Burying the Unidentifiable: Nepal’s New Protocol for Disaster Response

The devastating floods in northern Nepal have brought unprecedented challenges to the country’s disaster response efforts. The scale of destruction is matched only by the desperation and frustration of those affected. As the death toll mounts, Nepalese authorities are facing a grim reality: managing identification and decomposition in record time.

Biresh Kumar Sah, an 18-year-old, spent hours scouring through photos of unidentified victims at a temporary body identification camp in Bharatpur. His story is one of heart-wrenching loss and hopelessness. Sah found some consolation in the authorities’ use of a new protocol to manage the surge of decomposing bodies. However, it soon became clear that this process had its own difficulties.

The use of photographing, DNA sampling, and temporary burial is a first for Nepal. This reveals a deeper issue: the country’s infrastructure and capacity to cope with large-scale disasters are woefully inadequate. In normal circumstances, these procedures would be considered standard practice in disaster response; however, in this case, they’ve been adopted as a necessary evil due to the sheer scale of devastation.

The statistics paint a grim picture: over 1,000 lives lost, nearly 300 bodies recovered in Chitwan alone, and an estimated hundreds more washing up downstream. The Nepali government’s intentions are clear – to provide a dignified and organized way for relatives to identify their loved ones. However, this new protocol has its own set of challenges.

The use of mass graves in Devghat raises concerns about how families will be able to identify their loved ones from among hundreds of bodies. What about those who are unable to provide DNA samples or whose relatives have already passed away? These concerns highlight the complexities and potential pitfalls of a system designed to manage the unmanageable.

Nepal’s struggle to come to terms with its latest disaster is not an isolated incident. Natural disasters often bring out the best in people – the resilience, solidarity, and generosity of spirit that define human communities in times of crisis. However, this also highlights our collective failure to invest in disaster preparedness, infrastructure, and capacity-building.

The Indian side of the story is equally concerning, with reports emerging of bodies washing up in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This raises important questions about cross-border cooperation and coordination in disaster response – can Nepal and its neighbors work together more effectively in the face of such tragedies?

Ultimately, this tragedy serves as a stark reminder that disaster preparedness is not just a moral imperative but also an economic one. The cost of responding to these crises, let alone rebuilding and recovering, is staggering. As we reflect on Nepal’s new protocol for disaster response, it’s clear that this is not a solution to the problem – merely a Band-Aid on a much deeper wound.

As authorities in Chitwan continue to grapple with the aftermath of this tragedy, they would do well to remember that managing identification and decomposition is only half the battle. The real challenge lies ahead: rebuilding trust, restoring lives, and creating a more resilient future for all those affected by these disasters.