Relief and rehab efforts
Democracy was saved but hope is all we have
After a faulty start,relief and rehabilitation efforts finally seem to be getting some momentum. The Cabinet of Ministers on Saturday decided to relocate settlements that are at high risk of earthquakes and landslides. The new places will be finalized by a committee led by lawmakers from quake-affected electoral constituencies. Making individual lawmakers responsible for their constituencies should bring some accountability to relief efforts. But it will not be easy. Leaving your household and starting to live in a new place, collectively, will often call for complete lifestyle change. Yet that is a minor irritant compared to the much bigger risk of new settlements being opposed by current residents of the areas where they will be built. This will call for deft handling as the buy-in of locals will have to be sought every step of the way. There should also be a clear long-term plan for permanent housing of earthquake victims, not the least to secure the support of local communities.
Another important Cabinet decision on Saturday was regarding the deployment of government ministers to affected regions; on the field, they are to monitor ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts and seek victims' feedback. Personal involvement of ministers in relief and rehabilitationwill expedite the process. It will also be a sign that our ministers, often pictured in popular press as aloof from ground realities in affected areas, really care,in the process reestablishing people's trust in their government. Yet another notable Cabinet decision was to give Rs 15,000 each to the families whose homes have been completely destroyed so that they can buy zinc sheets for their temporary shelters. To check misuse, the money is to be provided after verification of victim families by VDC secretaries. There are also plans to ensure equitable distribution of help to all regions. These are all helpful measures. But the task will be far from straightforward. For one, aftershocks are still being felt, hampering relief efforts. As of this writing, 17 VDCs of Dolakha district are completely isolated as connecting roads have been blocked by repeated landslides. Nepal Army is now air-dropping relief materials in these isolated pockets. But that is not a long-term solution.
Even with the best of preparations the government would have struggled to handle the aftermath of easily the single biggest crisis in the history of unified Nepal. And government efforts have been far from foolproof. The British Chinook helicopters would have come handy in Nepal's difficult terrains. But they were inexplicably sent back. It is unfortunate that the army which has otherwise selflessly served earthquake victims let an institutional grudge get in the way of vital relief. There was also a woeful lack of coordination between government agencies: the army, apparently, wasn't ready to obey the directives of Home Ministry; ministers were reported to be quarrelling among themselves. As we have repeatedly emphasized, the crisis of this magnitude calls for collective and concerted effort of all national actors, backed by adequate funds and expertise from abroad. This is not a time for petty ego tussles or political score-settling. The hope is that the Cabinet decision on Saturday will serve as the much-needed bridge between the government and earthquake victims.
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