Local levels told to focus on disaster preparedness

Kathmandu, June 30

With monsoon picking up pace after a dry start, National Emergency Operations Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs has requested all federal and provincial ministries, local levels, districts to coordinate with one another for effective disaster preparedness and response.

All the ministries have been told to prepare an emergency action plan and submit its copy to the MoHA within 15 days. According to NEOC, the Ministry of Health and Population will keep medical teams with necessary equipment and medicines standby.

The government in association with security bodies and I/NGOs, including Nepal Red Cross Society, has focused on preparedness

measures, the NEOC informed. The concerned districts and local levels will be required to conduct monsoon preparedness publicity campaign via community FMs and other media.

Similarly, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport will keep trained human resources with heavy equipment in strategic locations of national highways to clear possible obstruction of roads and water supply.

The Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force will extend necessary support to the concerned agency in search, rescue and relief operation.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology have been directed to disseminate weather forecast to the people through Nepal Telecom and NCELL on a regular basis. According to statistics of NEOC, as many as 12,233 persons were killed in various disasters over a  period of seven years (2068 to 2074 BS). Of them, 8,977 had died in 2015 earthquakes.

Likewise, NEOC said disasters had claimed 266 in the past two-and-a-half months (Baishakh 1 to Ashad 13) this year. Landslide, flood, epidemic, heavy rainfall, lightning and drowning are the major events of disaster during monsoon.

The Disaster Victim Rescue and Relief Standards (Sixth Amendment), 2017 requires District Disaster Relief Committee to provide a cash relief of Rs 100,000 to the grieving family of each victim killed in the disasters. Similarly, it has provided for a provision of Rs 10,000 immediately after disaster for each household that has lost its home or food supplies.

According to the standards, the government shall bear the cost incurred for treatment of the injured persons in government hospitals and provide them Rs 1,000 as transport allowance.