Kathmandu: Member of Parliament Madhav Sapkota has urged the government to gear up preparedness to minimise the potential damage resulting from monsoon-related disaster incidences like floods and landslides.
Taking part in discussions on the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure for fiscal year 2024-25 in the House of Representatives (HoR) today, he complained that the flood victims of the Indrawati and Melamchi in Sindhupalchowk district have not been provided with the relief amount till date. He called on the government to provide the amount on time. “We are on the eve of the monsoon. It is projected that more than the average rainfall will occur in the upcoming monsoon. It is necessary to gear up the preparedness on time as incidents like floods and landslides are likely to intensify. The climate change impact has also been intensifying in recent years. We should be clear regarding our role in mitigating this,” he added.
According to lawmaker Sapkota, the government’s prioritizing on sustainable development and mitigating climate change impacts in the next fiscal year’s budget statement is a welcome step. Stating that the government has the objective of operating the ‘President Climate Change Management Programme’ in the budget document, he believed that this will support in mitigating the climate change impacts. It is stated in the budget for the next fiscal year that climate change adaptation and mitigation programmes would be implemented while the programmes related to disaster management and climate adaptation would be operated in an integrated way.
Lawmaker Sapkota said it is also welcome that the topic of giving continuity to the ‘Let Us Protect the Himalayas and Save Humanity’ campaign by holding dialogue regarding the adverse effects of climate change in the Himalayan and mountainous region in the national and international forums, is included in the budget statement.