Government approves monsoon action plan

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, May 15: The 34th meeting of the Executive Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management has approved the ‘National Monsoon Preparedness and Response Action Plan-2026’ prepared for this year’s monsoon season.

The meeting chaired by Minister for Infrastructure Development Sunil Lamsal, has concluded the meeting endorsing the Action Plan for monsoon season.

According to the Action Plan, monsoon-induced disasters are projected to affect around 226,661 people from 51,868 households across the country this year.

The plan also outlines the responsible agencies and their key responsibilities related to monsoon preparedness and response. It includes details of designated contact persons as well as essential search, rescue and relief materials required for monsoon preparedness and response operations.

The meeting further approved, with revisions, the Standards for the Formation and Mobilisation of Search and Rescue Teams-2026.

Similarly, the committee approved amendments to several policy documents, including the Artificial Incident Exercise Operational Procedure, 2026, the National Framework for Forecast-based Early Action, 2026, and certain provisions of the Disaster-Affected Private Housing Retrofitting, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Grant Procedure, 2024.