KATHMANDU, JULY 22

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has directed the local levels to strictly implement the recent decisions of the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management headed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for disaster risk reduction, management and response.

As per the decisions, the local levels will be responsible for mobilising their concerned disaster management committees for search, rescue and relief operations to be carried out in disaster-hit areas. While mobilising the committee in association with security personnel, the local units will make sure that the rescuers adopt necessary safety measures against COVID-19 infection.

Similarly, the local levels have been told to keep displaced persons and families in safer places.

“The local units will also mobilise all resources to clear roads obstructed by landslides and floods for smooth mobility of people and vehicles, while implementing the concept ‘Build Back Better’ for disaster risk reduction in future,” the MoFAGA said in a circular issued to local governments today.

The local levels have also been assigned to make arrangements for pre-positioning search, rescue and relief materials in the nearest and safest place of disaster-hit areas for their timely utilisation.

Meanwhile, the government has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to amend the existing Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act in such a manner as to avoid duplication of responsibilities of the federal, provincial and local levels with regard to disaster management.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 23, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.