Kathmandu, May 21:

People working in the field of disaster mitigation have called on the non-government organisations and the government organisations to work together to minimise the effect of disasters.

Speaking at an interaction on the ‘Role of NGOs in Preparedness of Disaster Management’ organised by the Social Welfare Council today, Dr Nir Bahadur Poudel of the Disaster Preparedness Network urged the government to join hands with NGOs to reduce the risks emanating from disasters.

He asked the government to formulate policies and programmes, collect funds and coordinate with NGOs so as to make disaster management efforts more effective.

Narendra KC, who has been working in the field of disaster mitigation in remote areas, said, “NGOs and government organisations should work together for the effective implementation of disaster preparedness programmes.”

Other participants called for the mobilisation of local NGOs in disaster-affected areas to reduce vulnerability. They urged the parties concerned to make efforts to minimise damages during disasters.

Surya Bahadur Thapa, treasurer of the SWC, said, “Disasters ruin development infrastructure. We should move ahead in a planned manner to reduce the impact of disasters on infrastructure.

“Among 22,000 different organisations registered at the SWC, only around 180 NGOs have been primarily focusing on disaster management.”

The SWC has established a trust for the rescue of disaster victims, he said.