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National and international relief agencies are preparing food stocks, medical supplies and relief materials, as well as training rescue workers, in flood-prone parts of Nepal in the run-up to this year's monsoon season.
The Himalayan nation faces heavy disaster and humanitarian risks during the monsoon period, set to begin in July.
But early preparedness efforts are off to a better start than in previous years, said both government officials and aid agencies.
"This year, we have better preparedness activities and resources compared with previous years. We are confident there will be fewer humanitarian risks," Pratap Kumar Pathak, a senior government official from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), told IRIN in Kathmandu.
The MoHA plays a leading role in disaster management with assistance from aid agencies.
The ministry had organised pre-monsoon workshops and alerted district level officials as well as security units (army and police) to be more prepared. The Nepal Army and police have been given responsibility for emergency rescue operations, Pathak explained.
Aid challenges
"Most of the country is vulnerable during the monsoon period and it is often challenging for relief organisations," Sanjeev Kumar Kafley, director of disaster management department of the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), told IRIN.
NRCS is among the most active humanitarian agencies involved in rescuing and providing relief to flood victims.
Over the last decade, Nepal had suffered from a high number of casualties, displacement and heavy property damage during the annual monsoon period.
 Photo: Naresh Newar/IRIN  |
| Most vulnerable people are labourers and poor farmers who have no choice but to live in unsafe areas |
In 2007, more than 47 of Nepal's 75 districts were severely affected by floods and landslides, which killed 148 people, displaced more than 24,116 families (each family comprises five to seven members) and destroyed over 24,815 houses, according to a report by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Humanitarian risks
The situation has been virtually unchanged in terms of humanitarian risks, with some experts blaming the Nepalese government for failing to adopt sufficient precautionary measures to mitigate against the risks on a large scale.
"The central government is often involved in disaster preparedness work on an ad hoc basis and fails to respond and provide enough resources to the local government bodies," maintained one local disaster management expert official, who requested anonymity.
Some international agencies also expressed concern that despite serious preparedness activities taken by Nepalese government this year, there are still shortcomings at the local community level.
"The government should be commended on being pro-active in terms of this year's flood season but there are still concerns about capacity and presence at the local level of the authorities," Wendy Cue, head of OCHA in Nepal, told IRIN.
Focal point
Humanitarian and relief aid agencies explained that they were actively trying to reinforce the government's role in being the focal point for coordination during the flood season.
 Most of them have no option for alternative livelihoods and lands and are still living in unsafe zones and compromising lives |
Provisions are being made to send food supplies and non-food items such as tarpaulins, cooking utensils and clothing to remote and difficult terrain areas, which would be hard to access once the flood disaster starts, said officials from NRCS.
"Local emergency funds have been established and community-based disaster mitigation measures are under way," said Kafley from NRCS.
In addition, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has been preparing to supply medical stocks and emergency kits at the regional level to avoid any health hazards, according to OCHA.
It said that the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) had already provided WHO with a grant of US$300,000 for emergency health preparedness.
"We're also doing contingency planning and community-based awareness. There is increased preparedness in that sense," Cue said.
Meanwhile, concern remains over how to convince the most vulnerable communities to move out of the high-risk areas - especially labourers, farmers and landless people who live close to the riverside, according to NRCS.
"Most of them have no option for alternative livelihoods and lands and are still living in unsafe zones and compromising lives," said Kafley.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions