The extremely heavy rains that started on Thursday night and lasted through Saturday have left a trail of destruction across the country.

The floods and landslides that they triggered have claimed at least 148 lives and left many more missing, according to Nepal Police. Numerous roads throughout the nation are severely damaged, and all routes leading to the capital city, Kathmandu, are still blocked, leaving thousands of travellers stranded.

The government has mobilised the security personnel from the Nepal Army and Armed Police Force, along with the Nepal Police, but they lack the necessary equipment to efficiently carry out rescue operations.

Security personnel are using primitive equipment like rubber boats, ropes, tubes, and shovels for rescue operations, says Dijan Bhattarai, spokesperson of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority under the Home Ministry.

“The rescue operation teams are using the equipment for which they are trained,” Bhattarai told the Post. “Rescue teams from all three security agencies are working under the leadership of the chief district officers across the country.”

When the Post asked Armed Police Force spokesperson Kumar Neupane whether the equipment used in the rescue operation were sufficient for the Armed Police Force, Neupane said they were using all means at their disposal.

“We indeed lack the equipment needed for a large-scale rescue,” Neupane told the Post. “Once the rescue operation is completed, we will have an official meeting to determine what equipment our personnel lack, and then only our office can give feedback on it.”

Experts stress that Nepal, despite having trained manpower in security forces, cannot mobilise them for timely rescue. Lack of proper gear means rescuers lack the confidence to tackle hazardous conditions timely.

Experts also express concern about the paucity of resources for emergency rescue. They say the country lacks the tools to deal with emergencies like the one that unfolded due to the incessant rain from Thursday night until Saturday. Lack of personal protection equipment for rescuers is a case in point.

Amod Mani Dixit, an expert in natural disaster prevention, says that alongside the lack of resources, the government’s indifference is another major reason behind Nepal's poor and ineffective emergency rescue. “The issue of disaster rescue operations doesn’t get proper attention in the legislatures,” he said, “even though Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries to various types of disasters.”

Armed Police Force spokesperson Neupane, however, tried to defend the administration's failure. “We could have lost more people had the administration not restricted long-route travel for Friday and Saturday nights,” he said. “Both days witnessed heavy rainfall.”

Though Neupane claimed the notice of administration helped to save people’s lives, experts on transportation and traffic professionals differ. For them, the failure of the administration was one of the reasons why many people lost their lives in Jhyaple Khola in Dhading.

They say the incident occurred even if the administration had circulated a directive not to operate the long-route travel for two nights as the vehicular movement was not strictly monitored.

“Government should have been strict about enforcing its directive,” Ashish Gajurel, an observer on transportation and traffic professionals, told the Post. “The government failed on that front.”

Likewise, Gajurel questioned the way the government has conducted its rescue operation. The rescue operation team still uses traditional techniques instead of modern scientific technology, he said.

“The rescue operation team is using an excavator to dig out the people buried by the flood,” Gajurel said. “Use of excavators can have unintended consequences as they can kill people who are still alive under the debris.”

Gajurel added that instead of using security personnel for rescue operations during natural calamities, it would be better if the government had a trained team with the required equipment for such incidents.

Man Thapa, who has worked as a disaster management expert in different countries under the United Nations and other development agencies, also questions the government prepardness to tackle natural disasters.

“Nepal’s disaster response mechanism is reactive,” Thapa said. “It is activated only in the aftermath of the disaster.” Thapa added that Nepal neither has a competent enough human resource nor is it well equipped.

“These disasters have badly exposed the failure of all tiers of government,” Thapa told the Post. He added that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) has also failed to prove its role. The authority is tasked with coordinating different government authorities while also transferring knowledge between them.

Thapa points out three reasons why natural disasters often result in a large-scale loss of lives and properties in Nepal—lack of coordination among the three tiers of government, lax implementation of the building codes and the nature of the Nepali community that does not take early warning seriously.

“In the context of Nepal, linking development with disaster risk reduction is of utmost importance,” he said. “There is a disaster response mechanism at the ward level. The elected representatives at the ward level know the situation of every household. They failed to do their job.”