KATHMANDU: The Nepal Police has been working untiringly for the search, rescue, relief distribution and rehabilitation following the August 26 devastation in the country.
The security agency has been carrying out its duty irrespective of limited resources and sheer adversity posed by the Bhotekoshi flash flood. Immediately after it received information about entry of devastative flood into Nepal via Rusuwa, the Nepal-China border, the security agency devoted to the riverbanks with information collection and analysis, strategic movement and mobilization of available resources including technology.
The Police Headquarters informed RSS that total 7,912 police persons were mobilized in response to the Bhotekoshi floods. Till date, Nepal Police rescued 6,853 persons affected by the disaster, while 5,015 are still missing.
The police mobilized special teams for the search and rescue of the disaster-hit persons. Spokesperson of Nepal Police, DIG Abhi Narayan Kafle, informed, “A disaster rescue and coordination information management centres was set up under the leadership of a DIG at Police Headquarters, which works round the clock.”
The centre monitors the rescues works and receives information and requests from the relatives of those gone missing since the catastrophe. So far, the police have received requests for search and rescue of 1,351 persons.
In the floods-hit areas, trained dogs are mobilized while drones are used in the difficult geography to help speed up search and rescue works. With the help of drone camera, 24 dead bodies were recovered from a house at Betrawati of Bidur Municipality-10 in Nuwakot some days back.
A ‘missing help desk’ has been brought to operation at Police Headquarters and Tribhuvan International Airport to exchange information with various embassies in Kathmandu about the foreign nationals who went out of contact.
Management of dead bodies
DNA profiling and management of dead bodies have been going on smoothly. DNA profiling has been continued at Nepal Police Hospital, Maharajgunj in a bid to ascertain the identity of the dead ones. Scientific procedure is implemented while managing the dead bodies underground.
Special attention has been paid against possible criminal activities to be occurred taking advantage of the disaster. For it, strict monitoring is in place, according to DIG Kafle. Even those spreading fake and misleading information on social media about the disaster are under constant surveillance
Treatment of the injured ones, public awareness, psychosocial counseling, mobilization of women police persons to control possible violence against women and children at holding centres are other significant responsibilities Nepal Police has been carrying out.
Nepal Police itself is aggrieved as 25 on-duty police persons went missing in the disaster.
Utmost collaboration
The security agency has maintained utmost collaboration and cooperation with other security agencies and local governments in bid to normalize public life in the affected regions. “Irrespective of the hassles, hazard and hostility, Nepal Police is working relentlessly for the sake of people. Utmost responsibility and professional integrity are its norms,” said spokesperson DIG Kafle.
