Fire Preparedness Strengthened in Banke Amid Dry Season Risks

Five of the eight local levels in Banke district do not have a fire engine to help douse incidents of fire within their respective areas. Only three local levels—Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City, Kohalpur Municipality, and Narainapur Rural Municipality—have fire engines. Nepalgunj has three fire engines, while Kohalpur and Narainapur have one each.

In addition, Nepalgunj Airport has two fire engines, and Nepal Oil Corporation Ranjha has one fire engine. The District Administration Office has stated that the District Disaster Management Committee has decided to request all local levels in the district to keep their fire engines, including drivers, fuel, and water, ready for emergency use.

Chief District Officer Dharmaraj Joshi said fire engines have been kept on standby for 24-hour operation, with special attention to the management of fire engine human resources. All fire engines in Banke will be prepared for round-the-clock deployment.

A meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee, Banke, also decided to conduct various activities to control fire and wildfire incidents, considering the increased risk with the onset of the dry season.