The local government should play the main role, while the other two governments should rally behind it to tame the monster, which is the disaster
The country does not seem to be getting any respite from the monsoon disasters in view of several of them occurring in quick succession. Last week there was a glacial lake outburst flood in Thame village, which swept residential as well as government buildings. The week had not yet passed and on Saturday, a landslide occurred in Ramechhap district at Doramba Shailung, which claimed the lives of six people. The monsoon has already led to 203 deaths this year.
The number of deaths is likely to climb in view of this year heading to 55 per cent more than the average rain as predicted by meteorologists. This is likely in view of more rain falling in the first four weeks of the monsoon. Whilst the average rain is 363 millimeters, this year the rainfall was 539 millimeters in the first month of the monsoon. Climate change has been held responsible for this depressing state of affairs.
It might as well be in view of about 0.056 degree Celsius increase in the temperature in Nepal in comparison to 0.03 degree Celsius globally. This has led to higher rain in the summer followed by wildfires in the winter. Moreover, the monsoon also began three days earlier than generally expected this year on June 10 instead of June 13. It is likely that it will extend beyond September 23, regarded as the end of the monsoon period.
This is not the case only in Nepal though. In neighbouring India, many states have been marooned in flood waters. The capital, Delhi, is waist high deep in water, and the states of Gujrat and Madhya Pradesh are reeling under similar floods. Similar is the case in Bangladesh where 23 people have lost their lives due to floods engulfing virtually the whole country. It is unfortunate because it came on the heels of the nationwide stir that led to the death of more than 400 people. The protests were so widespread that Prime Minister Sheikh Hassina had to escape to neighbouring India despite winning a two-thirds majority in the recently held general election.
Why is it so in the region, in general, and Nepal, in particular? The case of Nepal is more serious as the number of deaths from the disaster is more compared to the other countries. There are many reasons for this state of affairs, but the main one is the lack of required degree of preparedness. We realise its importance when hit by the disasters but quickly forget after they subside. Nepal is thus entangled in this vicious circle. We are like that proverbial chameleon who pledges to cut firewood while encountering the chilly winter night but spends the forthcoming day basking under the sun virtually doing nothing.
Development also needs to be redefined in the context of Nepal, which is hit by several disasters almost round the year to the extent of being labelled a disaster-prone country. Development should be perceived as the virtual cessation of disasters. In the past, as the inscriptions show, the duty of the kings was to ensure the timely maintenance of the existing infrastructure before initiating any new ones. However, it can be seen very glaringly now that the government is more intent on initiating new projects without looking after the completed ones.
The local government should be strengthened to combat the likely impact of disasters because the disasters are mostly a local phenomenon. The new constitution has determined disaster management as the collective responsibility of the federal, provincial and the local government. It then follows that the local government should play the main role, while the other two governments should rally behind it to tame the monster, which is the disaster.
Disasters have been occurring in the country since time immemorial. So, instead of looking for modern solutions, indigenous methods should also be given a try. But it should be done after ensuring that the indigenous methods are scientific and effective. One of the ancient approaches has been the construction of ponds. Ponds provide a cushion to the flowing water thereby preventing the occurrence of floods. It can also be used to extinguish fires when they break.
Landslides and floods manifest due to the monsoon rain flowing downstream at a great pace along the mountains, which make up about 83 per cent of our country with only 17 per cent making up plain area. They also reduce the temperature and increase humidity, deterring the spread of wildfires. The construction of such ponds along both sides of the gullies in the highland, midland and lowland will reduce lightning, which is one of the killers in Nepal because of its occurrence in pond- caused wet highlands with a sparse population than in the midlands with dense habitation. It also confines the wild animals to their habitat due to the availability of water and fodder thus reducing the encounter with the people, which at times can be fatal. Thus, the construction of ponds, an indigenous approach, has a multi-faceted advantage.
The construction of the canal for collecting the rain water gushing down the hills and draining them to the gullies on either side can prevent landslides considerably. It could have been very effective in the case of the Ramechhap landslide had a canal been constructed upstream of the landslide-occurring area. The rain water would not splash against the feeble hilly surface, which yielded leading to the disastrous landslides.
It can thus be seen that preparedness should be made on two fronts to evade the current mishaps. Firstly, the local governemnt should focus on disaster reduction than development. Secondly, the indigenous methods which have been in use since a long time should be adopted without any hitch. The as usual approach will mire the country in the morass of disasters forever.
