Nepal monsoon disasters demand proactive mitigation, not just rescue

Nepal's monsoon season has once again brought devastation, with over 80 lives lost, nine people missing, and 196 injured in the past four months. Recent landslides in Jajarkot and Rolpa districts claimed three lives, and a mudslide in Rolpa buried a settlement, leaving 10 dead and three missing. With the monsoon season only halfway through, the death toll is expected to rise, highlighting a persistent failure by successive governments to mitigate these predictable disasters.

The country's precarious hill landscape is made more vulnerable by haphazard road construction, often carried out without proper surveys to meet targets and avoid budget freezes. This practice, known as 'asare bikas,' disregards the dangers of landslides and displacement. Compounding the issue, unregulated riverbed mining and crusher industries, often operating with political backing, intensify the impact of floods, as seen in the 2024 Roshi river flood that killed 78 people partly due to illegal mining.

While recent steps like the Home Minister's order to shut down illegal crusher plants and the deployment of rescuers are acknowledged, they are deemed insufficient. The article argues for a crucial shift in focus from rapid rescue operations to effective early warning systems that communities trust and act upon. Holding those responsible for illegal construction and mining accountable is vital, as is public adherence to warnings and avoidance of building in risky zones. Immediate relocation of over 100 households in Rolpa and urgent action in 134 settlements in Bajura district are necessary, requiring coordination between local, provincial, and federal governments.