Learning lessons from disasters yet again

The recent earthquake of 6.4 magnitude which shook Jajarkot, Rukum west and surroundings and even felt in Kathmandu and Delhi brought the real picture of much talked disaster preparedness and management in the country.

The Prime Minister, concerned minister and high officials immediately visited the place and met victims and also instructed for the best of relief and medical services.

Following to that a number of Government entities and private sector announced relief materials and cash donations for the management of the victims.

So far, the earthquake had caused death of 153 persons and injured 197 persons. Around 1,000 houses have been completely destroyed and thousands more houses are informed to have been badly damaged. The earthquake hit area is a hilly district about 600 kilometres west of Kathmandu, that is home to about 190,000 people.

Taking earthquake globally, more than one million earthquakes occur each year, or an average of two a minute. A major earthquake in an urban area is one of the worst natural disasters that can occur. During the last four decades (1970-2017), earthquakes have been responsible for over a million deaths around the world in Armenia, China, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, and Turkey.

Moreover, Nepal lies on a major geological fault line where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up into the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas, and earthquakes are a regular occurrence.

In 2015, about 9,000 people were killed in two big earthquakes in Nepal. Whole towns, centuries-old temples and other historic sites were turned to rubble. Those earthquakes destroyed more than a million houses were destroyed.

Experts are arguing that preparedness can reduce the loss and dame of people and properties. Thus stakeholders must work on possible disasters and measures of preparedness – – to reduce loss and damages.

The experts were also warning that western part of Nepal may witness bigger earthquake anytime as there has not been any big earthquake since more than 500 years. people need to prepare for bigger earthquakes. “Another earthquake may occur in the Jajarkot area. In 1,505 there was a big earthquake. Even after 500 years of the catastrophic quake, no major earthquake has occurred in the region between Gorkha of Nepal and West Kangada of India. Therefore, we should prepare for the possibility of another big earthquake at any time. Therefore the accumulated energy to shake the region may produce earthquake of more than 8 magnitudes. That may cause damages of beyond imagination. Thus, preparedness must not be delayed.

Taking easily, disaster preparedness consists of a set of measures undertaken in advance by governments, organisations, communities, or individuals to better respond and cope with the immediate aftermath of a disaster, whether it be human-induced or caused by natural hazards. The objective is to reduce the loss of life and livelihoods.

Simple initiatives can go a long way, for instance in training for search and rescue, establishing early warning systems, developing contingency plans, or stockpiling equipment and supplies.

Understanding the occurrence and frequency of natural hazards, as well as the risks, vulnerabilities and potential impact on people and assets, helps to improve preparedness.

Instead of providing emergency response only, international efforts have been focused on helping governments and communities invest in understanding risks and building preparedness capacities for pre-emptive and early action. Disaster preparedness is cost-effective and saves aid money.

These concepts are agreed upon and firmly embedded into international commitments, including the 2015 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and other declarations and documents.

Nepal’s disaster management laws are designed to support cooperation among government, domestic, and international entities. Legislation mandates inter-governmental collaboration across federal, provincial, and local levels. Nepal has also integrated the core tenets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction into the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategic Action Plan 2015-2030, underscoring its dedication to disaster risk mitigation.

In the federal government, several departments have been formed under different ministries to enhance capacity for response preparedness, and risk reduction. The provincial government coordinates between federal and local governments. The local government works directly with communities at all points of the disaster management cycle, from mitigation to resettlement, as mandated by the Local Government Operation Act 2017. The act has also mandated the establishment and operation of disaster management funds and the mobilization of resources.  Furthermore, the endorsement of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act 2017 has mandated the formation of a national council, executive committee, and authority, as well as the delineation of roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities for disaster management.

The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act 2017 has envisioned giving the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority greater power; however, it faces numerous challenges including its dependency on the Ministry of Home Affairs for cabinet decisions, limitations in financial decision-making, marginal control over security mobilization in humanitarian crises, constraints in human resource recruitment and mobilization, and regulations in decision-making power in foreign aid mobilizations.

However, the relief materials and cash donated by various entities could have been if gathered a few years back, thousands of earthquake resistant residences could be built and spare emergency relief materials including shelters, food, drinking water, medicines, lights and communication instruments. That means we could reduce the possible serious consequences to minmalities. Therefore ‘preparedness’ should consider improvement of human behaviours and living styles along with enough knowledge to stay safe and involvement in safety of others when disaster occurs.