Welcoming the decision to develop integrated human settlements for affected communities, experts working on disaster management have urged the government to formulate an Act for its effective implementation.

In the budget presented in Parliament on Saturday for the upcoming fiscal year, the government said it would develop integrated settlements by bringing together people from scattered villages prone to water-induced disasters in one area for the security of their lives and property.

Scattered households in all geographical regions prone to floods and landslides would be settled together to develop safer communities. To start with, the government has allocated Rs710 million to develop integrated settlements by combining five Village Development Committees prone to disaster in Bajura, the district that lies at the bottom of the Human Development Index in the country.

“We appreciate the government’s move towards disaster risk management,” said Ranjan Dahal, associate professor at the Central Department of Geology, Tribhuvan University. “However, its effective implementation is uncertain without the Disaster Management Act that awaits approval.”

“We don’t have any legislation to guide works on preparedness and disaster risk reduction. The existing policy focuses on response after a disaster occurs,” Dahal said.

The Disaster Management Bill has been in the making for five years now. After its passage from the Ministry of Law, it will be sent back to the Ministry of Home Affairs and then to Parliament. The bill was presented to Parliament earlier but was returned to the ministry for further consultation.

“We hope to send the draft bill with necessary inputs and feedback to the House soon,” said Rameshwor Dangal, chief of the Disaster Management Division under the Home Ministry.

The Gorkha earthquake in April last year destroyed more than 600,000 households, particularly in remote villages, and the new approach to rebuilding settlements and infrastructure is being debated. Many places, particularly in the mid-hills and high mountains, are prone to landslide. Experts have pointed to the need to shift them to safer locations and build disaster-resilient communities. The proposed Act envisions a National Council for Disaster Management chaired by the prime minister.