Is Nepal prepared for a huge earthquake?


 

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A survey by the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Project eight years ago warned that around 40.000 people might die and nearly 100.000 might suffer injury requiring hospital services when another earthquake measuring around 8.4 on the Richter scale (like the one in 1934) would hit the country.

The survey also estimated that six out of ten buildings would collapse. On top of that the report also warns that 95 percent of water supply pipes might explode and 50 percent of bridges and 10 percent of roads could collapse in the valley.
In the face of such a calamity people would need prompt hospital services. But the major hospitals in Kathmandu are poorly built so most of them would be non-operational and the remaining ones will also see services disrupted.

Is Nepal prepared to face such a disaster?

The answer is NO ! Not really.

- Although awareness is slowly growing, most of Nepal's inhabitants are too poor or not educated enough the be able to be concerned about this risk, to improve the construction of their house or even to buy and to periodically update their survival kits.

- like mentioned above most buildings will collapse. Even in Japan, a country which is very rich and uses strict building codes building were damaged by the 8.9 earthquake of March 11, 2011. In Nepal/Kathmandu several hospitals will collapse as well and probably Kathmandu Airport and important road will be heavily damaged as well.

- The March 11 quake in Japan caused a huge increase of the number of visitors of this website. People searching for "earthquake Nepal" information. Apparently many people (Nepalis living abroad?) are concerned about what would happen if such a huge earthquake would hit Nepal, especially when huge cities like Kathmandu or Pokhara are close to the epicentre.

 

See f.e. the following article on channelnewsasia.com:
With rescue work still under way in Nepal after Sunday's deadly earthquake in the Himalayas, scientists have warned that the capital Kathmandu is a high-risk city unprepared for the next "Big One". Experts say Kathmandu is one of the most vulnerable cities in the world with an overdue earthquake predicted to kill tens of thousands of people and leave survivors cut off from international aid. British geologist Dave Petley described the latest tremor, which killed eight people in Nepal, as a "wake-up call" for the overcrowded capital, home to two million people and connected to the outside world by just three roads and one airport runway. Read more

 

 

More information coming soon.