Dharan tragedy

A catastrophe that could have been avoided



The recent tragic event, in which 23 people lost their lives and 63 people were injured when a makeshift dormitory of a church in Dharan collapsed, was something that could probably have been avoided had there been a strict and effective building construction and safety monitoring mechanism of the government. It is very unfortunate that the victims and their families had to face this tragedy.



Every kind of construction, whether it is a makeshift or a permanent one, that houses people should be made to fulfill mandatory safety codes and procure certificates issued by a government inspector. If need be, notices should be put up to notify that a building is safe and warranted by the government. This would especially work for public buildings where large numbers of people congregate frequently thus exerting additional pressure upon the structures to avoid an unforeseeable collapse. Had safety certificates been a mandatory requirement then, most probably, organizers of the church gathering would not have housed a huge number of their sect members in a flimsy, multi-storied bamboo makeshift hut that collapsed during the night while they slept resulting in deaths and injury.



This tragic incident should be looked upon as a wake up call. Though it was just a makeshift construction that collapsed, it points out to the glaring absence of an effective building construction and safety monitoring mechanism. Considering the ongoing construction boom going on in the country, such negligence will surely invite more tragedies. Moreover, since Nepal lies along a seismic fault line it makes it even more necessary for the government to outline, prescribe and monitor implementation of effective building construction and safety codes.



We appreciate the government’s reaction to the church tragedy whereby it sent a probe committee to investigate the dormitory collapse. Let us hope that the committee is more than a mere formality and does justice to the families of the bereaved and injured. The victims and their families should be provided with suitable compensation to help them cope with the tragedy. Inquiries should be made to verify the cause of the collapse.

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