Nepal must be prepared to withstand nature's fury

Nepal also lies precariously in an earthquake zone, and many believe that a massive quake that will destroy Kathmandu is imminent.

Second, Nepal’s infrastructure is exceedingly poor and unable to withstand natural tremors. Failure on this count can be attributed not just to the state’s ineptitude but also to the country’s poverty.

Furthermore, once again, the terrain makes the establishment of solid infrastructure and the implementation of a good public policy difficult.

Every time there is a natural disaster of some kind, therefore, the costs are immense. Floods lead to deaths and displacement. Monsoons lead to cholera. And each time, the state scrambles to put together a response.

There is a tendency in Nepal to blame all failings on the government. This is natural. After all, the state is ultimately responsible for the right to life of its inhabitants. And in the confusion and anger following disasters, it makes sense to blame the government, whose rescue and rehabilitation efforts are often inadequate and delayed.

But it has to be recognised that the problem is not only with the state’s response in the aftermath of disasters. There have to be mechanisms that seek to minimise the deaths caused by natural phenomena.

A two-pronged strategy is required. First, the government, in alliance with donor organisations, has to gain knowledge of the ways in which disasters might strike and create infrastructure able to withstand those disasters.

Second, a wider campaign has to be conducted as a part of public policy. The goal of the campaign should be to inform the population about the risks they face and the various efforts they can make to minimise these risks.

Some efforts in this direction are already being taken. For example, many villages across the country have been declared open-defecation-free-zones. In the long run, this should help contain the spread of cholera during the monsoon; one major reason why cholera spreads so fast during the rains is because unproperly disposed-of fecal matter infects the water streams that people use for consumption.

Similarly, various organisations are currently engaged in efforts to raise awareness about earthquakes and teach the population how to act in a way that minimises risk when an earthquake does strike. Similar attention needs to be paid to floods as well. For one, the population should be taught how to construct houses that will be able to withstand massive deluges.

In the longer term, public policy measures of this kind will be more important than rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of calamity in ensuring minimal destruction from natural disasters.