Nearly two weeks after the devastating earthquake, Nepalis are slowly and painfully coming to terms with the loss of life, livelihoods, homes and our cultural heritage. The road ahead is long and difficult: rebuilding our cities and towns and restoring our national confidence will require immense work and sincerity. But if the past weeks are any indication, the future looks promising.
Since noon of that fateful Saturday, hundreds of ordinary citizens have been risking their lives and working tirelessly on the ground providing first aid, food, and shelter to survivors. International rescue teams and aid agencies have also stepped in to work shoulder to shoulder with their Nepali counterparts. The security forces have earned well-deserved praise for being at the forefront of search, rescue, and relief efforts. Their ability to adapt and sound crisis management practices have no doubt saved many lives and helped with damage control.
However, the response from other government agencies has been uncoordinated, inefficient, and inadequate. Although the government of Nepal has established a chain of command for disaster management, incompetent leadership and infighting hampered relief efforts in the crucial hours following the quake. For the first 24 hours or so, the political leadership of the country was conspicuous by its absence. When the leaders finally resurfaced, they were still dumbfounded and had nothing worthwhile to contribute. Rapid assistance from neighbouring countries was valuable, but prior cooperation and coordination could have produced better results.
Despite the millions that have gone into disaster preparedness and training, 25 April exposed how woefully unprepared our national government was in handling a major calamity. Now in the aftermath of the ‘Big One’, the state owes it to the people of this country to give us a blueprint on how it intends to go about achieving relief, reconstruction, and rehabilitation work not just in the next few months but for the long-term.
Nepalis need to know how the state is planning to deal with immediate relief work like providing shelter, food, water, medicine, hygiene and sanitation. When schools and colleges resume in mid- May, how will it ensure that the buildings and the students are safe? Where will the tons and tons of debris be disposed off? Who is responsible for the safe keeping of the cultural artefacts collected from fallen temples and historical sites?