Kathmandu—Experts, lawmakers, government officials and civil society leaders working on disaster preparedness have called for timely efforts to set up effective early warning systems, including plans to manage the risks posed by various recurrent disasters in Nepal.
In a discussion organized by UNDP and Society of Economic Journalist of Nepal (SEJON) on Tuesday, as a part of UNDP’s Dialogue Series, the speakers warned that Nepal’s growth rate is at stake due to disaster risks, which has led to an estimated annual average economic loss of around Rs 1 billion.
Key note presenter during the programme, Mr. Amod Mani Dixit, Executive Director of Nepal Earthquake for Earthquake Technology (NSET) said that between 171-2013 Nepal suffered a loss over Rs. 40 billion due to disasters while 32,802 individuals lost their lives and around one third of the country’s population (6.95 million) were affected citing his own recent study. The financial loss alone speaks volumes about why we should worry about natural hazards and disaster risks, said Dixit.
In her opening address, Sophie Kemkhadze, UNDP Country Director, a.i. shed light on the importance of disaster risk management and its inherent linkages with human and economic development. She said that the concurrent discussions on Post-2015 frameworks on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the Sustainable Development Goals provide us a unique opportunity to firmly link development with understanding of, and reducing disaster risks, and also to ensure that disaster risk reduction is a key component of development and not an afterthought.
"Development discussion in Nepal cannot be complete unless the discourses also integrate disaster risk management," Ms. Kemkhadze said. "As Nepal is aspiring to graduate from LDC status by 2022, it is high time to thoroughly focus on this agenda as economic prosperity is not secured unless disaster risk management is strengthened."
Experts also cautioned against absence of legislation on disaster risk management becoming a pretext for inaction. "What we need today is awareness at all levels that disaster preparedness, including measures such as compulsory municipal approval of building construction plan is not for the purpose of revenue generation but for safety," said NSET’s Dixit.
The panellists recommended a coherent set of guidelines for relief and response which could address issues of relief after a disaster.
Other speakers during the interaction included Honorable Mr. Resham Bahadur Lama, CA Member and Coordinator of Chure Conservation Sub-Committee and member of Environment Conservation Committee (Parliamentary Committee), Mr. Shanmukesh Amatya from Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention (DWIDP), Mr. Bishnu Kharel from Care Nepal, Ms. Sarah Blin, Country Director, Handicap International, Ms. Ritva Lahti, Country Representative, Nepal, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Dialogue Series is part of UNDP’s attempt to generate debate on development challenges facing Nepal. We have been collaborating with local partners in organizing the Dialogue Series since early 2013.