Bhaktapur, January 15:

Various programmes were organised here today to mark the National Earthquake Safety Day-2006.

The Earthquake Safety Day National Committee has been organising various events for a week with the theme “Earthquake cannot be prevented, but its destructive effects can be minimised through preparedness”.

Vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers, Kirti Nidhi Bista, said the nation should be prepared to cope with the possible disaster because nobody can prevent earthquake.

Home Minister Kamal Thapa said the government has come up with various plans to minimise the loss due to probable natural calamity, including earthquake. “A task force has already been formed and it is making preparations on how the relief and other necessary support could be dispatched to the victims immediately,” he said. He also informed that the works to formulate a national strategy on the management of natural disasters is in its last stage.

Chief Executive Officer of the Bhaktapur Municipality, Hem Sharma Pokhrel, said the municipality has formed different disaster management committees at wards and areas. For the first time in Nepal the Khwopa Engineering College, run by the Bhaktapur Municipality, has started MSc programme in Earthquake Engineering from this academic year.

Executive director of the National Society for the Earthquake Technology, Amod Mani Dixit, and principal of Khwopa Engineering College Rajan Suwal described about the importance of earthquake safety technologies to prevent the loss of lives and property.

Vice-chairman Bista also inaugurated a three-day exhibition on earthquake safety.

Earlier chairman of the Earthquake Security Day National Committee Kamal Thapa offered garlands at the Earthquake Memorial at Bhugol Park in New Road, Kathmandu. The memorial was built in memory of those killed in the earthquake of 1990 BS.

Chief Executive Officer of Kathmandu metropolitan city, Padma Raj Regmi, said some concrete measures should be adopted to protect life and property. The KMC has introduced building code to minimize earthquake risks in the city.

Meanwhile, Lalitpur sub-metropolitan city organised a photo exhibition and gave general guidelines for the construction of earthquake safety buildings at Patan Durbar Square.

Badri Krishna Tamrakar, chief of the mapping section, said Lalitpur has recently trained thirty masons for effective implementation of guidelines for construction of earthquake safety buildings. “We are strictly monitoring construction of new buildings.

Keeping in view of narrow roads, cluster of old and new houses at the courtyards of Patan, ward 16 is prepared with rescue equipments for 1000 families which included helmets, shovels, jackets, torches, lanterns, said Dilip Joshi of the Nepal Red Cross Society.

“These tools are distributed in strategic spots. We have already trained 60 rescuers from the community,” he added.