Enforce Buildings’ Code

ON the occasion of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Day-2001, Nepal Geological Society, in collaboration with the Home Ministry, UNDP, the Disaster Mitigation Support Programme Project and NEST-Nepal, organised a discussion programme on "Countering Disaster, Targetting Vulnerability" the other day in the capital city. The programme was the first of its kind organised in Nepal in pursuant to the UN’s call for observing the second Wednesday of every October as the ISDR Day for a decade, starting from 2001. That Nepal straddles a 1,200-kilometer long seismic zone that runs along the entire Himalayas is very well known to all by now. As such, it looks to reason for all, particularly the concerned authorities, to have disaster relief and mitigation plans that could be speedily activated whenever an earthquake rumbles through the country. The fact that no seismologist has, till date, come up with a gadget that can accurately predict an earthquake from happening is all the reason more for the concerned authorities to be not only on their toes constantly but also to have plans to mitigate an earthquake’s adverse impacts on the country and the people.

Seismologists and quake-induced disaster management experts, on the basis of their erudite studies, aver that the after-shocks of an earthquake are more deadly than the initial shocks. In other words, more precious lives and limbs are lost to the devastation that occur immediately in the wake of an earthquake. As such, precautionary measures to mitigate the after-shocks’ adverse impacts on the people and vital infrastructure should not only be chalked out by the concerned authorities but also widely broadcast to the people. Amongst the possible precautionary steps, one is to come up with updated codes related to the construction of buildings and essential infrastructure like dams, bridges, roads and irrigation facilities. For, by now it is crystal clear to all that falling debris from quake-hit buildings are the main cause of casualties. Also, that those vital infrastructure that disregard the codes’ specifications tend to buckle or burst whenever a major quake occurs in areas where they are situated. Hence, if the people’s precious lives as well as the nation’s vital infrastructure are to be saved and protected from a quake’s adverse impacts, not only must the building and construction codes be strictly enforced by the concerned authorities but they also need to have disaster relief and mitigation plans always at a ready.

Contributions Hailed

THE seventh Police Day was observed recently. The Nepal Police in the recent years have gone an extra mile to protect the lives and property of the countrymen at large. The role and responsibility of the Nepal Police have increased manifold in the past couple of years. It was kept on high alert throughout the Kingdom following the surfacing of the Maoist insurgency. Despite all odds, the policemen posted to the insurgency hit districts carried out their duties honestly. Hundreds of them laid down their lives for the cause of peace and never gave in to the perpetrators. The function organised recently to bestow heartfelt tributes to the policemen who paid with their lives in the conflicts turned into a fountain of tears. Young women widowed at an early age sobbed heavily as soon as the flash back of their togetherness with their dear ones came to their minds. All this is a telling tale of the agony being endured by the families of the policemen killed in the cross firing. Irrespective of the hardships, the policemen have performed their duties with unwavering commitment and dedication. A plain assessment of the Nepal Police and its performance under the given constraints reveals that it needs to be rewarded. The government must leave no stone unturned to give respite and consolation to the families of the policemen who were killed in the attacks. The need of the hour is to give the compensations on time and instill a sense of confidence amongst the bereaved families. This would certainly lift the morale of the policemen who have been working selflessly to ensure peace and security. The government must devise new training package on criminal investigation and should accordingly provide the required logistics to strengthen the Nepal Police. Since the Police personnel are working round the clock to maintain peace and security, they need to be rewarded for their service. The maintenance of peace and security will largely depend on the cooperation, which the police personnel get from the general public. Hence it needs to be stressed here that the people must extend their cooperation to the police whenever the need arises. The partnership between the police and the public alone can quell violence and prevent all forms of undesirable social activities.