That the monsoon would return with deluge and destruction was a foregone conclusion. Yet there continues to be utter disregard for lives and property after years, even decades, of knowing the dangers of the monsoon. Altogether 24 people have reportedly been killed in flooding and landslide incidents across the country this monsoon, while hundreds have been displaced. In what will be a relatively sparse monsoon in the midst of El Nino, there is no complaining about the benevolence of the rain gods. But the deaths and destruction the floods and landslides have brought in the past few weeks as incessant rains have swelled up the rivers and weakened the mountains are a big cause for concern. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, the nodal authority to track and act on disasters, the past week alone saw 97 landslide incidents across the country.

Most highways in Nepal have faced partial or major obstructions in the past week, throwing travel and transport schedules out of gear. Meanwhile, people desperate to reach their destinations have been undertaking risky journeys. Video clips from the Muglin-Narayangarh road section showed bone-chilling footage of hundreds of commuters running even as debris fell on the road while the local lawmaker Rabi Lamichhane prodded them to run faster. Instances like these expose the state’s continued failure to make the roads safe even after spending billions of rupees while allowing people to continue commuting even in the face of heightened risks. They also bring to light the desperation, often bordering on carelessness, on the part of the people to continue to try to make it to the other side of the landslide when they should be opting for safety first.

While the deaths and destruction caused by the monsoon rains are bad news and could have been reduced with a better safety mechanism, worse is the fact that such incidents are only likely to increase in frequency in the coming days. As such, the world on Monday registered the hottest day on record as the average global temperature reached 17.01C, as several countries reported heatwaves. And with the incidents of heatwaves getting more common, so will events of excessive rainfall, floods and landslides. Nepal is even more vulnerable to such disasters, considering its sensitivity to climate change. The only way forward is to better adapt to disasters as the climate emergency is here. And that should perhaps start with a change in nomenclature of the disasters—the Nepali term daivi prakop is too naïve and fatalistic a coinage to denote a man-made crisis.

One way to go about it would be to strengthen cooperation between the three levels of the government. While the federal government, under Home Ministry and its constituent agencies such as the District Administration Office, works towards disaster risk reduction and response, it must coordinate with provincial and local levels to ensure efficiency. Likewise, local levels are well placed to act as first responders in disaster incidents. They should, therefore, train their representatives and staff, as well as local volunteers to lead rescue efforts. Many local levels nowadays have the financial wherewithal to respond to minor local emergencies without having to wait for the federal centre, and they should not abdicate their responsibility when it comes to dealing with disasters.