Kathmandu, June 18

With the onset of monsoon, the government has planned to mitigate disaster risks across the country with special focus on floods and landslides.

National Council of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, which is led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, today held a meeting with stakeholders and decided to pay special attention to disaster risk, rescue and relief.

The government said federal, provincial and local governments as well as security forces would be kept on high alert. The government also decided to forge proper coordination among all stakeholders in the pre and post-disaster situations.

According to Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, who attended the meeting, the government has taken necessary decisions to reduce risks and build resilience to disasters. “It is necessary to take concrete steps, and acts and laws should be revised.” As per the government decision, the draft Disaster Risk Reduction National Policy and Strategy would get approved in line with the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act.

The government has also directed provincial governments to set up provincial disaster management committees to be led by provincial chief ministers. Disaster risk reduction and management executive committee to be led by provincial internal and law affairs minister will also be set up.

Local disaster management committees led by chiefs of local bodies will be given more power in terms of resources, capacity and rights, a statement issued after the meeting said. In provinces and

local levels, trained manpower will be deployed for pre-disaster preparation, recovery, rescue and relief distribution.

According to the statement, provincial disaster management committees, district disaster management committees and local disaster management committees, Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed police force will make arrangements for procuring necessary equipment to deal with all kinds of natural disasters, pre-disaster preparation and disaster management. Department of Hydrology and Meteorology will operate their water and rain measurement equipment in their respective areas. These measurements will provide information to beneficiaries through mobile phones and mass media, which will be coordinated by the Ministry of Communications and Information and Technology.