Led by a joint-secretary, a Disaster Management Department under the Home Ministry is mandated to respond to natural disasters at the central level. In districts, there are ad hoc committees led by the District Administration Officer that coordinates the response. Disaster response requires specialised human resource, but so far, regular government staff have been conducting and coordinating the response.

The joint-secretary-led department has been unable to provide instructions to the Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force, and the Nepal Army due to issues of protocol. In several cases, state security agencies have even published contradictory data about the disaster. After the earthquake, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Home Ministry were coordinating rescue and relief efforts, creating further problems, according to officials.

Without a powerful coordinating body, many international rescue teams have had to wait for several hours at the Tribhuvan International Airport as the government failed to promptly assign them to specific areas. Much relief is also similarly stranded at the airport.

Ranjan Kumar Dahal, associate professor at the Tribhuvan University and an earthquake expert, said that coordination among government agencies has proved poor and ineffective. “This situation arose due to the lack of a clear legal framework and a proper mechanism, both of which we have been asking the government to develop for a long time,” said Dahal.

Five years ago, the government had formed a National Emergency Operation Centre, with the main responsibility of gathering information related to natural disasters. The Centre has offices in 44 districts but it lacks mandate to coordinate response efforts.

The formation of a National Disaster Management Authority was floated in 2009, but there has not been any progress on it since. Civil society members and experts have long argued for such an authority and for it to be headed either by the prime minister or a senior minister so that the body can coordinate effectively and also instruct ministries and departments.

Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, informed that there has not been any progress on the formation of such an authority. If such a body is formed, experts argue that it would be much easier to mobilise all concerned authorities for rescue and relief works.

Recently, President Ram Baran Yadav asked Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to take prompt decisions regarding the formation of such an authority. But a senior Home Ministry official said that the ministry itself is obstructing the formation of the authority. In India, the National Disaster Management Authority is chaired by the prime minister. There are similar provisions in the United States and elsewhere.

Relief distribution has also been hamstrung by the bureaucracy, which first requires the collection of data on all damages. Accordingly, the District Administration Office will take a final decision on the provision of relief. This is a primary reason behind the delay in relief reaching remote areas. Senior officials also accuse local party leaders of competing to divert relief packages to their own electoral constituencies.

As a temporary measure, the government has dispatched secretaries to all 75 districts to provide relief and undertake tasks related to reconstruction.

According to Arjun Karki, secretary at the Urban Development Ministry, there is a proposal to depute joint-secretaries to all electoral constituencies to provide relief packages.

The lack of coordination has also affected the collection of funds for the relief effort.

The Ministry of Information and Communications recently issued a notice stating that those willing can make deposits through various banks, including Everest Bank, Global Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and Nepal Bangladesh Bank. This follows the government decision to distribute all relief through state channels. Even funds collected by the private sector will be disbursed through the government.

The dismal performance of the government in the aftermath of Saturday’s Great Earthquake has prompted experts to call for the introduction of a separate law and mechanism to deal specifically with natural disasters.