Nepal, Oct. 13 -- Krishna Prasad Poudel, chair of the National Assembly's special parliamentary committee studying and monitoring disasters along the Bhotekoshi and Kaligandaki corridors, has said disaster risks cannot be reduced without relocating vulnerable riverside settlements to safer locations.

Speaking at the committee's meeting on Tuesday, Poudel said authorities must sooner or later acknowledge that settlements along riverbanks face extreme risks. He said that if awareness campaigns alone cannot persuade residents to relocate, the government must incorporate relocation measures into its policies and programmes and take necessary action.

He also stressed the need to make early warning systems more systematic and scientific. Nep...