Ensure People’s Safety

Bini Dahal

On July 24, 2023 a 13-year-old child was swept away by the swelling Samakhushi stream. He went missing and his body was recovered after days of search in the Bagmati River at Dakshinkali. Apparently, the schoolboy had fallen into the flooded stream from a wall while playing. And this is not the first time that someone has lost their life to the monsoon flood in the Kathmandu Valley. Similar situation happened in 2021 when a child had fallen into an open drain located at Kapan of Kathmandu. 

Flash floods remain to be a common occurrence in cities like Kathmandu. They are responsible for the rivers getting totally flooded to the point that the residential areas too get swollen. A lack of a proper drainage system has become a nuisance for the people. In the past few days, we saw different parts of Kathmandu totally flooded to such an alarming level that people were unable to commute anywhere.  

Globally, rapid urbanisation and effects of climate change have come together to cause problems to people and ravage infrastructure. 

But there remain loopholes on the part of infrastructure development which has further exacerbated the problems. Taking the example of South Korea, last year, the country’s capital Seoul was totally inundated due to heavy flooding. News reports show the failure of the poorly developed urban drainage system to be the key reason behind that disaster. 

Monsoons are a reminder that our physical infrastructures like roads are not suitable for both pedestrians and vehicles. The streets of Kathmandu totally look like an adventurous destination. 

The potholes are so filled with muddy water that we hardly know if they are there. Also the roads are covered with heavy mud that can cause people to lose their footing and fall. The rivers and drainage around the capital do not have a proper barricade. That’s how people are found losing their balance and falling into dangers. 

The missing child has sparked a debate within the country about the state of infrastructures and the level of safety. Neither are we prepared for the emergencies brought by climate change nor are our infrastructures adequate to deal with such situations. 

Our urban planning principle is limited to building, destroying and leaving the infrastructures in that state for a long time until something major happens. We lack the vision and the planning to build resilient infrastructures that can withstand disasters and ensure the safety of the people. 

Every year we suffer from excessive rains and flash flooding. We are habituated to the current state. But this is not a solution to this long-term problem. We will have to question and demand accountability and action from the side of the authorities concerned. 

The issue of capital expenditure not getting utilised to its full potential is not a matter of new discussion. Why don’t we use the budget to prevent such casualties from happening? It’s not like we cannot but we just are not ready to put in the much-needed efforts to bring about changes in the existing situation.

Hopefully, before the arrival of a new monsoon season in the future, the authorities will prioritise disaster management. Just because we live in a land-locked country does not mean that we have to experience swimming and sailing through the flooded and congested streets of Kathmandu!