Kathmandu : Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said that the country is making progress in developing its capacity in disaster response.
In a programme organized on the occasion of the 27th Earthquake Safety Day held in Kirtipur earlier today, Minister Lekhak shared that trained responders are ready in the field of search, rescue and relief and said that necessary arrangements have been made for the systematic mobilization of security agencies and organizations active in the disaster response sector.
He said that preparations are being made to handover emergency warehouses to all provinces by creating procedures related to the operation of emergency warehouses. Building earthquake-resistant structures will be made more effective henceforth”, said the Minister, adding, “Preparation, response and reconstruction capacity will be enhanced at the community level, including government agencies, private sector and non-governmental organizations.”
The Home Minister also said that new technology will be used to the maximum extent along with traditional measures to increase awareness of the disaster mitigation and response activities. He said that the temporary construction standards to provide Rs 50,000 assistance for the construction of temporary housing for the citizens affected by the earthquake including Jajarkot have been approved and implemented by the Council of Ministers.
“The procedure for construction of permanent housing has been passed by the meeting of the working committee”, he said, “The assessment of the damage caused by the Jajarkot earthquake will be started from this month.”
