But wait a minute. Did it really not come to an end, or at least, did it not come very close to the end?
The year 2012 saw many natural disasters strike across the globe. They were dangerous, dirty and dark, claiming thousands of lives and causing a lot of property and infrastructural damages. In 2012, we heard of hurricanes and earthquakes, we heard of droughts and heat waves and of wildfires, among other things. [break]Closer to home, we heard of floods, landslides, epidemics and fires causing considerable loss of life and property. There is no denying that the happenings were both widespread and severe, and that their effects were far-reaching.
And out of the numerous disasters, the one that I believe should be of the most concern for us Nepalis or for those of us in Nepal is earthquake. This is because an earthquake is like a faceless enemy – you never know where and when the danger is coming from. If you don’t believe me, then perhaps what the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, states will serve as a little reinforcement when it is claimed that “it is impossible to predict when or where an earthquake will occur, so it is important that you and your family are prepared ahead of time.” Additionally, even on a global scale, the world saw major earthquakes hit Italy, the Philippines, Iran, Afghanistan in the past year, to name a few places.
According to National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET), “Nepal is a seismic-prone country and the risks it faces from earthquakes are very high. Past records have shown that Nepal can expect two earthquakes of magnitude 7.5-8 on the Richter Scale every forty years and one earthquake of magnitude of 8+ in Richter Scale every eighty years.” We are one of the most susceptible countries to earthquakes and yet our earthquake preparedness programs and mitigation-oriented activities seem to be trivial compared to the vastness of the posed dangers.
SWORUP NHASUU
The 1934 earthquake which had a magnitude of 8.3 Richter has gone down in the history of Nepal as one of the most devastating calamities. Yet if the same Richter earthquake were to occur in Nepal today, I would imagine that the effects would be far worse, and NSET supports this view claiming that it would indeed be more dangerous, given the unplanned development and the population growth we have today. Even in recent history, Nepal has already been rocked by considerable numbers of earthquakes that have actually proven to be fatal to some lives. And yet we seem to fail to learn the lesson.
So let me spell out the lesson I think we need to understand here.
The lesson is not so much that an earthquake will kill, as it is that the structures and buildings rocked by the earthquake will kill. In any earthquake, the simple shifting of the tectonic plates is not the sole factor that claims lives; it is the shaking structures induced by the earthquake that claims lives.
So just you imagine when all the buildings start collapsing and there is absolutely no open field to run to for safety, what chaos will break out. Further still, with only one international airport in the country, God forbid something happens to it, and how will rescue aid come into this landlocked country?
I shudder at the mere possibility of the earthquake occurring in our 147,200-square kilometer territory. And I know I am not the only one.
The best solution to this would of course be planned and systematic development. However, we may be too late for that now. So the best alternative would be to have go-bags (“jhatpat jhola”-s) ready and be prepared. But very frankly, stuffing some doable food and some water purifying tablets in our bags that will be ready for us should we evacuate ASAP is too “bideshi” a concept: a true Nepali soul will not at all be bothered about preparing for the earthquake till it hits us. So when it does hit us, all we can do is “drop, cover, and hold on.”
The writer is student of Political Science at Thammasat University.
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