Kathmandu. Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka has stressed the need for effective coordination with the Chinese government to mitigate the damage caused by monsoon-related disasters in Nepal.

Speaking at the ‘Monsoon Disaster Preparedness and Management Programme-2082’ organized at the Ministry on Thursday, Minister Khadka stressed the need for cooperation in technical and information exchange between the two countries for early warning and prevention of natural disasters such as floods and landslides as most of the rivers in Nepal come from Chinese territory.

Minister Khadka said, “There is a huge loss without prior information of floods, even if there is no water, there is a sudden flood when the lake bursts or the glacial lake explodes.” ‘

Stating that the government has accorded priority to the conservation of glacial lakes in Nepal, he stressed the need to be cautious as the impact of the bursting of glacial lakes on the Chinese side is directly visible in Nepal.

Stating that the early warning system is not yet effective, Minister Khadka pointed out the need for the concerned bodies to set up early warning centres from hydropower projects to irrigation canals. “The government lacks resources, but everyone should have access to prior information,” he said.

He also informed that discussions would be held with the Ministry of Finance to purchase necessary materials at customs exemption to facilitate the reconstruction of the damage caused by floods and landslides. He also said that arrangements should be made to give rewards to skilled employees.

On the occasion, Secretary at the Ministry Sarita Dawadi stressed the need for establishing additional measurement stations in the mountainous and mountainous regions.

Secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat Dinanath Mishra said preparedness was essential for mitigating natural disasters and stressed the need to further strengthen the cooperation on meteorology and water with China.

On the occasion, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Hitendra Dev Shakya shared that the recent floods in Bhotekoshi area of Rasuwa have caused extensive damage to hydropower projects and substations like Rasuwagadhi, Chilime and Trishuli 3B.

Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Sushil Chandra Acharya said disaster mitigation would be impossible without coordination among the three tiers of government. He made it clear that the damage could be reduced if information could be disseminated on time.

According to him, an effective early warning system can be developed by coordinating the information received from the Meteorological Forecasting Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, security agencies, local levels and the people of the affected areas.

The government’s plan is to adopt a strategy with long-term preparedness, realizing that disasters are always a permanent process, in which inter-country cooperation, especially coordination with China, is important.