Kathmandu is losing its open spaces

In 2013, government planners identified 83 open spaces for evacuation and shelter during disasters. According to the International Organization for Migration’s 2020 report, only about half of these sites can be used in emergency situations. New small buildings and storage areas have eroded and infrastructure expanded into a critical space. Ten sites have been removed from the list because they now serve other purposes.

The report highlights other problems: the almost complete lack of water and sanitation facilities on site, unsuitable terrain, and the dearth of local participation, particularly for marginalized groups with low public awareness; And insufficient emergency exercises routine. Some local governments did not even realize that their jurisdiction areas were earthquake evacuation sites.

We also need to plan for multiple hazards: earthquakes and floods simultaneously, or even simultaneous earthquakes, floods and epidemics. Nepal ranks thirty-eleventh in the world in terms of vulnerability to earthquakes and floods.

This multi-hazard preparedness scenario is not impossible. After the 2015 earthquake, people in camps sheltering in Bhaktapur were forced to flee the flowing Hanumante River.

We often call earthquakes “natural disasters”. Doing so allows governments and others to avoid blame. But the real cause of many disasters is not nature, but rather poor human planning. It is best for Kathmandu Valley residents to remember how they relied on open spaces in the past and will need them again in the future.

The World Health Organization recommends 9 square meters of open space per person. Kathmandu has an area of ​​about 0.25 square meters per person. Lalitpur has a surface area of ​​just 0.06 square meters per person, with poor access to even less. Therefore, neighborhoods with less open spaces should be given priority. There is a need to conduct regular exercises everywhere so that people know where to go and what to do in the event of a crisis.

“Nepal is one of the fastest urbanizing countries in the world, and 2015 was a catch-all. The government has done some work, but it really showed us what open space means,” says Anil Pokhrel of the National Authority for Risk Reduction and Management.

And it stresses the importance of parks and parking, not just the 83 designated open spaces in the valley. “We need spaces closer to home,” he adds. “We have serious threats to urban spaces, such as construction and encroachment, but we also have communities like Thimi that protect and restore ponds and cultural heritage as open spaces for emergencies.”

Bouqurill says the effects of the earthquake six years ago showed just how important water and toilets are for families. “Our message to every local government is: Work on disaster planning in everything it does,” he adds.

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