This is the first time that major stakeholders in the district prepared a plan beforehand to mitigate human losses and property damage due to flood-related incidents. As per the plan, the rapid response ability of the district in the case of flooding incident would be strengthened and the security of the community living in flood prone area ensured.
According to Hari Krishna Adhikari, the chief district officer of Saptari who is also the head of the District Disaster Rescue Committee, the new plan includes both preparedness and rapid response program. Nepal Red cross Society, Nepal Rural Reconstruction Association, Koshi River Victim Society among others governmental and non-governmental organizations will support the execution of the plan.
“We have prepared the plan learning from the flood incidents of the past. Even smallest aspects of the past floods were taken into account while drafting the plan,” said Adhikari. “The District Emergency Plan-2070 has been divided into eight clusters,” he added.
An Information Management and Search and Rescue Committee under the leadership of the CDO has been formed for the purpose. The committee will be responsible for collecting information of the flood, ensuring compensation and relief for the flood victims within five days of the incident and passing the collected information to the concerned authority for further action, among other things.
Similarly, A Food Cluster led by District Agriculture Office for feeding the flood victims and a Housing cluster led by Urban Development and Building Construction Department to ensure a safe place of refuge for the flood affected have been formed. Similarly, drinking water and sanitation cluster, health and nutrition cluster, and security cluster have also been formed.
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