From Disaster Response to Disaster Resilience

Four days of continuous rain have exposed the country's vulnerability to natural disasters. Since September 24, floods and landslides have killed many individuals, buried houses, and displaced hundreds. At least 407 people were saved, with over 1,000 evacuated from Rupandehi alone. The Kaligandaki washed away roughly 80 houses in Farse, Parbat, and inundated about 50 houses in Setibeni. Six homes were swept away in Butwal, while hundreds more were swamped elsewhere. The ultimate human and property losses may escalate as more information is received from impacted regions. The destruction to infrastructure is similarly concerning. Landslides and floods affected at least 11 major roads, including the Prithvi and BP highways, while the Narayangadh-Muglin route was repeatedly obstructed. The Trishuli eroded a portion of the road at Simaltal. Roads including the Karnali Corridor, Karnali Highway, Mid Hill Highway, and Rapti Highway were also closed. Bridges in Syangja, Gulmi, and Myagdi were washed away. Damage to hydropower facilities, transmission lines, and substations impacted around 1,800 MW of the energy system at various periods and locations. Telecommunications were affected when optical fibre networks and power supplies collapsed. Heavy monsoon rain is not anticipated in Nepal. Steep mountains, unstable slopes, rapid moving rivers, and communities packed into valleys and riverbanks provide circumstances in which heavy rains may swiftly cause landslides and flooding. However, geography cannot explain the magnitude of all disasters. Nepal often constructs roads by cutting unstable mountains without proper drainage or slope protection. Settlements spread along riverbanks and floodplains. Bridges, retaining walls, and drainage systems are often planned for historical circumstances rather than for future bad weather. Maintenance is done after something collapses, rather than before the rain hits.

This time, however, officials deserve credit for taking preventative measures. Warnings were issued ahead of the heavy rain. People were evacuated from endangered communities by security forces, local governments, and disaster relief organisations. The evacuation of residents Farse is especially praiseworthy. Dozens of homes vanished, but the inhabitants had already left. A similar concept was employed elsewhere. Closing unsafe routes and evacuating people before rivers reached catastrophic levels likely contributed to a considerably lower death toll. However, evacuation can only safeguard individuals from imminent threats. It cannot safeguard a bridge, highway, gearbox line, or home. It needs infrastructure that can resist catastrophes.

Nepal must therefore change its focus from restoring what floods have destroyed to developing infrastructure that is more difficult to damage in the first place. Roads need adequate drainage, retaining structures, slope stabilisation, and frequent maintenance. Bridges must account for shifting river behaviour and severe flooding. Transmission towers, substations, and communication networks need protection against recognised threats. New communities should not be permitted to spread indiscriminately over floodplains and unstable hillsides. Building resilience will cost money, but continuously rebuilding the same infrastructure will cost far more. Every fallen bridge and collapsed roadway hamper commerce, increases transportation costs and disrupts supply. Each damaged electricity line has an impact on households, industries, and companies. Disaster resilience should thus be considered an economic investment and the governments must restore roads, bridges, power, and communications as soon as possible, while also offering impacted households with food, housing, medical care, and financial help. Damage assessments should begin promptly so that rebuilding money may reach the communities that need them the most. None of this can be addressed by a single level of government. Local governments are familiar with vulnerable populations and should coordinate evacuation, relief, and local rehabilitation efforts. Provincial administrations may combine resources across districts to rebuild provincial infrastructure. The federal government must activate financial resources, technological competence, security agencies, and national infrastructure organisations. The lesson from these four days is profound, but Nepal cannot afford to continue learning it via devastation. Improved warnings have started saving lives.