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22 Kathmandu Valley VDCs highly prone to earthquake

A Shivapuri hill terrain where lies Budhanilkantha. Photo: File photo.
A Shivapuri hill terrain where lies Budhanilkantha. Photo: File photo.

KATHMANDU, Nepal- Of the total 57 Village Development Committees (VDCs) in the Kathmandu Valley, 22 are in the group at high risk of earthquake.

Among the areas at high risk of earthquakes are Budhanilkantha, Pukhlachi, Indrayani, Danchi, Bhadrabas, Baluwa, Jorpati, Gothatar, Dhapasi, Dharmasthali, Ramkot, Sitapaila, Thankot, Ichhangunarayan, Tinthana, Satungal, Matatirtha, Chalnakhel, Macchegaun, Seshnarayan, Goldhunga, and Mahadevsthan.

Considering the need of an effective preparedness and response mechanism to reduce the impacts of natural disasters, the District Disaster Management Committee has categorised Kathmandu into five natural hazard-prone areas.

Earthquakes, floods and landslides are the natural disasters that the government authority has come up with a disaster management plan in view to manage if such disasters happen.

The city areas and the villages have been categorized into three levels of hazards—high risk, medium risk and low risk areas—considering the nature of vulnerability to different disasters.

The poor geological terrain compounded with exponential rise in population, unmanaged urbanization and inadequate infrastructure has made the city vulnerable to disasters.

Among the VDCs, 28 are identified as high risk flood-prone and 19 high risk landslide-prone.

Suntol, Nanglebhare, Bajrayogini, Aalapot, Gangalfedi, Sundarijal, Jhormahakal, Chunikhel, Chalnakhel, Kavresthali, Jitpur Fedi, Bhiumdhunga, Siuchatar, Naikap, Dahachowk, Setidevi, Bandbhanjyang and Dakshinkali, among others, are the areas listed as high-risk zones for landslides. The VDCs, which are identified as at high risk of fires, are as Nayapati, Mulpani and Chapali Bhadrakali, while no VDCs are listed under epidemic prone areas, the research study prepared by the committee said.

The government in support with various development partners working in the disaster management sector have joined hands to form district-level disaster management committees in all 75 districts of the country to work towards reducing the impacts of various kinds of natural disasters.

Similarly, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the authority responsible for formulating policies and programmes to address disasters, has planned to complete 1,000 disaster risk reduction projects, including preparation of disaster management plans, at the VDC level in the next five years.

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