Kathmandu, July 8:

Failure to reform disaster management institutions and strengthen vulnerable communities was to be blamed for increased disaster impacts than the nature itself, a report unveiled today by Oxfam International revealed.

The report based on the survey in six South Asian countries, including Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, stated that the disaster impacts were the results of human failure, not nature.

Although Nepal is prone to a variety of hazards a failure to reform disaster management institution and strengthen vulnerable communities is exposing millions of women, men and children to unnecessary risks, the report states.

Despite the constant threat from floods, landslides, droughts and earthquakes, successive governments have failed to implement effective strategies to reduce the risk of disasters before they happen and this is particularly worrying as climate change increases the impact of weather related disaster, the report says.

Echoing the findings, the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management stressed the need for a comprehensive national policy and a new disaster management act to address all aspects of disasters at every level to prevent casualties.