Incessant rains causing flash floods in Banke, Bardiya, Surkhet, Accham, Kailali and Nawalparasi districts of the Western region have reportedly killed at least seven persons, with 10 locals missing since Saturday. The establishment’s shoddy preparedness in handling the emergency has been exposed once again due to the delay in reaching relief materials to the affected areas and mounting rescue operations. The swollen waters of rivers like Rapti, Babai, Juruwa and Duwa Khola have submerged dozens of VDCs.

Despite the predictability of widespread havoc that the monsoons can wreak, no government has taken care to prepare for such eventualities at short notice. Now that dozens of houses have been swept away, the problems of those rendered homeless are yet to be tackled. Instant efforts should be made to uplift food supplies, medicines and drinking water to inaccessible areas. Though the Armed Police Force, Nepal Police and Nepali Army have been pressed into rescue operations, volunteering by civil society members, NGOs and politicians in helping the distressed would be highly meaningful. After all, this is an opportunity to prove one’s real intent and worth. Given the frequency of floods Nepal needs a more reliable weather forecasting system. The best way would be to assemble a stand-by relief team that can save human lives, especially in disaster-prone areas. A long-term rehabilitation plan would also enable the affected to return to their homesteads and rebuild their lives. But before that, the government will have to focus on the rescue operations on a war footing to save as many lives and as much property as possible.