Nepal’s geography is breathtakingly beautiful, but this beauty is also what poses numerous challenges both in the course of normal development work and in reaching the most far-flung regions. This topography becomes even more of a challenge when disasters strike.
People living in Nepal, be it in Kathmandu or any of the more remote areas of the country, cannot rely on outside assistance in times of crisis. [break]
Unwomen.org
Wherever disaster strikes, be it earthquake, landslides, flooding or fire, the immediate help is going to come from within the communities themselves and it is families, neighbors, teachers, schoolchildren and friends who will save lives. Past experience has shown that young and old, women and men, and the one fifth of the population that consider themselves to be disabled, all have a role to play in response.
Nepal needs to ensure that community managed teams are trained and equipped to provide early warning and evacuation information, light search and rescue, and basic first aid. To have this capacity, disaster risk reduction and preparedness needs to be a priority from the national to local levels; communities need to be supported in ensuring mitigation and preparedness as part of development. Under Flagship 4 of the Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium (NRRC), the government and partners are working together to ensure communities are reducing risk and preparing for disaster.
It is not only in remote districts that the community has an important role to play. Much has been said about the risk of a major earthquake in Kathmandu Valley. The combination of a high population density, lack of enforcement of building codes, and lack of open spaces is the stuff nightmares are made off. Of particular worry is the state of the schools—a recent report estimated that approximately 75 percent of existing school buildings and 25 percent of newly constructed school buildings need to be either demolished or retrofitted to make them safer.
Each year, approximately 5,000 concrete buildings are being erected in a haphazard manner, which is increasing our risk each day. Building codes need to be reinforced starting from today if we are ever to reduce our risk. The responsibility is on the government to implement building codes, but also on engineers, architects, contractors, masons and landlords to factor the seismic vulnerability of Kathmandu Valley into their designs and construction. The Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium is supporting government actions on all levels, but the task is immense.
Again, when disaster strikes, the first responders will be at the community level. We know that the international airport will be down for days after a major earthquake, which means we cannot rely on international responders immediately after disaster. We must work to build the capacity of first responders from national to community level to support immediate response to save lives. The NRRC, under Flagship 2, is supporting the government and coordinating with partners to strengthen response capacity.
Today is the International Day for Disaster Reduction with the global theme ‘Living with Disability and Disaster’. Persons living with disabilities are among the most excluded in society, and their plight is magnified when a disaster strikes.
Not only are they less likely to receive the aid they need during a humanitarian crisis, they are also less likely to recover in the long-term. Risk reduction and disaster preparedness in Nepal will only be successful if we are all aware and involved in planning and preparedness activities. We can only support those who are most vulnerable if we are successfully finding ways to increase our work at community level, listen to the concerns of the whole community, and support them to help themselves in times of crisis.
The author is the
Resident Coordinator of the UN System in Nepal
Related story
Govt to work hand in hand with private sector: Finance Minister...
