Disasters waiting to happen

Nepal’s disaster preparedness and response mechanism is pretty disastrous.

Last Tuesday, a huge fire at Ashmita Cotton Industry in Baglung Municipality suffered fire, which damaged properties worth Rs1 million. This was because the only fire engine in the municipality had not been fully functional and required repair. What’s more, the municipality lacked a skilled firefighter to use the fire engine. The chief administrative officer of the municipality audaciously said the water spraying system in the fire engine was defunct, and that there was only one driver who knew how to handle it. This, despite the residents of Baglung bazar demanding more fire engine and skilled firefighters for a long time.