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Kathmandu Tuesday January 15, 2002 Magh 02, 2058.
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Focus on regional network to
mitigate disaster hazards
Post Report
LALITPUR, Jan 14;The three-day regional workshop
on Livelihood Strategies for Living with Disasters began here today urging the need for a
regional network to mitigate disaster hazards applying locally available skills,
technology and resources.
"There should be a regional network or
institution to manage disasters as it is a cross-boarder issue," said Madhavi
Malalgoda Ariyabandu, the programme manager of Disaster Mitigation Programme of
Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG), Sri Lanka.
"The governments of the region should start
dialogue on managing disasters," she said.
Representatives of ITDG from Nepal, India,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Thailand, governments officials in the field of
disaster management in the region and donor agencies are taking part in the workshop which
is expected to outline regional strategies for coping disasters locally in the region.
Ariyabandu urged the governments of the region
to empower local communities by utilising locally available skills, resources and
methodologies, instead of importing them from other countries.
"Resource and money alone cannot be
sufficient to control disasters, so we should explore new approaches to manage disaster
hazards", said Jagadish Chandra Pokharel, member of the National Planning Commission.
"Now we should begin to manage disaster by local situation and what is available with
the local communities".
"The impacts of disaster are more on the
poor, women and the weaker section of society," Pokharel said.
Dr. K.B. Rokaya, Country Director of ITDG,
Nepal, underlined the need to make people aware of people about the locally know-how
techniques they are already familiar with to manage disaster hazards.
Speaking at the same programme, Dev Ratna
Dhakwa, General Secretary of Nepal Red Cross Society, stressed on the long-term planning
for disaster management in the region.
Mark Harvey, Engineering Advisor of DFID, Nepal,
urged the governments of the region to take the problem of disaster seriously as it causes
economic turmoil and political instability.
Dr. Govinda Nepal, Advisor of the ITDG, Nepal
and Alok Rajouria with the Policy and Programme Development also expressed their views on
the occasion.
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