2015 Nepal-Kathmandu earthquake

  

2015 Nepal Earthquake

                        Though natural disasters occur all over the world, many developing countries are impacted more heavily by such events. One developing country that has seen the effects of such natural disasters is Nepal. Nepal is a landlocked country located in the southern region of Asia, right below China. The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu. Kathmandu is a primate city, a city that is substantially bigger than any other in the country. During the morning of April 25th, 2015, an earthquake with a 7.8 magnitude ravaged Kathmandu and the surrounding areas. After the initial earthquake hundreds of aftershocks took place with magnitudes ranging from fairly low all the way up to 7.3 (Fitzpatrick). The earthquake was caused by the collision of the Indo-Australian and Asian plate, deep underneath the surface of Kathmandu which was the epicenter (Sandiford).

Image 1. Epicenter of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal
                              . Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

The earthquake caused an estimated 9,000 people to lose their lives and more than 20,000 people suffered injuries. Hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed displacing the majority of the population of Kathmandu (Carrol, Chris.). This means that the total cost in damages after the earthquake was close to 9 billion dollars (World Vision). This was financially devastating to the infrastructure of Nepal, which led their government to reach out for foreign help, In the hope to facilitate new changes which could potentially reduce the impact of the next earthquake.

Image 2.  Pallets of relief recourses donated from around the world are delivered to Nepal.
Direct Relief.

           Many third world countries feel pressure to increase their economic standings fast. With these short term goals cities like Kathmandu have faced a high rate of urbanization with limited building space. The solution used to address the increasing population in the cities is to rapidly expand the living spaces available as fast as possible. Many building contractors in Kathmandu cut corners during the building process. The contractors would build multi story buildings, out of the most cheaply abundant bricks (World Vision). Also many buildings in Kathmandu were not reinforced with steel beams, which sacrificed much of the integrity of the buildings. The plethora of multi story brick buildings in Kathmandu is what lead to the magnitude of catastrophe that took place. When an earthquake occurs 75 percent of the deaths are due to collapsing buildings (Cross).

Image 3. People navigating their way through the rubble of 
fallen buildings. World Vison.

Creating better building tactics is what many foreign agencies wanted to focus on moving forward with Kathmandu's infrastructure. One organization that has been a big influence on the way buildings in Nepal are being rebuilt is the non profit “Build Change.” Build Change’s goal is to facilitate safe construction practices as well as, implement reconstruction at a bigger scale (Elizabeth Hausler Strand). Another way Kathmandu is working towards mitigating the impact of a future earthquake is by implementing the Sendai Framework. The Sendai Framework is an agreement which focuses on implementing safe practices and drills that demonstrate how to react when an earthquake occurs. The Sendai Framework has been implemented into the Nepal school system, the framework calls for two earthquake drills a month, which helps educate, and prepare the children (McClean, Denis).

Video (Viewer Discretion is Advised)

The video shows the destruction that occurred in the rural areas around Nepal, and the loss that many locals faced shortly after the earthquake.

                                                                Work Cited

Britannica, Encyclopedia. “Nepal Earthquake of 2015.” Britannica, 2015, www.britannica.com/topic/Nepal-earthquake-of-2015#/media/1/2024843/197921.

Carrol, Chris. “How Impoverished Nepal Can Rebuild for the Next Earthquake.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 30 Apr. 2015,    news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150430-nepal-earthquake-rebuilding-construction-science

Cross, Robin. “Nepal Earthquake: a Disaster That Shows Quakes Don't Kill People, Buildings   Do.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 30 Apr. 2015, www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/apr/30/nepal-earthquake-disaster-building-collapse-resilience-kathmandu.

 Elizabeth Hausler Strand “Nepal.” Build Change, 2015, www.buildchange.org/locations/nepal/.

Fitzpatrick, Jessica. Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake in Nepal Aftershocks, May 2015, www.usgs.gov/news/magnitude-78-earthquake-nepal-aftershocks. 

Sandiford, Mike. “The Science behind Nepal Earthquakes.” EarthSky, May 2015, earthsky.org/earth/the-science-behind-the-nepal-earthquake.

Keller, Edward A., and Duane E. DeVecchio. NATURAL HAZARDS: Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes (International ... Student Edition). Vol. 5, ROUTLEDGE, 2017.

McClean, Denis. “Nepal's Safe School Lesson.” UNDRR News, 30 Apr. 2019, www.unisdr.org/archive/65042?post_id=noID.

“Nepal Earthquake Relief 2015.” Direct Relief, Direct Relief, 6 July 2020, www.directrelief.org/emergency/nepal-earthquake-2015/.

World Vision, “2015 Nepal Earthquake: Facts, FAQs, and How to Help.” 31 Dec. 2018, www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2015-nepal-earthquake-facts.