KATHMANDU, Oct 13: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam has pledged to gradually amend existing laws and policies to promote geography-friendly and safe infrastructure for disaster risk reduction.
Addressing the inauguration of the Fifth National Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction here today, the minister said recent major floods in Nepal had compelled the country to take disaster warnings from experts seriously.
“Over the past 15 years, nature has repeatedly given us indications of unexpected events. Disaster experts had warned that Nepal was at risk, advocating reforms in laws and structures. However, the recent floods in Rasuwa created a situation in which we were compelled to take such warnings seriously,” she said.
Although disasters are caused by natural phenomena, the resulting loss and damage are largely determined by human actions, policies, laws and infrastructure.
Related story
Law Minister Gautam to amend laws for faster justice for sexual...
Speaking at the conference in Lalitpur today to mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Minister Gautam said the damage caused by the floods in Rasuwa would have been less if structures along the river corridor had been built in safer locations.
"It is not always possible to predict what sort of disaster will strike us. However, the scale of loss and damage caused by a disaster is also determined by our structures, laws and policies," she said.
She stressed the need to revise the development framework, taking into account Nepal's geographical position, conditions and increasing disaster risks. The minister also called for enhancing infrastructure resilience to mitigate potential loss and damage.
Minister Gautam further pledged that future laws and policies would be formulated, and existing ones revised, based on scientific facts, data and expert recommendations.
She added that the government had faced multiple challenges in rescue and relief efforts and in managing bodies following the devastating floods that struck the Rasuwa-Trishuli system on August 26.
"An inadequate number of mortuaries made it challenging to make prompt decisions on the management of bodies," she said.
According to the minister, the government ensured a legal provision through a meeting of the Council of Ministers for the safe inhumation of bodies, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for managing bodies during emergencies.