The images we see emerging from the tragedy caused by the Nepal earthquake are truly heart wrenching.
Thousands of people have died across countries and continents as a result of an earthquake that has as its epicenter in Nepal.
People have died in China, India and Bangladesh, over and above the many lives and property lost in Nepal.
Compared to previous such tragedies elsewhere, it would seem like in Nepal the world has been quick to act.
And for that the whole of humanity should be grateful to those countries, governments and indeed individuals that have come to the rescue and assistance of Nepal, a tiny country in Asia that ranks among the poorest in the world.
While the world has indeed tried to mobilise relief efforts, the truth is that more still can be done.
It is also clear from information coming out of Nepal that many parts of the country remain inaccessible, but as in such similar tragedies, need always outstrip supply.
It is the basics that people need most; shelter, water, food and clothes.
What each country needs to be always doing is working at enhancing its disaster preparedness; be it earthquake, floods, fires or any such calamities.
This is important because the greater the preparedness of every country, the higher the chances of saving lives and minimising the impact of the tragedy especially on human lives.
While the generous fealty of the world community is always welcome in times of catastrophe such as what we witnessed unfolding in Nepal, it is important for states to always introspect and assess their own state of preparedness.
As we speak information is beginning to surface that experts had long warned that Nepal was ripe for disaster.
This is based on the fact that the country is along a fault line of two tectonic plates which according to experts caused a major eruption over 80 years ago.
Back home we still remember how a few years ago the money that was set for disaster preparedness was diverted and without the authority of Parliament then used to create the intelligence services. This is perhaps the reason that best explains why since its inception our intelligence services has been haunted by what at times has the hallmarks of bad spirits and often behaves like it is possessed by spirits that need to be exorcised.
But that is a matter for another time.
In the past Botswana Defence Force used to be handy, resourceful and indeed instrumental whenever disaster struck.
But the reality of the matter is that the professionalism and indeed the capacity and capabilities as well as preparedness of the BDF have in recent years come under doubt, not just from the public but from the members of the army itself.
If that is true, then it would also mean that the army’s capacity to respond to what is essentially not their core mandate would also be naturally challenged.
Not so long ago, the Gaborone City Council admitted that their ambulances and their fire engines were in a state of despair with some of them irredeemable.
In short there is need for a public debate about the country’s state of preparedness, lest we get caught napping.
