‘Resilient infrastructure key to sustainable development’

Kathmandu, Mar 18

Dr. Swarnim Wagle, Economist and former Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC), has said that recently created municipalities lack the elements and infrastructure for modern urban planning.

Speaking at 'M2F (Municipal to Federal) Learning Feedback and Review Workshop' organised in Kathmandu on Saturday, he pointed to the need for better plans for urban development, saying it will help in development of tourism and other sectors. 

"We need to create an environment, infrastructure and facilities to attract high-end tourism. For example, Ghalegaun sells room at US$1 while with proper facilities and marketing, the price can go up to $1200," he said.

According to him, Nepal needs to identify some thematic areas of priority to make investment and promotion. There is an immediate need of increasing productivity, he said, adding that economic mobility is weak in various communities, especially Dalits.

Dr. Wagle suggested the local bodies to make a pre-disaster investment, saying it will pay off in the long run. Local infrastructure including schools and health posts should be resilient, he said. 

He also maintained that Nepal's development model is consistent with the concept of green growth, but there is a need for timely solutions for the global warming and climate change as the country is suffering from untimely floods and other disasters caused by climate change.

Dr. Wagle also worried that the country does not have more than three decades to reap the benefits of demographic dividend and said that the window is closing faster than expected.

Kewal Prasad Bhandari, Secretary of the NPC, suggested that municipalities should look green from the land and from sky. We need to find the types of trees that grow tall and are safe for urban societies.

According to him, there is a need to create policy to have open space for every house, and local governments should push hard for this policy. 

Bhandari said that the local governments should manage the materials that they should promised for the victims of natural disasters.

"As per disaster preparedness plan, local bodies should manage relief materials including medicines and tents. Such materials should be replaced with fresh products before their date of expire," he said.

Dhana Raj Acharya, Mayor of Pokhara Metropolis, said that the decision-making process of the local governments should be swift and inclusive.

Protecting communities from natural and man-made disasters should be a priority of local governments, he said.  

"Cities should be livable and infrastructure should be created and facility arranged to meet this requirement. But many reforms in the local bodies are just made on the paper to obtain the grants and financial facilities by the federal government and development partners," he said.  

Dr. Sabita Thapa, Growth and Resilience Adviser, British Embassy in Kathmandu, said that the speed of urban development does not match with the national economic growth.

Manoj Kumar Shah, Mayor of Janakpur Sub-Metropolitan City, said that municipal governments are trying to adopt public-private partnership model of development.

The work shop will run through Sunday. There will be discussions on various aspects of green, resilient and inclusive growth. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 19 March 2023.