Forum (Spotlight Weekly)

“Strategies for Disaster Management in Nepal”

By Lekh Nath Pokharel

Nepal is a disaster-prone country because of its geo-physical condition. The geo-physical situation is the main factor that causes natural disasters in this country. Natural disasters may occur in one or other forms such as landslides, floods, fire, earthquake, windstorm, avalanche, thunderbolt, glacier-lake outburst and cold wave.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has initiated various efforts to mitigate the impact of natural disasters. The Natural Disaster (Relief) Act, 1982 is a milestone in disaster management. The Ministry of Home Affairs has taken some concrete steps towards improving disaster management situation in the country.

As mentioned in the Natural Disaster (Relief) Act, a high level Central Disaster Relief Committee headed by Home Minister is constituted to carry out rescue-and relief operation at the time of disaster. Moreover, the Central Committee formulates disaster-related national policies for disaster management and sets standard norms of relief assistance to be given to disaster victims either in cash or kind.

The Department of Narcotics Control and Disaster Management was established to strengthen the response capability of the government on February 16th, 2001. According to the Act, His Majesty's Government may give orders for the implementation of relief works in disaster-affected areas to any one concerned agency to undertake any one or all of the following works.

The authority under the guidance of the government can go to the extent of closing down any governmental or non-governmental offices and other institutions in disaster areas if it becomes necessary. It can also prohibit any activities in the disaster area that may hinder smooth flow of relief works.

In this connection, the authority also decides the employees of governmental or non-governmental offices or institutions for deputation in the calamity-hit area. In times of need the concerned agency also evacuates the people from disaster-affected area to the area of safety.

Besides these tasks, the authority also collects necessary food grains, clothes, medicines, construction materials and other items from governmental, non-governmental offices, institutions and individuals and distributes it to natural-disaster victims. Likewise, the concerned body also constitutes aid groups and sends them to disaster areas and takes necessary security measures for the safeguard of the life and property of the common people.

Strategies for Disaster Management: The Ministry of Home Affairs is the focal agency that co-ordinates the activities of disaster management at the central level in the country. It helps the government to formulate national policies and implements programmes on natural disaster preparedness and mitigation, conducts immediate rescue and relief works, collects data, disseminates information and mobilizes funds and resources for disaster victims in calamity-hit areas.

It has its network throughout the country to cope with natural disasters. The Regional Disaster Relief Committee was constituted last year in five-development regions to carry out rescue and relief operation and to coordinate between the District Disaster Relief Committee and the Central Disaster Relief Committee.

The Regional Administrator chairs the Regional Disaster Relief Committee and seventy-five Chief District Officers are responsible to respond to any disaster that occur in their respective areas. The Ministry of Home Affairs is the key agency for immediate response during the time of natural disasters.

The Department carries out 'pre', 'during' and 'post' disaster activities as well. Primarily, the strategies of the government for disaster management are to carry out rescue and relief works in disaster- affected areas, work towards the reduction of the loss of life and property, mitigate the sufferings of the people, control and mitigate natural disasters, develop hazard maps, rehabilitate disaster victims in coordination with the related agencies, arrange funds and resources to relieve the disaster victims, carry out disaster awareness campaign by conducting trainings and publications, coordinate with the non-governmental agencies, to collect and analyze disaster data, and disseminate information, among others.

National Action Plan 1996: The Ministry of Home Affairs prepared a National Comprehensive Plan on Disaster Management in 1996. This plan emphasizes the improvement of national capacity for disaster management and institutional structures. The plan also focuses on hazard mapping, risk assessment, rehabilitation of the victims and the reconstruction of damaged infrastructures, vulnerability analysis and so on. As the objectives of the plan are very wide, keeping in view resource constraints, it may take a long time to attain all the objectives and needs timely revision for the full implementation of the task.

Certain natural factors like rugged and fragile geophysical structure of the country, high peaks, high angle of slopes, complex geology, variable climatic conditions, active tectonic processes and human components like unplanned settlement, increasing population, weak economic condition and low literacy rate lead to both man-made and natural disasters.

Apart from these reasons, the lack of coordination among agencies related to disaster management, resource constraint, the lack of technical manpower, the lack of public awareness, very remote, rural and difficult geo-physical situation of the country and the absence of modern technology also hinder disaster relief operation in the country.

Last but not the least, equally important to consider is that disaster management is a multi-disciplinary task. It is also a multi-disciplinary responsibility requiring coordinated and concreted efforts from all disaster management-related agencies. Despite different challenges and limitations, however, it is a matter of satisfaction that Nepal is gradually making progress in disaster management.

Being a developing country, Nepal lacks sufficient resources to provide adequate assistance to natural disaster victims. Mainly, reconstruction and rehabilitation programs have had to suffer due to such resource constraints. Nevertheless, despite very limited funds and resources, the effort of the Ministry of Home Affairs is on to cope with natural and man-made disasters.

Taking this in view disaster management component should be incorporated in all development plans of the country. The country also needs support and encouragement from all quarters to strengthen her capabilities in natural disaster prevention and mitigation. In this regard, the role of various disaster-related governmental and non-governmental organizations in disaster management is praiseworthy.

(Pokharel has been involved in the Disaster Management activities for the last six years)

(Associated with the Department of Disaster Management, Singh Durbar, Kathmandu)