Community vigilance for disaster management in Kirtipur Shree Kumar Maharjan

Disaster is unexpected and unaware abnormalities seen in human being and their livelihood and in environment as well due to natural and man made activities. Nepal, lying in between Tibetan tectonic plate and Indian tectonic plate, is one of the severe hazards zones for disaster. There were different disasters seen every year in Nepalese context. Every person faces different forms of disasters in his/her daily life style. Once occurring disaster creates severe impact in his/her life. That’s why, it is better to prevent and mitigate disaster before occurrence.
History shows occurrence of Mega disaster episode in every 75 years on an average on the basis of seismic record. Different studies and researches on disaster assumed that such possibility of happening huge devastating disaster in near future at any time and any place. Human even can not ascertain its center. As we know that, we can not prevent and stop disaster from its occurrence. It is out of human control. According to different experts, if such shocking event happened, it damage 60% of the buildings, 90% water discharge, 40% electric lines, 60% communication, and 60% bridge with 40,000 human death and 95,000 human injuries. To prevent these huge human causalities, we should be always ready to think about hazards and vulnerability identification and reduction which ultimately reduce its risk and damages. Hazard literally means source of danger, is possible impact after disaster occurrence and vulnerability is capable of being wounded by hazard happening. Whenever there is hazard and vulnerability, then there is human casualties otherwise there may not any such misfortune.
Mainly there are two types of disaster – one natural and another man made disaster. Natural disaster is again categorized into air borne (cyclone, typhoon, and hurricane), water borne (Landslide, floods) and earth borne (volcanoes, earthquake). Among these natural disasters, landslides, floods, earthquakes are common in Nepalese context. Man made disasters are more frequently seen in Nepal like war, terrorism, strike etc. Disaster brings lots of human sorrow, distress, pain, misfortune, troubles, agony in daily life.
Disaster has two phases: pre and post. Before incidence of any tragedy is pre-disaster phase, where we can minimize risk with preparedness, early warning system, risk minimization, prevention etc. This is most effective way to reduction huge amount of human casualties and infrastructures. In post disaster phase, different activities like search and rescue, social care, rehabilitation, resettlement, reconstruction should be carried out after happening disaster. Search and rescue is called response and rehabilitation, resettlement and reconstruction is called recovery jointly.
Disaster has lots of impacts on human beings, infrastructures and environment as well. Disaster can not be forecasted and prevented. But only risk can be minimized. Different organizations and community members should work in cooperative way to manage this ruin. Major causes of this misfortune are rapid increment in population throughout the nation, movement of huge population towards Kathmandu, unmanaged and unmannerly construction of houses, unorganized development activities, lack of physical infrastructures, lack of awareness among community people about disaster and its impacts, lack of earthquake resistant structures and design in building construction etc. we should be attentive and alert from today to minimize and mitigate expected disaster risk while its incidence.
Kirtipur, being an old settlement of the valley, is one of the most disaster prone areas. But there were least damage at the time of B.S. 1990 earthquake which was known as most dangerous earthquake in century with the capacity of above 8 rector scale at that time. That’s why; most of the citizens are not worry about any kind of disaster in the locality. They feel Kirtipur city is safe from such disaster. There was saying that the city located in a big stone. So there is least damage at the time of any disaster occurred. But the surrounding settlements from the hill of the Kirtipur are not safe from such events in the past. At the time of 1990’s disaster, some houses were destroyed and/or some houses faced cracks and snaps.
Different organizations are working in disaster risk reduction processes. Likewise, Lutheran world Federation (LWF), DIPECHO – CPDRR (Community Preparedness for Disaster Risk Reduction), European Union, Kirtipur Volunteer Society are working in creating awareness and capacity building of the local communities and organizations as well. These organizations focus their activities in old settlements of the city like ward number 2, 10 and 12. They are executing series of programs and activities in relation to disaster and its management. These organizations organized different training programs like basic community preparedness for disaster risk reduction, where they formed different task force groups for second level trainings on different disaster related subjects like warning and awareness, search and rescue, first aid, water and sanitation, food and shelter, social psycho care, coordination. Similarly Kirtipur Volunteer Society organized Basic Disaster Management Training for Youth Volunteers with collaboration with LWF, DIPECHO and Nepal Red Cross Society. KVS formed disaster management trust to collect fund for disaster affected people in future.
Community preparedness is most necessary to reduce severe impact of such disaster. So, major task of these organizations are focused on creating awareness among local community against disaster risk reduction. Besides they focus on capacity building to these community people to work in such situations. The citizens of the locality are fully unaware about disaster. They feel that they are safe from any kind of disaster looking the history of 1990 B.S., Which was called Mega Earthquake. There were little damages at that time.
At present these different trained volunteers of disaster risk reduction and management program work together in creating awareness and building capacity in disaster threat diminution. They are fully devoted in the goal and mobilized to local community of the locality. They are preparing plan of action to work with these community people in near future.
Recently, Nepalese government, and other organization jointly prepare National Strategy against disaster management for Nepal is one major stride for disaster risk reduction. Being a disaster prone area, it may occur at any time. Whenever it occurs, it damages lots of human casualties, buildings and electricity, roads, bridges, water channels etc. It is out of human control to prevent it from occurrence. Human beings only can imagine the impact of its occurrence. That’s why, it is better of be prepared for its risk reduction. Kirtipur city, being old Newar settlement, the community people previously unaware about the disaster and its risk reduction are now vigilant against disaster and its impact and risk reduction with different awareness and capacity building programs launched by LWF, DIPECHO, KVS and other related organizations.