Disaster Waste Management Challenges in Nepal: Health Impacts and the Need for Safe Practices

Management of Change Orders in Infrastructure Transportation Projects

“…( 1) and ( 2) (where Eq. (2) represents the finite population correction factor), a sample size of n ¼ 49 is considered representative for a confidence interval of 95% (thus, z is taken as 1.96) (Karakhan and Gambatese 2017), a sample error e of 10% (Pradhananga et al 2021), and for a value of N being the total number of 99 key change orders. Thus, the retrieved sample of 50 key change orders is considered to be a good representation of the amounts of the key change orders [because it is higher than the minimum required sample of 49 calculated using Eqs.…”

Analyzing Post-Disaster Recovery Success Factors in Developing Countries Using Interpretive Structural Modeling Approach

“…However, due to absence of government bodies like Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in North America, there remains a lack of resources such as disaster recovery guidelines and availability of personal protective equipment to ensure community workers' health and safety post-disaster. Pradhananga et al (2021) highlighted that there are still health and safety challenges in developing countries during post-disaster recovery. It was observed that disaster workforces and community volunteers lack knowledge about disaster preparedness in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake indicating that disaster education is indispensable mainly for disaster-prone communities.…”

“…Temporary Disaster Waste Storage Site: Improper management and disposal of disaster waste is a critical issue in developing countries due to the lack of innovative strategies and the feasibility of implementing them (Poudel et al 2019). Consequently, the disposal of different types of disaster waste, which often contains hazardous waste, is conducted in any available open space in disaster-affected areas without consideration of its impact on the environment, as well as survivors' health and wellbeing (Pradhananga et al 2021). For instance, developing countries affected by disasters face a massive challenge in DWM due to lack of permanent land ll sites and lack of availability of temporary waste storage sites, thereby, leading to the disposal of disaster waste near rivers or in recreational parks (Ranjitkar and Upadhyay 2015).…”

“…The major strength of recovery practices in Nepal is community participation in managing disaster waste and reconnaissance of partially damaged buildings. However, the major weaknesses such as lack of training and education on emergency management and occupational health and safety concerns signi cantly impact community resilience in disaster-prone communities (Pradhananga et al 2021). Additionally, due to delay in formation of National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) and its activities, there was delay in reconstruction activities obligating many underprivileged communities to live in temporary shelters (Lohani et al 2017).…”

“…Additionally, the disaster created hazardous environments for survivors and volunteers, threatening their health and safety. Pradhananga et al (2021) highlighted that besides the injured from the actual earthquake itself, many volunteers also suffered from health issues caused by traumatic situations and the constant risk of injuries by collapsing structures. The study also indicated that although the Nepal Engineers Association (NEA) instructed volunteers on Rapid Visual Assessments, helping volunteers identify and avoid unstable and damaged structures, many of these were still at constant risk from damages brought on by the random aftershocks.…”