Kathmandu, Oct 13: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, has pledged to build geography-friendly and safe infrastructure by gradually amending existing laws and policies for the disaster risk reduction.
During her address to an inauguration of the Fifth National Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction here today, the Minister was of the view that latest incidents of major floods in Nepal have forced us to take disaster warnings by experts seriously.
“Over the past 15 years, nature has repeatedly been indicating us for unexpected incidents. Disaster experts in were warning that Nepal was at risk, advocating for reforms in laws and structures. However, the recent floods in Rasuwa created a situation where we are compelled to bear such warnings in mind.”
Though disaster depends on the nature, its loss and damage are largely determined by human acts, policies and law and the features of infrastructures.
Speaking at a conference held in Lalitpur today, marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Minister Gautam expressed her view that the damage caused by the floods in Rasuwa would have been less provided that structures remained along the river corridor were built in other safer locations.
"It is not always possible to predict what sort of disaster will bring to us. However, the scale of loss and damage caused by a disaster is also determined by our structures, laws, and policies," she said.
She echoed the need to revise the development framework bearing in mind Nepal's geographical positioning, status and increasing disaster risk. The Minister pressed the need to enhance the resilience infrastructures to mitigate the potential loss and damage.
Minister Gautam further pledged that future laws and policies will be formulated and the existing ones will be revised being based on scientific facts, data, and recommendations from experts.
She added that the government faced multiple challenges in rescue and relief efforts, and the management of 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 for the management of bodies," she said.
According to the Minister, based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for bodies' management during emergencies, the government ensured a legal provision through a meeting of the Council of Ministers for the safe inhumation of bodies.
"Disasters teach us many lessons. Prompt decisions are often required during emergencies. However, legal provisions and social sensitivity must be taken into account when making such decisions," the Minister stressed.
Laws will be revised even considering disaster scenarios specifically issues related to the legal declaration of missing persons and the deceased, as well as matters concerning property, family relations, and other rights, she added. (RSS)
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