Valley
Kirtipur wards devise disaster mgmt plan
As per the government’s directive to identify open spaces for damage mitigation during natural disasters like earthquakes.On Friday, the plan was handed over to Kirtipur Municipality on the occasion of Disaster Management Fair 2015. The plan consists of the municipality’s currently implemented and possible future strategies. Earlier, the government had declared 83 open spaces, including the Tribhuvan University and neighbouring areas in Kirtipur, in the Valley.
In the fair, 19 Wards of the municipality had kept exhibition stalls related to earthquake safety, preparedness and future plans to raise awareness on precaution and damage control in the event of natural disaster. The fair was organised under the Urban Drinking Water and Sanitation Preparedness and the community-based Disaster Risk Management Project. During the fair, Home Ministry’s Disaster Management Division chief Pradip Kumar Koirala highlighted the need to construct earthquake-resistant houses. He said the government is implementing the Building Construction Code.
As part of the plan, Disaster Management Committees have been set up in all Wards of Kirtipur, with 50 percent participation of women. Taskforce for pre-information and communication, search and rescue, first aid, emergency drinking water and sanitation, and damage and necessity analysis have also been formed for capacity enhancement.
The government in association with Environment and Public Health Organisation (Enpho) and Lumanti has been organising earthquake safety programme across the country with the support from UK government and Oxfam.
Lawmaker Rajendra Kumar KC claimed all households in his constituency have been adequately prepared in the event of an earthquake. Additionally, schoolchildren in Kirtipur have been readied with earthquake drills while there are 22 volunteers in the municipality trained in disaster management.