Addressing unintentional exclusion of vulnerable and mobile households in traditional surveys in Kathmandu, Dhaka and Hanoi : a mixed methods feasibility study

The methods used in low- and middle-income countries’ (LMICs) household surveys have not changed in four decades; however, LMIC societies have changed substantially and now face unprecedented rates of urbanization and urbanization of poverty. This mismatch may result in unintentional exclusion of vulnerable and mobile urban populations. We compare three survey method innovations with standard survey methods in Kathmandu, Dhaka, and Hanoi and summarize feasibility of our innovative methods in terms of time, cost, skill requirements, and experiences. We used descriptive statistics and regression techniques to compare respondent characteristics in samples drawn with innovative versus standard survey designs and household definitions, adjusting for sample probability weights and clustering. Feasibility of innovative methods was evaluated using a thematic framework analysis of focus group discussions with survey field staff, and via survey planner budgets. We found that a common household definition excluded single adults (46.9%) and migrant-headed households (6.7%), as well as non-married (8.5%), unemployed (10.5%), disabled (9.3%), and studying adults (14.3%). Further, standard two-stage sampling resulted in fewer single adult and non-family households than an innovative area-microcensus design; however, two-stage sampling resulted in more tent and shack dwellers. Our survey innovations provided good value for money, and field staff experiences were neutral or positive. Staff recommended streamlining field tools and pairing technical and survey content experts during fieldwork. This evidence of exclusion of vulnerable and mobile urban populations in LMIC household surveys is deeply concerning and underscores the need to modernize survey methods and practices

Surveys for Urban Equity

This dataset contains results and documentation from three cross-sectional urban household surveys done in Kathmandu (Nepal), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Hanoi (Vietnam) in 2017 and 2018. The surveys primarily aimed to test the feasibility of using new urban household survey methods that try to better cover/capture informal/slum settlements using sampling frame data generated from random forest models that incorporate census data (which is often outdated and inaccurate) with multiple remotely-sensed covariates, such as urbanisation and infrastructure data. Additionally, the surveys also aimed to gather data on a range of topics including many that are not commonly collected in household surveys, particularly of urban areas: A) basic socio-demographic details of household members, B) household characteristics, assets, income and expenses, C) household migration and social capital, D) household member injury and injury related death, and, for one individual per household, E) migration, social capital and depression/mental health. See the "Readme - dataset file descriptions.docx” file for a description of all files and datasets available, plus additional relevant references

Into thick(er) air? Oxygen availability at humans’ physiological frontier on Mount Everest

Global audiences are captivated by climbers pushing themselves to the limits in the hypoxic environment of Mount Everest. However, air pressure sets oxygen abundance, meaning it varies with the weather and climate warming. This presents safety issues for mountaineers, but also an opportunity for public engagement around climate change. Here we blend new observations from Everest with ERA5 reanalysis (1979-2019) and climate model results to address both perspectives. We find that plausible warming could generate subtle but physiologically relevant changes in summit oxygen availability, including an almost 5% increase in annual minimum VO2 max for 2°C warming since preindustrial. In the current climate we find evidence of swings in pressure sufficient to change Everest’s apparent elevation by almost 750 m. Winter pressures can also plunge lower than previously reported, highlighting the importance of air pressure forecasts for the safety of those trying to push the physiological frontier on Mt. Everest. </div

Stroke epidemiology and outcomes of stroke patients in Nepal: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background With an increasing burden of stroke, it is essential to minimize the incidence of stroke and improve stroke care by emphasizing areas that bring out the maximum impact. The care situation remains unclear in the absence of a national stroke care registry and a lack of structured hospital-based data monitoring. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the status of stroke care in Nepal and identify areas that need dedicated improvement in stroke care. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted to identify all studies on stroke epidemiology or stroke care published between 2000 and 2020 in Nepal. Data analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Comprehensive Meta-analysis (CMA-3). Results We identified 2533 studies after database searching, and 55 were included in quantitative and narrative synthesis. All analyses were done in tertiary care settings in densely populated central parts of Nepal. Ischemic stroke was more frequent (70.87%) than hemorrhagic (26.79%), and the mean age of stroke patients was 62,9 years. Mortality occurred in 16.9% (13-21.7%), thrombolysis was performed in 2.39% of patients, and no studies described thrombectomy or stroke unit care. Conclusion The provision of stroke care in Nepal needs to catch up to international standards, and our systematic review demonstrated the need to improve access to quality stroke care. Dedicated studies on establishing stroke care units, prevention, rehabilitation, and studies on lower levels of care or remote regions are required

Precipitation characteristics and moisture source regions on Mt. Everest in the Khumbu, Nepal

Precipitation is critical to the water towers of the Hindu Kush-Himalaya-Karakoram region, exerting an important control on glacier mass balance and the water resources for 1.65 billion people. As hydroclimatic extremes and water stress have emerged as key hazards in the context of climate change, Nepal’s Khumbu region overlaps key vulnerabilities. Here we investigate the region’s precipitation characteristics and moisture sources through analysis of data from a new high-altitude network of automatic weather stations, which allow for a more complete understanding of the climatological precipitation data that are critical information for local communities in the Khumbu region, visitors, and downstream populations. Our findings demonstrate that the northern Bay of Bengal is potentially an important moisture source during the monsoon period (June to August) and that westerly trajectories over land predominate for precipitation events during the post-monsoon, winter, and pre-monsoon seasons

Weather on Mount Everest during the 2019 summer monsoon

Records from new high altitude weather stations reveal the meteorological conditions on Mt Everest during the 2019 monsoon. Using data from June-October, we show that the temperature, humidity, and winds announce the arrival of the monsoon, with changes that amplify with elevation. The largest change is therefore at the summit, where we estimate that monthly mean air temperature increased by 5.5 °C between June and July to average -19.1 °C over the monsoon. Such warming takes temperatures into the realm of winter conditions on much lower mountains of the mid-latitudes, illustrated with the well-known Mount Washington observatory (1,916 m; New Hampshire, USA). Although other dangers of climbing Everest may be enhanced during the monsoon, the cold induced hazard is much reduced

Direct observations of a Mt Everest snowstorm from the world’s highest surface-based radar observations

This paper details the world’s highest surface-based vertically pointing radar observations from Nepal’s Everest Base Camp during a snowstorm on 17 April 2019. The radar echo extended higher than the summit of Mt. Everest at times and indicated turbulence and environments favorable for riming. The observed precipitation and velocity structures are similar to those observed in other mountainous areas and suggest that satellite-based remote sensing of snowstorms can utilize assumptions of similar structures across a range of elevations

Going to Extremes: Installing the World’s Highest Weather Stations on Mount Everest

As the highest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest is an iconic peak that offers an unrivalled natural platform for measuring ongoing climate change across the full elevation range of Asia’s water towers. However, Everest’s extreme environment challenges data collection, particularly on the mountain’s upper slopes, where glaciers accumulate mass and mountaineers are most exposed. Weather stations have operated on Everest before, including the world’s previous highest, but coverage has been sparse in space and time. Here we describe the installation of a network of five automatic weather stations (AWSs), including the two highest stations on Earth (8,430 m.a.s.l and 7,945 m.a.s.l) which greatly improves monitoring of this iconic mountain. We highlight sample applications of the new data, including an initial assessment of surface energy fluxes at Camp II (6,464 m.a.s.l) and the South Col (7,945 m.a.s.l), which suggest melt occurs at both sites, despite persistently below-freezing air temperatures. This analysis indicates that melt may even be possible at the 8,850 m.a.s.l summit, and prompts a re-evaluation of empirical temperature index models used to simulate glacier melt in the Himalaya that focus only on air temperature. We also provide the first evaluation of numerical weather forecasts at almost 8,000 m.a.s.l and use of model output statistics to reduce forecast error, showcasing an important opportunity to improve climber safety on Everest. Looking forward, we emphasize the considerable potential of these freely available data for understanding weather and climate in the Himalaya and beyond, including tracking the behavior of upper-atmosphere winds, which the AWS network is uniquely positioned to monitor. </p