Dozens die in Nepal fire incidents every year, but local governments are ill-equipped to control them
By Gaurav Pokharel
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On March 2, 2021, a fire gutted 58 houses in Meringden rural municipality in the Taplejung district of northeastern Nepal. The fire that started due to a short circuit at the house of Bhola Poudel at 9 am spread all over the neighbourhood. Even though the district’s only fire engine was sent to the scene from its headquarters Phungling, by the time it arrived, the fire had done significant damage.
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The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration says only six metropolitan cities and 11 sub-metropolitan cities among 73 municipalities have fire engines. Other 203 municipalities do not have fire engines.
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It has already been six years since the central government allocated Rs 6 million each to a local government to buy fire engines. However, only 28 local units purchased the engines that year. Realising the reluctance, the government then stopped releasing this fund.
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