Kathmandu, January 15:

Nepal Red Cross Society is all set to launch Community Based Multi-hazards Risk Reduction Programme in Kathmandu valley and Kavre, Udaypur and Sindhuli districts to help reduce risks from natural and man-made disasters.

The programme, to be launched on January 18, will focus on reducing the hazards by earthquakes, floods, landslides, fire and epidemics.

The programme includes assessing the probable hazards and their risks to the communities, vulnerability identification and identifying the measures to cope with them.

The package will train the participants on first aid, search and rescue, storage of food and non-food items and operation of early warning system.

Talking to this daily, executive director of the NRCS Umesh Prasad Dhakal said the organisation is basically focused on disaster relief activities but the new package aims at preparing communities for any kind of disasters so as to minimise the possible risks and number of casualties.

Sanjeev Kafle, director of Disaster Management Department in the NRCS, said five communities each in Kathmandu valley, Kavre, Udaypur and Sindhuli districts have been identified on the basis of need-assessment and that the programmes would be launched there.

The focus of the programme would be on the types of hazards the areas are chiefly vulnerable to.

“Kathmandu is highly vulnerable to earthquakes so the main focus of the programme package here would be on earthquakes, with second priority to fire, landslides and epidemics,” he said adding that landslide and floods would be the central focus of programmes in Kavre, landslides in Sindhuli and floods in Udaypur.