The Strategies for Disaster Risk Reduction in Nepal

There is no doubt that natural disasters cause mass destruction. They can unexpectedly destroy livelihoods and can strike in any part of the world. Since there is nothing that can be done to escape their threat, measures must be taken by both the local, national and international community to build resilience and help mitigate disaster risk. Feasible technology exists to aid in the mitigation process, but it is often not implemented due to many reasons, such as lack of funds, lack of legislation, lack of implementation of legislation, and lack of communication between the governments and the scientific community.

The use of technology in disaster risk reduction can “substantially reduce losses of lives and property,”1 of every nation, and as more technology, and with “growing populations, the increasing rate of urbanization, and steady global warming,”2 risks continue to escalate faster than the scientific community can keep up.

This is why the acceleration of development and implementation of technology is extremely important in order to reduce the effects of natural disasters.

Before the recent earthquakes that struck Nepal in April and May of 2015, not many of the disaster risk reduction strategies that were put in place exploited exploited the use of technology as a facility. Studies even demonstrated that “A high number of human casualties and loss of public and private property in Nepal [is] due to natural disasters [and] may be attributed to… inadequate technical knowledge for mitigating the natural disasters.”3 But the jolt of the earthquake to the spurred the government of Nepal to begin implementing more sciencebased approaches to the natural disaster mitigation effort, such as Practical Action, a “leading organization in Early Warning System (EWS) development in the country.

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”4 The company also has a community-based sector, focusing of Community Based Early Warning Systems (CBEWS), and even plans on expanding its aid to India and Bangladesh.

The organization has helped fund the development and implementation of many diverse technologies for the purpose of risk mitigation, such as water filtration systems for the local level 6, rainwater harvesting ?, innovative irrigation techniques 8, and even drought-resistant crops. They have also raised funding for the development of earthquake and flood-resistant housing, and has equipped many communities in Nepal with facilities and technology that lessens the burden of natural disasters on the nation. Since the earthquakes, Nepal has also implemented its own building code, with the Building Code Implementation Program in Nepal (BCIPN), that lists the standards that infrastructure should meet. This code, although thorough, is not completely followed, because of the country’s poor conditions in rural areas.

Although many nations already have strategies for disaster risk reduction, some of them may not include technology in their efforts. Nepal recommends that nations that do not already have a government sector overseeing the disaster risk reduction and technology, especially countries that are prone to natural disasters, establish one, such as the National Society for Earthquake Technology in Nepal (NSET). Funding for technology research is also an important step in the destruction prevention of future disasters, as new technology can aid not only one nation, but others as well. Much loss of livelihood from earthquakes and can occur due to lack of clean water, which is why water transport infrastructure should be protected and enhanced to be able to resist the force of flooding and earthquakes. Similarly, electric power transmission methods should be reinforced to also be disaster-resistant, in order to keep communication running smoothly nationally and transnationally.

Locals also need to be instructed about the proper usage of technology that aids in the mitigation effort, such as water purification mechanisms and first aid technology that they may be equipped with. Most importantly, infrastructure should be built by a strict rule, being reinforced to be able to withstand earthquakes, floods and any other natural disasters. The country of Nepal already has some of these strategies in place, and although our nation still has a long way to go in becoming completely disaster resilient, we are willing to cooperate and share ideas with other nations during the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2015, in order to meet this mutual goal.

Works Cited

1. Basher, Reid. “Science and Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction: A review of application and coordination needs,” Joint Centre for Disaster Research, Massey University Wellington. Documents. 31 March 2013. Web. 30 October 2015.
2. Jude Dineley, “Intelligent technology helps manage natural disasters,” The University of Melbourne. n.p., n.d. Web. 3 November 2015
3. Tuladhar, Gangalal “Disaster risk reduction knowledge of local people in Nepal,” Geoenvironmental Disasters. Articles, Research. 26 February 2015. Web. 30 October 2015.
4. Practical Action. “Post-earthquake reconstruction in Nepal” The Schumacher Centre. Nepal, Nepal
5. Practical Action. “Disaster Risk Reduction in Nepal” The Schumacher Centre. Nepal, Disaster Risk Reduction. n.d. Web. 3 November 2015
6. Practical Action. “Dams” The Schumacher Centre. Climate Change, Our Solutions, Coping With Drought. n.d. Web. 3 November 2015
7. Practical Action. “Rainwater Harvesting” The Schumacher Centre. Climate Change, Our Solutions, Coping With Drought. n.d. Web. 3 November 2015
   With Drought. n.d. Web. 3 November 2015
8. Practical Action. “Coping with drought” The Schumacher Centre. Climate Change, Our Solutions. n.d. Web. 3 November 2015