Kathmandu, May 22: Lawmakers have underlined the need of making preparations on time to minimise potential risk of disasters. In a meeting of the Federalism Enablement and National Concerns of the National Assembly (NA) today, they called for being prepared for reducing potential losses from monsoon hazards before the monsoon arrives. Committee President Sonam Geljen Sherpa stressed the need for effective implementation of the government policies and plans for disaster management with an increased coordination among the stakeholders concerned. He further highlighted the need for the management of safety materials, the prompt supplies of relief materials and the prompt initiation by the local levels for timely rescue and response Speaking in the meeting, Jaga Prasad Sharma advised to implement the IT-assisted disaster risk mitigation system so as to make the response efforts quicker and more effective. He was of the opinion of evacuating the residents of disaster-vulnerable areas. Similarly, Indira Devi Gautam called for the effective enforcement of disaster preparedness and response plans while Uday Bahadur Bohora demanded the guarantee of timely rescue and relief efforts. Executive Chief of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Dinesh Prasad Bhatta said during this monsoon, rains more than average have been predicted, highlighting the need for coordinated and timely preparedness by the three-tier government to mitigate the potential risk. As he apprised the meeting, above-average rainfall has been forecast in most parts of the country during this monsoon. As the forecast announced by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology on Wednesday, the eastern part of the Karnali Province, the northern part of Lumbini Province and most parts of Gandaki Province are likely to see the rain more than average this time, he said, adding that this possibility is as high from 55 to 65 percent while the southern part of Sudurpaschim Province, western part of Lumbini Province, northeastern part of Gandaki Province, and northern part of Bagmati and Koshi Provinces have chance to see the above-average rainfall by 45 to 55 percent. Amidst these predictions, he promised to step up preparedness and response measures to cope with potential challenges. Bishnu Kumari Sapkota, Rajendra Laxmi Gaire, Kiran Bahadur Shrestha, Narayan Datta Mishra, and Gopi Bahadur Sarki Achhami called for making timely preparedness, focusing on the post-disaster response and the shifting of vulnerable settlements to minimize the disaster risk and potential damages. ---