4th National Disaster Risk Reduction Conference held

Lalitpur, Assay 28. The 4th National Disaster Risk Reduction Conference, which began with the main slogan of "Invest not in disaster, but in resilience", was concluded on Tuesday at ISIMOD, Khumaltar, Lalitpur.

Speaking at the closing session, the Chief Guest and Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Kulman Ghising said that building sustainable physical infrastructure is essential for disaster reduction. According to him, as natural hazards such as monsoons, floods, landslides and earthquakes are recurring in Nepal, it is time to focus on sustainable and safe development.

"As recent disasters in Ilam and Jhapa have shown, early warning systems and local preparedness have been able to minimize human losses. However, due to weaknesses in river systems and settlement management, huge physical and economic losses have occurred," Minister Ghisingh said.

He mentioned that construction of reservoir wire, geological mapping, restoration of safe settlements and water resource management should be prioritized for disaster management. "If the reservoir was built, it could have solved both the flood and drought problems for agriculture. But smart city was built where the reservoir was to be built, this is not a sustainable idea," he commented.

मन्त्री घिसिङले पहाडी र हिमाली क्षेत्रमा हिमताल फुट्ने सम्भावनाबाट उत्पन्न जोखिमबारे पनि चेतावनी दिंदै कमजोर भूभागमा नयाँ बस्ती विस्तार रोक्नुपर्नेमा जोड दिए।

Similarly, he mentioned that the recent monsoon in Ilam caused less damage than Saeche due to the rescue work and advance notice given by the local authorities, there was no human in the hydropowers and other damages were also less. Minister Ghising said that due to preparations like "killing foxes and killing tigers", human losses and damages are reduced, so special attention should be paid to preparations in the future.

Isabelle Kozeil, Deputy Executive Director of ISIMOD, said that Nepal's preparation and commitment are commendable. She mentioned that Nepal should advance in disaster management by prioritizing the perspectives of women, persons with disabilities and other inclusive groups.

"The early warning system in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region has strengthened regional cooperation. It is benefiting not only Nepal but the entire region," she said.

While summarizing the conference, the President of Depinet Raju Thapa said that multi-sectoral cooperation for disaster risk reduction is increasing in Nepal.

The event was presided over by Dinesh Bhatt, Executive Director of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. Dinesh Bhatt, the executive director of the authority, emphasized the need to increase coordination and partnership between all levels of agencies in line with the goal of building a 'Resilient Nepal' by 2030. He said, "A body like NPDRR will be formed at the state level as well. Sustainable disaster management is possible only through cooperation between the private sector, local government and security agencies."

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority organized the conference in collaboration with Ministry of Home Affairs and National Disaster Risk Reduction Forum (NPDRR). The program was co-hosted by Dipinet and Isimode.

During the two-day conference, the participants discussed papers and experiences on issues such as climate change, urban risk, flood-landslide management, early warning system, role of local government and inclusive reconstruction.