Focus On Disaster Management

The budget for the next fiscal year of 2081-82 was unveiled in an environment of political uncertainty, till it was finally made public after hectic political negotiations. Earlier, the parliament had to be adjourned many times because the proceedings were not allowed to go ahead smoothly by the opposition parties. To come back to the budget, it is natural that there was a need to disburse more funds to certain areas which need more attention than others. One such sector was in being better prepared for the consequences of the global climate change and also the natural calamities we see almost every year in Nepal, like floods and landslides for instance. Many government agencies are involved in the difficult task of dealing with this problem. 

The important participation of the various security institutions should not be overlooked by the budget and the political parties in the government. Providing relief to the victims of such calamities should also go hand in hand with the plans for better preparation in disaster management. All the political parties are well aware of the liberal democratic environment which exists in the country at present. They also surely know that they were the main architects who built this new system and now it is their duty to be in the forefront for developing the nation as well as taking heed of the hardships being faced by the common citizens of the country. 

Awareness campaigns

No reminder has to be made about the fact that the whole world at presently is suffering from the disasters brought by global climate change and all humans are not only seeing the deterioration of air quality and the dangerous level of pollution in the environment, but thousands more have also sadly lost their lives because of wildfires, sea storms, flooding and landslides among other such calamities. Even a much developed nation like the United States of America, had to witness the havoc created by tornados which wrecked many settlements and claimed the lives of more than eighteen people So it can easily be imagined how much lesser developed countries suffer, when natural disasters strike them, especially during the stormy and rainy seasons. 

Nepal also has had to bear the brunt of earthquakes which are not predictable, but also from the predictable annual dangers of floods, landslides and wildfires, whose tragic impact could be decreased by being better prepared for such events. Awareness campaigns must be carried out by the governments at all levels and the people must be informed of the 'dos and don'ts', that must be followed for not only taking care of the environment, but also in being well equipped to fight such disasters and in the aftermath to provide relief to the victims. This is not an impossible task, as at present we have the latest technologies to forecast the weather and warn the public of the dangers of storms, floods and heat waves and we are also seeing the participation of the local people and personnel of the security forces joining hands in rescue and relief measures.

Now that the monsoon season is just round the corner and we have already seen in neighbouring countries the deaths, displacements and destruction taking place, so the government here also must be serious for the prevention of natural disasters and in providing better equipment to local bodies and security forces to act quickly to such emergencies. It was reassuring to hear that some sections of the security forces have already initiated rescue drills and also trainings for responding quickly when floods take place. But it would be better if the government chalked out a plan for a 'unified' and 'all the time ready' security apparatus to be formed with more manpower and better equipment like modern boats and fire fighters, so that lesser people would suffer from this sort of calamities. 

Better prepared

In this context, it has come as a welcome move on the side of the government to form a 'task force' to deal with this problem which causes havoc in the low lying areas, the highlands which suffer from many landslides and also the Himalayas where the snow is melting fast, causing dangers in different ways. It seems that the authorities have fully realised the need for a body which could not only prevent natural disasters but at the same time create more awareness among the people of the dangers that come with it as well. The Home Ministry has 'decided to form a taskforce to provide relief and rescue people from disaster risks as the monsoon is about to set in'. The taskforce will have representatives from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal Army, Department of Roads, representatives of helicopter services, Meteorological Forecasting Division, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology and its term will be until coming October'. 

This announcement has immensely given comfort and assurance to the people, especially those who are most vulnerable to such monsoon induced disasters. At a time when local bodies and other authorities have not been able to cope more effectively when natural calamities strike and then in the aftermath officials have to provide relief materials to the victims, now it has been proved that the government is serious about this issue and has acted in time and in a prompt manner before the disasters take place. Just like what is said in an old adage that 'better warned, is better armed', we all have to learn to live with the tragedies, displacement and destruction caused by the unpredictable path that nature takes sometimes, but it would not be unwise to be 'better prepared' for such eventualities, so that our own citizens and people in all the parts of this globe would feel safer in their abodes and suffer less in the long run.

(The author is former chief editor of this daily)