Training on airport safety during disasters starts in Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Jan 31: A training and assessment programme on the theme ‘Get Airports Ready for Disaster’ has started in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
A total of 30 people from concerned authorities including airport authorities, military and humanitarian partners have participated in the four-day training, said the organiser.
Jointly organised by the Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the training will focus on the evaluation of the current level of preparedness at two airports—Tribhuvan International and Nepalgunj—providing concrete recommendations and an action plan to ensure that Nepal’s airports are prepared for future disasters, the organiser said.
Talking to Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Shankar Prasad Adhikari said managing alternative to future disaster at airport is a main challenge at present at a time when there is only one international airport.
Likewise, joint secretary of Home Ministry Krishna Bahadur Raut informed that the government was working to implement the rules and regulations to construct all infrastructures earthquake resilient.
UNDP Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand said the training is a key milestone in UNDP’s efforts to support the Nepal’s government in making the country a disaster-resilient and the airports ready to implement immediate response actions in the event of a disaster.
Saying a clear and flexible action plan can help airport operators to minimise logistics bottlenecks and better manage sudden influxes of relief aid, bulky supplies like food, water and medical supplies, Chris Weeks, Director of Humanitarian Affairs for DHL, said it is especially heartening to see the government and airports considering preparedness as paramount, and incorporating it into action plans that could potentially save more lives in the future.