Earthquake rescue and relief
Preparations Underway for Dragon Boat Race in Pokhara
Home Minister Bamdev Gautam on Tuesday tried to justify the lackluster government earthquake response by saying that Nepal government simply didn't have the resources to deal with such a big crisis. In a way, that is true. Nothing could have prepared us for the 7.6-magnitude whopper, the second biggest earthquake in the nation's history. It would have tested even the best-prepared countries. But even when we factor in Nepal's limitations, the government's response (or lack of it) has been disappointing. Given, the country didn't have nearly enough tents, medicines and emergency workers. But surely, after the fact, there could have been better plan to distribute rescue and relief materials that have poured in from every part of the world. Tons of such materials are now stored in the Tribhuvan International Airport, even as people in worst-affected districts like Sindhupalchowk, Gorkha and Dolakha are fighting for their lives in the absence of basic necessities.
Partly as a result of the government's lack of initiative, all kinds of rumors are circulating. Apparently, powerful ministers have been quick to dispatch relief material to their electoral constituencies. If true, such discrimination will result in many untimely deaths and further fan public resentment against the government. In Dolakha district, for example, around 40,000 people who lost their homes have been patiently waiting for tarpaulin (for tents) and vital medicines (for the sick and the injured) for the last five days. If help does not reach them soon, many will die, from their injuries or from one of the water-borne diseases that are starting to crop up due to the acute shortage of potable water. The fate of another 900 people who went missing from the Yarsagumba-trail in Dolakha on Saturday remains unknown. The situation is dire in Gorkha, too, where entire villages have been leveled. In Sindhupalchowk, there have already been over 1,400 deaths, and the toll could rapidly rise as the area between Barabise and Tatopani has been completely submerged in floods that followed recent earthquakes.
It is vital that help reaches beyond Kathmandu Valley and other district headquarters. So far the government has been able to deploy only 21 helicopters in relief and rescue. Air support is crucial since many of the worst-affected areas in Gorkha, Dhading, Nuwakot and Rasuwa are out of bounds of vehicular traffic. Many more choppers will have to be imported from India, China and other willing donors if we are to save vital lives. Outside Kathmandu, health workers have been able to reach only Sindhupalchowk. The situation should improve as those working in Kathmandu head back to their native places to offer a helping hand; in the first four days after Saturday's earthquake, 300,000 people have already left the capital. Once again, we would like to urge the government, the private sector, NGOs, INGOs, members of civil society, everyone, to extend every possible help to quake victims. Yes, the government should be held to account for its blatant failures. At the same time, the critics must realize it is also their duty to contribute to relief and rescue efforts, in whatever way they can.
