The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a systematic qualitative analysis of the costs and benefits of constructing embankments in the lower Bagmati River basin, which stretches across the Nepal Tarai and into northern Bihar. This paper analyzes the costs and benefits of both structural flood control measures, and a wide array of local, "people-centered" strategies. These strategies range from the planting of forest buffers to the raising of houses and villages. They also include the development of early warning systems and the expansion of existing local strategies (such as the provision of boats) for coping with floods.