nepal earthquake essay in english

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Nepal earthquake of 2015

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• CNN - Nepal, a year after the quake: 'Help us'
• United Nations - The humanitarian response to the 2015 Nepal earthquake
• Stanford University - Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability - 2015 Nepal earthquake offers clues about hazards
• Academia - Consequence of Nepal Earthquake 2015 and Effects in Bangladesh
• Nature - Strong ground motion data of the 2015 Gorkha Nepal earthquake sequence in the Kathmandu Valley
• The Geological Society - 2015 Nepal Earthquake
• Stanford University - 2015 Nepal earthquake offers clues about hazards
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Aftershock analysis of the 2015 Gorkha-Dolakha (Central Nepal) earthquake doublet
• Frontiers - The 2015 Gorkha Nepal earthquake: insights from earthquake damage survey

Nepal earthquake of 2015 , severe earthquake that struck near the city of Kathmandu in central Nepal on April 25, 2015. About 9,000 people were killed, many thousands more were injured, and more than 600,000 structures in Kathmandu and other nearby towns were either damaged or destroyed. The earthquake was felt throughout central and eastern Nepal, much of the Ganges River plain in northern India , and northwestern Bangladesh , as well as in the southern parts of the Plateau of Tibet and western Bhutan .

The initial shock, which registered a moment magnitude of 7.8, struck shortly before noon local time (about 06:11 am Greenwich Mean Time ). Its epicentre was about 21 miles (34 km) east-southeast of Lamjung and 48 miles (77 km) northwest of Kathmandu, and its focus was 9.3 miles (about 15 km) underground. Two large aftershocks , with magnitudes 6.6 and 6.7, shook the region within one day of the main quake, and several dozen smaller aftershocks occurred in the region during the succeeding days. On May 12 a magnitude-7.3 aftershock struck some 76 km (47 miles) east-northeast of Kathmandu, killing more than 100 people and injuring nearly 1,900.

The earthquake and its aftershocks were the result of thrust faulting (i.e., compression-driven fracturing) in the Indus-Yarlung suture zone, a thin east-west region spanning roughly the length of the Himalayan ranges. The earthquake relieved compressional pressure between the Eurasian tectonic plate and the Indian section of the Indo-Australian Plate, which subducts (underthrusts) the Eurasian Plate. Subduction in the Himalayas occurs at an average rate of 1.6–2 inches (4–5 cm) annually. Such tectonic activity adds more than 0.4 inch (1 cm) to the height of the Himalayan mountains every year.

The Himalayan region is one of the most seismically active in the world, but large earthquakes have occurred there infrequently. Before the 2015 temblor, the most recent large earthquake (that is, magnitude 6.0 or above) took place in 1988. That magnitude-6.9 event resulted in the deaths of 1,500 people. A magnitude-8.0 earthquake in 1934, however, killed approximately 10,600 people.

Initial reports of casualties following the early-morning earthquake put the death toll in the hundreds, but, as the day wore on, reports had the total number of fatalities surpassing 1,000 and nearing 1,900 by the end of the day. Within two weeks after the main quake occurred, rescue teams had reached all the remote villages in the earthquake zone, and a more-accurate picture of the earthquake’s human cost emerged. The deaths of approximately 9,000 people (which included fatalities in nearby parts of India, China , and Bangladesh) were confirmed, with nearly 16,800 injured and some 2.8 million people displaced by the earthquake. One United Nations (UN) report mentioned that more than eight million people (more than one-fourth of Nepal’s population) were affected by the event and its aftermath.

The earthquake produced landslides that devastated rural villages and some of the most densely populated parts of the city of Kathmandu. Initial damage estimates ranged from $5 billion to $10 billion. Inside Kathmandu, bricks and other debris from collapsed and partially collapsed buildings, which included parts of the famous Taleju Temple and the entire nine-story Dharahara Tower, filled the streets. The earthquake also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that killed at least 19 climbers and stranded hundreds more at Everest Base Camp and at camps higher up the mountain. Those at the high camps were soon airlifted to Base Camp, and all the climbers either hiked off the mountain or were flown out to other locations.

Immediately after the quake, the Nepalese government declared a state of emergency, and soon nearly the entire Nepalese army was assisting in rescue and recovery work. Nepal also called on the international community for aid. The UN quickly established the “Nepal Earthquake 2015 Flash Appeal” fund, whose goal was to raise an estimated $415 million for Nepal’s earthquake relief. By some two weeks after the earthquake, more than $330 million had been either provided directly or pledged.

India, China, and several other countries quickly responded by sending in aid and rescue teams. The delivery of relief services to the people in need during the first few days after the earthquake occurred, however, was complicated by the remoteness of many villages from the existing transportation network, congestion at Kathmandu’s international airport, and a shortage of heavy trucks, helicopters, and other vehicles capable of transporting supplies. In addition, earthquake debris—along with “tent cities” erected in streets and other open areas by Kathmandu residents who feared going back to their homes—contributed to making many of the city’s streets virtually impassable, hampering efforts by rescuers to reach people still trapped in the rubble. The debris was gradually cleared.

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Nepal Earthquake 2015

A case study of an earthquake in a low income country (LIC).

Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, is a low-income country. Nepal is located between China and India in Asia along the Himalayan Mountains.

A map to show the location of Nepal in Asia

What caused the Nepal Earthquake?

The earthquake occurred on a  collision plate boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates.

What were the impacts of the Nepal earthquake?

Infrastructure.

• Centuries-old buildings were destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley, including some at the Changu Narayan Temple and the Dharahara Tower.
• Thousands of houses were destroyed across many districts of the country.

Social and economic

• Eight thousand six hundred thirty-two dead and 19,009 injured.
• It was the worst earthquake in Nepal in more than 80 years.
• People chose to sleep outside in cold temperatures due to the risk of aftershocks causing damaged buildings to collapse.
• Hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless, with entire villages flattened.
• Harvests were reduced or lost that season.
• Economic losses were estimated to be between nine per cent to 50 per cent of GDP by The United States Geological Survey (USGS).
• Tourism is a significant source of revenue in Nepal, and the earthquake led to a sharp drop in the number of visitors.
• An avalanche killed at least 17 people at the Mount Everest Base Camp.
• Many landslides occurred along steep valleys. For example, 250 people were killed when the village of Ghodatabela was covered in material.

What were the primary effects of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal?

The primary effects of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal include:

• Nine thousand people died, and 19,000 people were injured – over 8 million people were affected.
• Three million people were made homeless.
• Electricity and water supplies, along with communications, were affected.
• 1.4 million people needed support with access to water, food and shelter in the days and weeks after the earthquake
• Seven thousand schools were destroyed.
• Hospitals were overwhelmed.
• As aid arrived, the international airport became congested.
• 50% of shops were destroyed, affecting supplies of food and people’s livelihoods.
• The cost of the earthquake was estimated to be US$5 billion.

What were the secondary effects of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal?

The secondary effects of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal include:

• Avalanches and landslides were triggered by the quake, blocking rocks and hampering the relief effort.
• At least nineteen people lost their lives on Mount Everest due to avalanches.
• Two hundred fifty people were missing in the Langtang region due to an avalanche.
• The Kali Gandaki River was blocked by a landslide leading many people to be evacuated due to the increased risk of flooding.
• Tourism employment and income declined.
• Rice seed ruined, causing food shortage and income loss.

What were the immediate responses to the Nepal earthquake?

• India and China provided over $1 billion of international aid .
• Over 100 search and rescue responders, medics and disaster and rescue experts were provided by The UK, along with three Chinook helicopters for use by the Nepali government.
• The GIS tool “Crisis mapping” was used to coordinate the response.
• Aid workers from charities such as the Red Cross came to help.
• Temporary housing was provided, including a ‘Tent city’ in Kathmandu.
• Search and rescue teams, and water and medical support arrived quickly from China, the UK and India.
• Half a million tents were provided to shelter the homeless.
• Helicopters rescued people caught in avalanches on Mount Everest and delivered aid to villages cut off by landslides.
• Field hospitals were set up to take pressure off hospitals.
• Three hundred thousand people migrated from Kathmandu to seek shelter and support from friends and family.
• Facebook launched a safety feature for users to indicate they were safe.

What were the long-term responses to the Nepal earthquake?

• A $3 million grant was provided by The Asian Development Bank (ADB) for immediate relief efforts and up to $200 million for the first phase of rehabilitation.
• Many countries donated aid. £73 million was donated by the UK (£23 million by the government and £50 million by the public). In addition to this, the UK provided 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid and eight tonnes of equipment.
• Landslides were cleared, and roads were repaired.
• Lakes that formed behind rivers damned by landslides were drained to avoid flooding.
• Stricter building codes were introduced.
• Thousands of homeless people were rehoused, and damaged homes were repaired.
• Over 7000 schools were rebuilt.
• Repairs were made to Everest base camp and trekking routes – by August 2015, new routes were established, and the government reopened the mountain to tourists.
• A blockade at the Indian border was cleared in late 2015, allowing better movement of fuels, medicines and construction materials.

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Nepal quake: the challenges facing disaster response

Senior Clinical University Teacher , University of Sheffield

Disclosure statement

Andrew Lee is a Consultant in Communicable Disease Control with Public Health England.

University of Sheffield provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK.

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The Nepal earthquake was a disaster waiting to happen. The rising death toll is a sad confirmation of my fears when I first heard of the earthquake. And the full scale of things is not yet known, as there will be considerable under-reporting due to the remoteness of some of the affected communities and the lack of reliable casualty reporting systems.

Experts have warned for years of a likely earthquake striking the area. Indeed it was predicted that such an event would have catastrophic consequences due to the toxic combination of risk factors that make the country vulnerable. In recent decades there has been a massive growth of the urban population in and around Kathmandu leading to dense overcrowding in the city. This is coupled with poor building practices meaning a lot of buildings were not earthquake-proof. Public utilities infrastructure is limited as is the capacity of the health system and emergency services to respond to a disaster.

While there have been some pockets of good practice, such as disaster preparedness training in some schools, pre-positioning of emergency stores, and some community-based disaster preparedness projects, this has not been systematically rolled out across the country. Indeed, a consequence of the political turmoil in Nepal over the past decade has been the lack of investment and strong political leadership necessary to drive the disaster preparedness and mitigation programmes so desperately needed.

Key challenges ahead

First and foremost in the coming days is the need for access to sufficient quantities of clean water and sanitation. Delivering this in disaster affected urban areas is extremely challenging in view of the scale of the response needed.

In addition, in a country where diseases such as cholera and dysentery are endemic, the risk of epidemics breaking out in the aftermath of the disaster will be high. This risk is likely to increase substantially with the monsoon, which starts in a few weeks. This will potentially lead to a rise in infectious diseases, as well as hampering movement around the country.

The problem of infectious diseases is also worsened by the limited capacity of Nepal’s healthcare system to respond to outbreaks, as well as the lack of an effective surveillance system to detect the outbreaks in the first place. Put simply, the health system will be blind and lame in responding to outbreaks. By the time they are recognised, their extent may be considerable and likely to overwhelm local health services. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles are also a possibility as routine immunisation programmes are compromised.

There will also be a need for food and supplies of other essential goods including medicines, as existing stocks run out. However, the logistics of moving vast supplies to the disaster affected areas is especially challenging in Nepal because there is only one major arterial trunk road into the country from India. The existing road is neither wide nor in good repair and will struggle to cope with the high volume of haulage vehicles required to move supplies into the Kathmandu Valley.

Airlift is unlikely to be sufficient to bring in the tonnage of supplies required, and is limited by the fact that the country has only one major airport with a runway long enough to accommodate heavy-lift aircraft. Remote communities in the mountains are likely to be cut off and starved of aid. This is one situation where there is a clear role for foreign military assistance, as only the military has the logistics capability to transport the volume of supplies required, and the helicopters for accessing remote communities with no road access. This is not a task one can expect non-governmental organisations to successfully fulfil.

Longer-term threats

There are also longer-term threats on the horizon. Flooding will be frequent once the monsoon rains set in between June and August. Building appropriate shelter is therefore another imminent priority. It will be virtually impossible to supply enough temporary shelters and tents to all those affected by June, let alone before winter comes.

Exposure to the elements is a lethal threat to the most vulnerable in society such as the young, the elderly and the ill. Once again, remote communities in mountainous areas are likely to be most in need and yet least likely to receive enough aid in view of the challenges in accessing them.

The disaster will also have set the country’s development back by years and there will be adverse economic effects. Poverty ensures the people continue to live in vulnerable situations.

Undoubtedly some Nepalis will already have begun the process of rebuilding destroyed homes. It is essential that they are enabled to rebuild disaster resilient homes.

This is not a short-term endeavour but will require international aid for years to come. Failure will lead to the same risky conditions being replicated and a repeat situation down the line. In view of the complexity and multitude of needs and challenges in Nepal, there is an urgent need for rapid global assistance, both technically and materially. Substantial contributions and effective coordination of all actors involved will be key in ensuring aid gets to where it is needed most.

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