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| Kathmandu, Monday August 04, 2003 Shrawan 19, 2060. |
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Be prepared
As in the past, floods and landslides have
already taken a heavy toll of human lives, apart from millions of rupees worth of property
and standing crops washed away by floods or buried by landslides. There is nothing new in
the spate of flooding and landslides that hit the country during the current monsoon. Nor
is there anything new in the cabinet meeting and its decision to help the flood and
landslide victims. Voices are heard from the victims that the government, humanitarian
agencies and other NGOs are not doing enough for them. The help they need has either been
denied or has arrived too late.
Landslides have cut off road links to the
capital and between different parts of the country, especially in the mountain. To add to
the woe, large tracts of Nepali territory have been submerged allegedly because of the
construction of dams in India close to the Nepal-India border. It is a sad commentary on
our government and administration. Despite the natural calamities occurring year after
year, we have never taken measures either to prevent—where and when possible—landslides
and flooding or to dispatch immediate help when such calamities occur.
Political instability is often cited as the main
reason for such neglect by the government. But bureaucracy, which should see to the
continuity of generally accepted policies, has failed miserably to carry out policies on
flood control, building of retention walls and helping the victims of natural disasters.
The main point is that there is no need to hold a cabinet meeting to make decisions on
helping the victims of natural calamities. The process of dispatching succour should
proceed as smoothly as the way officials get their monthly salary. The cabinet decisions
should be taken only when exceptionally massive calamities affect a large number of
people.
The floods and landslides this year have
affected thousands of families and many have been rendered homeless. The government’s
decision to bring relief to them must be immediately implemented without political
discrimination. As far as the inundation of Nepali land, allegedly because of the
construction of dams down stream in India, is concerned, the government needs to take it
up with the Indian government so that such dams can be pulled down, if needed, and to
ensure that such dams are not constructed in the future. Natural calamities take place
despite human preventive measures. Floods and landslides in a mountainous country like
Nepal will occur in the future, too. What is important is that the authorities and others
concerned should be prepared at all times to minimise causalities and offer immediate help
for the surviving victims. |
