Lalitpur: Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal has declared the government’s unwavering commitment to reinforcing, institutionalising, and expanding anticipatory actions based on disaster preparedness, early warning systems, and forecasting.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Minister Aryal made these statements during the inaugural session of the ‘4th National Dialogue on Anticipatory Action,’ a two-day event. The Minister conveyed optimism that the dialogue would foster new learning, innovative ideas, and stronger collaboration, contributing to the long-term goal of reducing human and physical losses during disasters.
The event, facilitated by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), is being held at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Khumaltar, Lalitpur. Minister Aryal expressed confidence that this discussion would enhance national disaster preparedness and response mechanisms.
Nepal, a country highly susceptible to disasters, faces frequent and severe occurrences of landslides, droughts, fires, lightning, heat waves, and weather-related epidemics, exacerbated by climate change, the Minister highlighted. He emphasized the necessity for clear, evidence-based disaster forecasting and impact-based early warning systems to make preventive actions more effective.
Executive Chief of the NDRRMA, engineer Dinesh Prasad Bhatta, pointed out that Nepal experiences almost all types of disasters except tsunamis, underscoring the urgency of preparedness and response. He noted that nearly 80 percent of disasters in Nepal are linked to hydrology and meteorology.
UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Hanna Singer Hamdy, remarked that anticipatory, forecast-based early actions encourage learning and accountability, leading to continuous improvement in disaster response systems with each monsoon.
Additionally, Nepal Red Cross Society’s Director Buddhi Sagar Shrestha, ICIMOD Senior Advisor Arun Bhakta Shrestha, and Joint Secretary Amrit Shrestha shared their insights on disaster risk reduction and anticipatory action during the event.