KATHMANDU: The government is to mobilize volunteers for mitigating the damage caused by disasters.

The final preparations are made for forming the National Volunteers Bureau in line with the provisions made in the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, 2074, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management National Strategy, 2075, and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Regulations, 2076.

A guideline is also being prepared in this connection. Volunteer mobilization for disaster damage prevention would be the first such exercise in the country with the implementation of this guideline.

The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has prepared the draft of the ‘Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Volunteer Bureau Formation and Mobilization Guidelines, 2077’ and preparing to implement it at the earliest.

The executive body of the Authority will likely approve the guidelines in its next meeting, the Authority’s chief executive officer Anil Pokharel said. The preliminary draft of the guidelines was tabled in the Executive Committee’s meeting before this. The Home Minister chairs the executive committee.

Pokharel said the main goal of the guidelines is capacity enhancement in disaster risk reduction by mobilizing the volunteers.

Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa has expressed the belief that the guidelines will help make the disaster preparedness, risk reduction, and rescue and rehabilitation programs effective.

“The proposed draft of the guidelines is in discussion process. The plan is to get it approved and implemented at the earliest,” CEO Pokharel said.

It is stated in the proposed guidelines that there would be separate institutional structure at the federal, province and local levels.

The Bureau will carry out its works in coordination with the local level and the administration offices concerned. Its structure will reach to the ward level itself.

The proposal states that the ward volunteer committee and the community volunteer groups would be formed.