Kathmandu, Oct 13: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Kulman Ghising asserted that a huge loss of life and property was being incurred by disasters annually due to inability to identify geographical risks and determine safe areas to relocate the vulnerable communities for safety.
Minister Ghising said so at a programme jointly organized by the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction under the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI) and United Nations Human Settlements Programme here today on the occasion of the World Habitat Day.
Ghising viewed that the Integrated Settlement Programme could not succeed due to failure to incorporate the social, environmental and economic aspects of the people.
“We constructed integrated settlements in some parts of the country but those settlements started to wear a deserting look after we failed to connect the people in those settlements with social, environmental and economic aspects,” argued the Minister.
According to him, making unorganized settlements in both rural and urban areas safe and well-managed is currently the biggest challenge.
He reiterated that despite providing early warning to avoid monsoon-induced disasters, a huge loss of life and property were occurring every year due to failure to map geographically risky locations and relocate people to safe areas.
“We must now take this issue seriously,” the Minister urged. He suggested that a master plan should be prepared to develop at least a city as a model one and build infrastructures accordingly and replicate the model in other cities.
Denouncing the practice of haphazard plotting of land for developing cities, he called for devising an integrated settlement plan and taking it forward to put an end to fragmentation of land for urban development.
Stating that urban beauty cannot be maintained until riversides are made attractive, he underscored the need to manage the settlements located along the river corridors in the Kathmandu Valley.
He, however, expressed his concern that although the access of infrastructures and amenities like roads, electricity, telephone and drinking water were being expanded in rural areas, the settlements there were declining lately.
He reaffirmed that the zero-tolerance policy will be adopted against corruption, irregularities and delays in the ministry led by him and its subordinated agencies.
Accordingly, he cautioned, immediate action will be taken against anyone found in irregularities. He emphasized that the Ministry of Urban Development should focus on developing big cities rather than going beyond its scope and engaging in petty and fragmented plans. #nepal #rss
