We can all agree that an earthquake is a ‘natural phenomenon’ while the disaster that follows is mainly ‘man-made’. The overwhelming destruction Nepal suffered due to the Gorkha earthquake is the consequence of ‘unmanaged risks’.

As one of the most densely populated mountain countries in the world, the only option for Nepal is to be prepared for natural disasters. Additionally, a high rate of urbanisation, most of it unplanned, makes the upcoming urban areas in the country vulnerable to natural disasters. Thus, disaster preparedness is crucial to lowering the risks of disaster and increasing the resiliency of the people.

In many countries, including Nepal, one of the key essentials of disaster preparedness is ensuring safe and accessible open spaces designated for humanitarian purposes in the event of natural calamities. In 2013, the Nepal government had designated 83 open spaces for effective humanitarian coordination and response during mega natural disasters, especially earthquakes. Based on the International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) rapid assessment, which was conducted immediately after last year’s first devastating earthquake on April 25, 2015, 38 identified open spaces out of 83 in the Kathmandu Valley were being used for refuge, rescue, relief management and humanitarian aid and was holding 36,104 people.  Additionally, another 53 spontaneous sites were identified holding 41,937 people.

Learning from the recent disaster and acknowledging the importance of minimising risk of future disasters, more open spaces need to be identified, protected and conserved not only in Kathmandu but also in other cities. Planning and preparing these spaces will allow the government and humanitarian organisations to respond quickly and effectively in case of disasters in the future. Further, these spaces will play an important role especially with regard to prepositioning, logistics, warehousing and distribution, which are one of the major challenges in the aftermath of disasters. By allocating the usage of the open spaces according to its type, size, geographical and topographical characteristics, it will be much easier for the humanitarian and government bodies to respond effectively.

Most importantly, heeding the practice from Kathmandu, where the government issued a gazette notification effectively forbidding any further construction on the identified 83 open spaces, open spaces should be established in other urban areas around the country and in remote district headquarters where open areas are scarce.

Currently, the IOM in close collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), the nodal ministry for disaster preparedness, response and management in Nepal along with other donors is identifying and mapping open spaces in the western region of Nepal. The work is challenging, particularly in ensuring that these new open spaces will be protected and  all stakeholders will come together under one approach; but this work is imperative for preparing the government and humanitarian partners to effectively respond to disasters.

Additionally, communities also need to contribute to government’s efforts to protect and maintain these spaces. Although the

government is supposed to be responsible for protecting and maintaining these sites, the communities surrounding these spaces can and should take ownership of the spaces and maintain it accordingly.

 The government should also take the initiative to make the people aware of how they can do this. A couple of ways include: visiting the local Community Disaster Management Committee (CDMC) and getting information about these spaces and the overall disaster preparedness and response plan. In collaboration with the CDMC, communities can also develop a coalition of community members which could include women’s groups, youth clubs, local authorities, and local businesses and reclaim and restore these open spaces. By doing this, the communities will be involved in and aware of which will help them be prepared for natural disasters.

Moreover, such open spaces can be turned into recreational areas where people can play sports, walk their dogs, etc. By doing so, the communities’ sense of ownership of these spaces will strengthen as it will fulfil their social, economical and environmental needs.

Bohra is Policy and Program Advisor at IOM Nepal