By Sony Maharjan
PdD Scholar in Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan University
In the last few decades, natural disasters have frequently and intensity increased. According to
the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)/ Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery
(BCPR) reported, our country, Nepal ranked 11 th vulnerable to earthquakes and 30 th to flood and
mentioned that Nepal is one the 20 most disaster-prone countries in the world (UNDP, 2015) . The
National Emergency Operation Center (NEOC) records that each year 6381 disasters occurred
admits 3639 people were injured and approximately NPR 6.84 billion lost property during the
years, 2017 and 2018 (MoHA, 2019).
Thus, the management of disaster and disaster risk has been a key area of work. Disaster Risk
Management (DRM) is the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic
efforts to analyze and reduce the causal factors of disasters (MOHA, 2013) . National DRR Policy
was introduced in 2018 and it introduce a disaster information management system based on
Remote Sensing, a Geographic information system, and open-source technology (MoHA, 2018) .
Furthermore, the emergency operation centers will be enhanced and the incident command
system will be extended and implemented up to the local level.
Good quality information improves the effectiveness of disaster management operations and
avoids dangers to the responders and victims (Fisher & Kingma, 2001) .The post-disaster
response is required to assure promote appropriate assistance to the victims of disaster, and to
achieve rapid and effective recovery from a disaster (Haddow & Bullock, 2008) . Post-Disaster
Management operations are information-intensive as these involve different stakeholders.
The correct information plays a vital role in the disaster response. Information and
communication technologies can fundamentally change and exchange information before,
during, and after a crisis (Crowley & Jennifer, 2010) .The Disaster Management Information
System is the lifelines which help to save lives, livelihoods, and resources. Thus, speedy
communication to appropriate stakeholders is essential to organize and mobilize resources and
coordinate response activities among agencies involved (Roth & Brönnimann, 2013) . Therefore,
information sharing and integration of communication are critical which is time demanding as
well.
The Haiti earthquake marked the beginning of disaster relief 2.0. Globally, the availability of
information technology is increased and new active information management is emerging as
communities are becoming increasingly active in the field of information gathering, analyzing,
and sharing. The latest, 2015 devastation earthquake in Nepal and the Sulawesi
earthquake/tsunami in Indonesia, social communication app (WhatsApp) was extensively used
by both responders and the affected communities (Basu et al., 2017)
The Disaster Information Management System, one of the very few existing methodologies and
tools for building disaster databases. It is a sustainable arrangement within an institution for the
systematic collection, documentation, and analysis of data about losses caused by disasters
associated with natural hazards (Inventories, 2013) . A Disaster Information Management System
is a computer database that enables the responders to share and use real-time information during
a disaster (Murphy & Jennex, 2006) .
In DIMS, hypertext preprocessor (PHP) as a programming language is used which provides
compatibility with the geographically referenced data on the geographical information system
(GIS) platform and with greatly facilitates response to a disaster.
Nepal is extremely vulnerable to various types of natural disasters. The various natural disasters
cannot be stopped but can be reduced by taking preventive measures for which pragmatic
government policies and technological advancement are of utmost importance. Disaster risk
management is on the verge of going digital in Nepal. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Authority is a legal framework for understanding disaster risk. It has a building
Information Platform against Disaster (BIPAD) portal.
The disaster information management systems and online databases are continuously developed
with features for increasing accessibility for public use. Some districts have established to help
the issue forecasts and early warnings to minimize losses from disasters.
It plays a significant role to bring a paradigm shift in disaster management from the
conventional response and relief practice to a more comprehensive risk reduction culture in
Nepal.
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