KATHMANDU: Monsoon is already here but the Ministry of Home Affairs is yet to approve the Preparedness and Response Action Plan prepared by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority under the Ministry.
Moreover, the officials of the Authority have not been able to meet Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand for the approval of the Plan.
It may be recalled that as many as 258 people died in the monsoon last year. Likewise, 65 people went missing and around 200 people were injured.
However, the Ministry of Home Affairs — responsible for disaster preparedness and response – seems to be least bothered.
The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has predicted that this year’s monsoon will receive above-average rainfall this year.
According to meteorologists, there is a 55 to 65 percent chance of above-average rainfall in this year’s monsoon.
The Department has projected more than average rainfall in the Terai region of Province 1, the north-eastern part of Bagmati province, the southern part of Gandaki Province, Lumbini province, and the north-western region of Karnali province, and the northern part of Sudarpaschim.
About 80 percent of the annual rainfall in Nepal occurs during the monsoon.
During the monsoon in Nepal, landslides, floods, erosion and inundation cause human and infrastructural damage every year.
However, preparedness in this regard has been sluggish.
The Home Ministry’s failure to approve the ‘National Action Plan for Monsoon Preparedness and Response – 2079’ shows how insensitive the Ministry is to the monsoon disaster.
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