All-Party meeting decides to step up coordinated disaster response efforts

KATHMANDU, Sept 30: An all-party meeting convened by Officiating Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh at the Prime Minister's Office in Singha Durbar on Sunday has decided to enhance rescue, relief, and re-establishment efforts during the ongoing disaster caused by heavy rains and subsequent flooding and landslides.

The meeting emphasized the necessity of an integrated response involving all political parties, government levels, and the private sector. Here is the full text of the decisions taken by the meeting:

1. We offer our heartfelt condolences to all the people who lost their lives in the floods and landslides caused by the incessant rains and express our deepest sympathies to the bereaved families.
2. To immediately rescue and provide proper shelter, food, water, and other relief materials to those affected by the floods and landslides caused by the incessant rain.
3. If traffic is blocked due to landslides and floods, the stranded passengers will be taken to their destinations through the joint efforts of the relevant district disaster management committee, district transport business association, and security personnel.
4. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport will utilize all its mechanisms to immediately clear the landslides and resume traffic on highways that connect the capital with the rest of the country. Additionally, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation will repair the damaged transmission lines and powerhouses, while the Ministry of Power Supply and Information and Communication Technology will work to restore interrupted internet and telephone services as soon as possible. The Ministry of Water Supply will take necessary actions to repair the water supply system damaged by floods and landslides.
5. Although there is a gradual improvement in the weather, the Ministry of Health and Population will, in coordination with local and provincial governments, employ both preventive and curative measures in the affected areas to minimize the possibility of epidemics following the catastrophic floods.
6. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply, with the participation of the private sector, will arrange for the common people affected by the disaster to easily access food, vegetables, fruits, gas, and other essential daily necessities at reasonable prices, especially with the upcoming festivals like Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath.
7. The relevant ministries will collect details of the damage caused to infrastructure such as bridges, roads, schools, health posts, security agency buildings, electricity structures, and the agricultural and livestock sectors due to floods and will proceed with the necessary processes for reconstruction.
8. The Ministry of Urban Development, in coordination with the National Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Authority, will initiate the necessary processes to manage proper housing for the resettlement of victims who lost their homes due to landslides.
9. At this time of calamity, all political parties, all three levels of government, and the private sector should work collaboratively for rescue, relief, and rehabilitation. There is an appeal for the private sector, citizens, and organizations to support the Prime Minister's Disaster Relief Fund.