The devastating April 25 earthquake and its continuing aftershocks are unavoidable. But its consequences could have been evaded if only we were prepared for it.

The Great Quake exposed our ill preparedness. This is, despite knowing that Nepal lies in a seismically active zone and years of drumbeating on earthquake-preparedness by both the government and non-government organisations.

Communities in Kathmandu

In the aftermath, it was unnerving to know that the government had not even maintained a log about residents prior to the quake. Had it done so, it could have greatly helped track down the missing victims.  Even at heart of the Capital, the state’s mass-communication system failed at a time when people needed it the most. In the absence of any state-communication, people living in tents were compelled to rely on rumours.

Still, far from engaging in looting and vandalism post-disaster, the quake-affected people themselves began helping each other immediately. Even in Kathmandu, neighbours came together to clear the rubble, share their tent-and-food with one another giving a sense of community. People from across the country unified as one—regardless of their geographical location, caste, class, colour, or religion—standing taller than the artificial divides erected by politicians prior to the quake. This should make our politicians introspect whether years of infighting in the name of federating the state to their liking was a worthwhile exercise.

The quake should serve as a reminder to our politicians, planners, and rulers about the need to build earthquake-resistant structures. The quake should also serve as a reminder to review and draft stringent building codes and ensure its implementation during the construction of various infrastructure: airports, hospitals, national heritages, schools, other public buildings, commercial buildings, and residential buildings. Then, there is a need to

urgently build a second international airport and to upgrade existent ones along with the highways.  

Something new

Now that the rescue and relief phase is over, the country needs a strong and capable centralised body to efficiently handle and coordinate response in such emergency situations. Such a body should be capable of estimating the nature and amount of assistance needed at specific locations to cope with disaster, and it should be capable of coordinating with non-state organisations, agencies operating inside and outside the country. Such an arrangement would help donors donate to various sectors according to need; help avoid duplication of programmes and minimise wastage of resources.

Rebuilding will need much more resources as has been acknowledged by the government. Several donors have already expressed interest in helping Nepal build back better while others are in the process of doing so. But there is an apparent uneasiness between the state and the donor agencies regarding the channel and mechanism to streamline the assistance. The government must show statesmanship and win back the trust of the donors by finding new ways upholds national interest, and at the same time, are transparent and accountable and yet flexible.  

This is a great chance for everyone to participate in the nation-rebuilding process: students, professionals, business houses, and non-profit organisations; leaders in the medical field like Dr. Govinda KC and Dr Bhagawan Koirala and for writers like Professor Abhi Subedi. Yet the country’s politicians are best positioned to lead. The quake has provided a unique  opportunity to the politicians to bury their differences and work together. So, they can either make most of this opportunity or continue to abuse and misuse power by only working towards fulfilling their vested interests even in these trying times. If they choose the latter, they must remember that the people will not forget to punish them in the upcoming elections.

Regmi, an engineer by profession, is a freelance writer ([email protected])