Collateral damage

The Sindhupalchok landslides have exposed the government's failure in disaster risk reduction.

The news about landslide killings at Lidi village in Sindhupalchok district's Jugal Rural Municipality came as a déjà vu . It was a long time coming—a man-made disaster rather than a natural one. Of course, the slush pile of mud and rocks that swept 13 homes came down the hills due to topographical changes. But the 18 persons killed, 21 missing and five injured are not just victims of a natural disaster; they are collateral damages of a disaster that is Nepal's disaster risk reduction and management programme.