Unified command key to effective disaster response: Nepali Army
Summary
The Nepali Army has urged a unified command structure for disaster management after recent floods exposed delays, overlapping responsibilities and weak coordination. Security agencies also called for stronger early warning systems, better rescue capacity and clearer agency roles in future emergencies.
Key Points
- The Nepali Army told a parliamentary committee that overlapping responsibilities and a lengthy decision-making chain delayed rescue work during the recent Bhotekoshi and Budhigandaki floods.
- Brigadier General Subash Jung Thapa said a unified command structure, provincial emergency operation centres and better-equipped rescue teams were needed for faster disaster response.
- Chief of the Army Staff General Ashok Raj Sigdel said the current disaster response mechanism and the National Emergency Operations Centre need restructuring.
- Police and the APF reported on recovery efforts, body identification, DNA profiling and the need for a trilateral early-warning mechanism with China and India.
