reflecting on the UK context, he adds, “managing crisis and emergency here is largely seen as a government responsibility, but we’ve increasingly realised that government efforts alone aren’t enough. Community involvement and volunteer mobilisation are crucial for which we in the UK can learn from countries like Taiwan where crisis and emergency is part of every second priority for geopolitical and natural hazards exposure.” Through collaborations Dr Aryal is helping to foster two-way knowledge exchange between the UK and Asia. “This sharing of global best practices is key to building stronger, more prepared communities at home.”
On the biggest gaps in UK climate resilience, Dr Aryal said “Rising temperatures are exposing serious infrastructure gaps. Many Victorian-era buildings aren’t designed for heatwaves, leading to health risks, especially for the elderly, and reduced productivity. The recent rise in heat-related deaths highlights the urgent need for better localised risk communication.”
He added, “Development in flood-prone areas continues under planning frameworks that often rely on outdated climate assumptions, leaving homes inadequately protected, for instance, with electrical installations still positioned at ground level. Concurrently, public education on climate and disaster preparedness remains limited, particularly within increasingly diverse and multilingual communities. Enhancing the UK’s climate resilience requires coordinated policy action to modernise building standards, integrate climate risk into spatial planning, and expand inclusive local risk communication and education strategies.”
Reflecting on key lessons for building climate resilience, Dr Komal Raj Aryal underscored the importance of clear, localised risk communication. “It is essential to raise awareness and be transparent about hazards, risks, and safety concerns,” he said. “From my experience in Nepal and more recently in India, particularly in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, and Manali, I’ve observed that communities often fail to grasp the urgency of preparedness until a disaster occurs, as seen during the last two years events in Shimla, Manali and Kullu.”
