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Fire incidents in Nepal are increasing by the day, spreading into settlements and destroying homes. Yet, the government has failed to control them. State mechanisms lack adequate equipment and trained manpower to effectively respond. The Nepal Police, often the first responders in such emergencies, are struggling due to a shortage of resources and skilled personnel.

In the past five fiscal years, fire-related incidents have caused damages worth Rs 12bn across the country. According to the Nepal Police Disaster Management Office in Samakhusi, Kathmandu, 79 people lost their lives in fire-related incidents in the fiscal year 2020/21. In 2021/22, the number rose to 92, followed by 109 deaths in 2022/23, 137 in 2023/24, and 59 deaths reported up to Falgun of the current fiscal year.

During this period, 2,054 people were injured, and one person remains missing. Fires have destroyed 72 industries of various types and 5,776 houses across the country. Additionally, 2,942 cowsheds were completely destroyed, displacing 288 people. Police data also shows that three schools and 19 government offices were lost to fire.

With the onset of this year’s summer, two houses were destroyed by fire in Baglung after a forest fire entered a settlement in Amalachaur, Baglung Municipality-12. The homes of local residents Neel Prasad Regmi and Dandapani Regmi were completely damaged. Though locals managed to bring the fire under control, they could not prevent the damage.

In total, three community forests in Baglung have caught fire this season. According to Man Kumar Chhantyal, Forest Officer and Information Officer at the Division Forest Office, Baglung, 46 hectares of Deurali Community Forest in Nisikhola, three hectares of Mauribhir Community Forest in Dhorpatan Municipality, and the Tarebhir area of Jalukepatal Community Forest in Jaimini Municipality have been affected.

In Pandanda, fires completely destroyed the three-storey zinc-roofed house of Lok Bahadur Thapa, the hut of Rail Bahadur Thapa Magar, and the hut and toilet of Tilak Bahadur Rayamajhi. The fire, which broke out in the scorching afternoon heat, was brought under control by a combined effort of the Nepal Police, Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Forest Office, and the Sandhikharka Municipality fire brigade.

A major challenge in managing and controlling disasters lies in the demographic shift in villages—now largely populated by the elderly and children, with most youth having migrated. Locals say the lack of manpower makes it difficult to control fires, even in neighboring houses. Although local governments have made efforts, they are unable to cover all settlements, and fire brigades rarely reach remote villages. The problem has continued to grow due to the lack of prioritization in disaster management.

Rudra Pulami, ward member of Baglung Municipality-12, shared his concerns about the absence of young people in villages during emergencies. “There’s no manpower in the village. The elderly and children are not capable of putting out fires, even in their own homes,” said Pulami. “We’ve suffered great losses due to the absence of a nearby police post.” He added that the government only seems to respond during disasters, showing negligence at other times.

The Nepal Police are the primary responders during fires and other disasters. With proper training and equipment, they could effectively manage such emergencies. However, security agencies—including the police, who work around the clock—constantly face shortages. Due to budget constraints, the police are unable to provide fire-control training or sufficient equipment for their field personnel.

“The entire budget can’t be spent just on equipment and manpower,” said Taradevi Thapa, Office Chief and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) at the Nepal Police Disaster Management Office, Samakhusi. “Our office currently has 50 ready-to-deploy personnel.”

According to her, a total of 125 trained police officers are stationed across the seven provinces, ready for deployment in fire emergencies. However, she admits this number is not sufficient. Thapa urged the Nepal government to allocate a larger budget for disaster management in the upcoming fiscal year. “Basic training alone is not enough,” she said. “The government should focus on developing both manpower and procuring necessary equipment.”

Thapa also shared that the police are currently working on a fire control action plan. Under this plan, awareness programs are being conducted by visiting forest settlements and at-risk villages. “We’ve been holding community-level programs with the participation of local governments, forest user groups, and residents,” she said. “These include door-to-door awareness campaigns and the distribution of informative pamphlets in fire-prone areas.” She also emphasized the need for annual training for police personnel involved in disaster response.

Thakur Bhandari, Central President of the Community Forest Users Federation, Nepal, blamed the government for the spread of forest fires into settlements. “If community forest groups were allowed to run industries based on forest products, there would be fewer forest fires,” he said. “Current industrial policies restrict such operations, leading to an increase in fire incidents.”

However, Bhandari also credited community forest workers with preventing many potential fires. According to federation data, Nepal has 23,266 community forest user groups managing 2.4m hectares of forest, directly benefiting 3.2m households and 16 million individuals. “Since our establishment, the federation has run grassroots awareness programs to prevent forest fires,” Bhandari said.

He also urged the state to facilitate industries based on forest products such as woodworking and furniture. Bhandari expressed disappointment that despite repeated requests to the Government of Nepal and the Ministry of Information and Communications to set up mobile phone alerts with fire warnings, no action has been taken.

The sixth BIMSTEC summit held in Bangkok on April 4 has issued a declaration titled Prosperous, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC. The summit has expressed satisfaction on the coming into force of the BIMSTEC Charter on 20 May 2024. The summit has adopted the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030 for common aspiration toward a forward-looking BIMSTEC region that is prosperous, resilient and open to tackle challenges and seize opportunities for the coming decade. It has agreed to take appropriate measures on priority basis in the areas of mutual benefit to build a robust BIMSTEC to address the contemporary global challenges, expressed in the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030 (included as Annexure) as part of this declaration.

It has also adopted the rules of procedures for BIMSTEC Mechanism as recommended by the ministerial meeting and reiterated the commitment to timely holdings of the summit and meetings of all BIMSTEC mechanisms. The summit commended the Eminent Persons’ Group on the future direction of BIMSTEC for their report and recommendations, and emphasised on the early implementation of recommendation. The secretary-general has been mandated to monitor and report the progress of implementation of EPG’s recommendations to the summit.

The summit reiterated commitment to swiftly conclude the BIMSTEC Free Trade Area Agreement (FTA) and direct the Trade Negotiating Committee and its working groups to finalize the constituent agreement to BIMSTEC FTA without any further delay.

Acknowledging that several BIMSTEC member-states are poised to graduate from the LDC status, face structural constraints and challenges that hinder their competitiveness in external trade due to the, among others, high trade and transit cost and commit to extend necessary support to the graduating and land-locked member-states in their development efforts, with a view to ensuring equitable benefits during the implementation of BIMSTEC FTA, the declaration says.

The summit urged the member-states to explore the possibility of establishing BIMSTEC mutual recognition arrangements of standards to reap the benefits of trade facilitation measures within the region. It further urged the member-states to finalize the agreement on trade facilitation and agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters on a priority basis.  The declaration also called for encouraging relevant officials of member-states to explore the possibility of establishing digital cross-border payment systems and trade settlements in local currencies, noting that some member-states have already adopted the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

From an anthropological perspective, health is largely viewed as a state of physical, mental and social well-being shaped by a complex interplay of biological, environmental and social cultural factors. The scholarly contributions of anthropology in understanding health and illness narratives, social inclusion, equity and diversity are monumental and profoundly innovative. More importantly, the social, cultural, economic, political and environmental determinants of health are deeply entwined, influencing and shaping each other in complex and challenging ways.
 

My recent ethnographic field research in Raksirang of Makwanpur was an interesting and humbling experience in terms of exploring health and illness narratives of indigenous and socially-excluded communities such as Chepangs. Moreover, my intellectual curiosity was to understand how local governments have been responsive to these communities in terms of inclusive policies to enhance their easy access to basic health care and other social protection services. 

Within and across societies, illness is largely viewed as a culturally interpreted subjective experience of becoming unwell. Such an experience is influenced by a range of factors such as age, gender, social status and access to health care. Additionally, indigenous knowledge and practices are deeply embedded in social and gender relations, cultural norms, values and religions. 

The ethnographic insights from the fieldwork have offered new frameworks for examining and exploring how indigenous communities are organized, and their knowledge, understanding and experiences of health care are shaped by cultural norms and social hierarchies.
 

Seeking health care is largely a social process. The way people and health care providers interact is influenced by culture. Interactions such as eye contact and language are also important to make people more comfortable in accessing health care. The systemic barriers such as discrimination or bias often yield worse health outcomes. 

The intersection of health and illness is an interesting area of exploration. It helps explain how relationships and power dynamics within and across social structures in local health systems have enabled or constrained the agency of the local communities in accessing health care. 

My understanding on reflective approach to ethnography was meaningful in terms of enriching ethnographic data and ensuring a more nuanced understanding of local perspectives on inclusive health governance.
 

Listening to interesting stories of Chepangs about their health and illness narratives, my questions about why they do the way they do are variously answered. The stories about illness are not just accounts of personal experience but also reflect cultural values and beliefs about health and healing. Their age-old practices to seek health care from natural resources, traditional healers, religious and spiritual leaders do exist. But they have started to visit health facilities and consult with health workers or volunteers for health care.
 

Michael Taussig, a doctor and anthropologist, argues that understanding illness requires attention not only to biomedical models but also to the subjective experiences of individuals who are ill. The emphasis is more on the importance of illness narratives in understanding local health care practices. By examining how people experience illness at a personal level, Taussig provides insight into how medical practices shape individual experiences and social structures.

Interestingly, the shamanic practices of the indigenous communities are culturally constructed and historically nurtured.  In recent years, with public health awareness, local government’s inclusive priorities for health, education and improved infrastructure such as housing, rural road, water and sanitation and telecommunications, the livelihoods of indigenous communities have greatly improved. 

Instead of a health post, now there is a rural hospital in Raksirang which has good health infrastructure and trained human resources. Local government provides additional allowance to mothers who are pregnant and deliver in hospital to encourage the communities for institutional delivery and immunizations. Nutrition allowance to families is another local initiative to address malnutrition and other social protection services in need.

Despite noted progress, the reality is still different. Poor and socially marginalized communities in remote areas of Raksirang have limited access to essential health care. There are little efforts exploring how individuals and communities perceive, experience and cope with what they understand about illness. Moreover, the importance of understanding local healing traditions and practices is overlooked as it can impact how the communities respond to illness or disease.

Going beyond biology, a more holistic understanding of health and illness is required in the changed socio-political context. More specifically, there needs to be a more inclusive and reflexive understanding of political leaders, officials of local government, health workers and civil society activists to promote intersectionality approach in planning and delivering health care services. 

In addressing most pressing health challenges, anthropological perspectives can contribute to shape the future of health and social well-being by developing culturally appropriate interventions and advocating for health equity. Evidence suggests that social, economic and political structures have profound implications on health outcomes. Moreover, social inequalities significantly contribute to health disparities and social injustice within and across social groups.

As we move forward, a broader socio-cultural approach helps local governments to be more creative, accountable and responsive to the unmet health care needs of communities which are culturally appropriate. Moreover, it is high time to critically challenge the traditional ways of thinking about illness, medicine and health care, and build a resilient and sustainable system for health.

The author is a health policy analyst

The recent meeting between Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand has sparked cautious optimism about the trajectory of bilateral relations. The one-on-one discussion, described by observers as potentially ice-breaking, comes against the backdrop of an unusually prolonged delay in arranging an official visit by Oli to New Delhi—a standard diplomatic protocol that typically follows a change of government in Nepal.

Ten months into Oli’s third term, the absence of an official invitation from India has fueled speculation about underlying tensions between the two neighbors. Diplomatic sources suggest several factors may be contributing to the hesitation, including Nepal’s deepening engagement with China through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework agreement, which has reportedly caused discomfort in New Delhi.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba had previously indicated that preparations were underway for reciprocal visits by both prime ministers, but her recent silence on the matter suggests recalibrated expectations. Prime Minister Oli himself offered an unusually muted explanation upon returning from Thailand, stating simply that his India visit wasn’t happening due to his busy schedule and might occur “if time permits.” This contrasts with his more enthusiastic pronouncements about bilateral relations during previous terms.

Historical context suggests such delays aren’t unprecedented—former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba waited nine months after taking office in 2021 before visiting India. However, the current situation appears more complex, with Indian officials privately emphasizing their desire for any high-level visit to yield substantive outcomes, possibly including the inauguration of joint infrastructure projects. “There’s no major obstacle,” one senior Indian official noted, “but we want the visit to demonstrate tangible progress in the relationship.”

The delay in the prime minister’s visit to India does not mean that there is a lack of communication between the two governments. Oli and Modi first met on the sidelines of the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations in September last year. Since then, Foreign Minister Deuba has also held meetings with Indian Prime Minister Modi and her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.

Officials say though there hasn’t been a prime ministerial-level exchange between Nepal and India,  meetings of all bilateral mechanisms have been taking place to address mutual concerns and issues. There have also been ministerial level visit exchanges and more are lined up in the imminent future. 

A senior official at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers said, “The delay in the prime minister’s India visit doesn’t mean that the ties between Nepal and India have stalled, because all bilateral engagements are sailing in a smooth manner.”

Following the Thailand meeting between Oli and Modi, India’s Ministry of External Affairs released a carefully worded statement emphasizing continued cooperation in connectivity, energy and people-to-people ties, while conspicuously avoiding mention of more sensitive issues. The statement reaffirmed Nepal’s importance under India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy, suggesting an effort to project normalcy despite the evident diplomatic awkwardness.

The aborted plan for Modi to attend Nepal’s Sagarmatha Sambaad dialogue in May—ostensibly due to scheduling conflicts with a European trip—highlighted some of the coordination challenges for high-level exchanges. Nepali officials acknowledge the late invitation may have been a logistical misstep, but some analysts see it as emblematic of broader communication gaps.