According to police reports, by Monday evening, the freak monsoon downpour and the resultant flooding and mudslides over the weekend have claimed over 200 lives. About 127 people have been injured, and 56 are still missing. The government claims that some 4,022 stranded people on the damaged highways and flooded zones across Nepal have been successfully rescued. There are no official figures on the loss of lives and properties in the Kathmandu Valley and beyond.

Yet, every patch of dark cloud in the sky seems ominous. Weather experts have warned of more heavy rains in the coming days. However, what is most worrying is the government's lack of preparedness. Returning from the UN General Assembly Meeting in the United States on Monday, Prime Minister Khadka Prasad Sharma Oli said that he hadn’t even imagined this level of flooding in Kathmandu.

A national disaster

People call this a natural disaster; I’d rather call it a national disaster of epic proportions. The government, led by a coalition of the two largest parties—the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist)—miserably failed to not only protect people’s lives but also, according to its admission, to coordinate the resources and manpower to save them.

Even Balen Shah, the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, who has made quite a name for himself by doing some remarkable works in the capital city, failed to mobilise his offices. He announced the dispatch of 300 city police personnel only after the river systems here had flooded tremendously and claimed some lives. How pathetic!

True, he may not be able to do much in such an unplanned and unmanaged capital town. He has done his best to destroy some illegal constructions and somehow restore the old glory. Shah has also displayed his zeal for discovering and reviving, albeit with limited success, some traditional river systems that have been legally or illegally buried under the concrete for centuries. In this effort, the mayor has fought with many parties and the traditional court systems. Yet, this time, the charismatic mayor had no substantial disaster management plans.

Some members of the political parties, including those from the opposition, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), volunteered to search and rescue people buried alive in the mud. I wish more people were deployed by parties and other organisations to serve the needy in the affected areas. But this is not enough.

It’s time all parties, big and small, took the issue of natural disasters more seriously. It’s important to revitalise the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, appoint exporters and allocate more resources instead of merely using them as a tool to appease party workers. To achieve this and other vital things, there must be a robust debate in the Parliament, including in state legislatures, about how best to tackle the recurring problem of landslides and flooding. They should get the help of experts in the area and international experts to design policies and programmes for preventing and swiftly dealing with natural catastrophes.

What we’ve just witnessed has been a national disgrace. Even the vehicles and people buried in Jhyaple Khola—very close to Kathmandu and next to the starting point of the near-complete underground tunnel system built by Japan—were dug out of the mud after many hours. What took so long?

Good use of helicopters?

We may be too poor to own an airforce; defence-wise, it’s not essential either. However, the least the government could do is engage dedicated army helicopters in disaster management. Importantly, as some retired police officers have publicly stressed, it’s time the Nepal Police had its own helicopters suitable for swift action, at least for the aid of communities nestled in remote hills and mountains.

If parties are serious about this problem, they should stop using government helicopters to carry leaders to every nook and corner of the country—especially for partisan events. If they want to use them, they should pay separately. There must be a strict check and balance on this matter. This way, much of the resources wasted in the service of big or influential leaders could be channelled to people badly hit by floods and landslides.

The language of disaster

On Monday, in an article in Setopati, veteran journalist and writer Narayan Wagle claimed that we have never tried to understand the “language” of disasters. He says that every natural disaster, including the big 2015 Gorkha Earthquakes, makes a statement, but neither the government nor people understand its meaning. He blamed mainly the journalists for their persistent enthusiasm to report the quantities of deaths and injuries but little interest in debating possible ways to minimise the harm.

I agree with Wagle: We all need to do some serious soul-searching about our attitude to natural calamities and their deadly impacts. Only when we, the members of civil society, are sensitive to the issue can we hold the government accountable.

Needless to say, much of our civil society is linked to political parties and national and international non-government organisations. The ruling CPN (UML) boasts the largest number of members who either run or work for NGOs and INGOs. These bodies also have more resources and, in some cases, expertise. Working with the government at all levels through party channels, they could and should play a vital role in raising sensitivities towards the problem of disaster management.

Disaster prevention and management is one of the few areas which is relatively non-political and uncontroversial. Parties on the left, right or centre wouldn’t object to the policies and programmes for disaster mitigation and management. And, of course, foreign government and non-government agencies would readily offer a hand with financial resources and expertise. I’m pretty certain that all donors would be willing to help the Nepal Police and Nepal Army with a few light helicopters useful for search and rescue after natural calamities.