EARTHQUAKE – NEPAL (LIDC)
BACKGROUND
Collision plate boundary – Indian plate and Eurasian plate
Triggered an avalanche on Everest killing 21 people
51 aftershocks above 5Mw (every 15 mins)
SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND POLITICAL IMPACTS – Gorkha earthquake 2015 – 7.8
Social
9000 killed, 3.5 million homeless
More women died than men due to traditional role in the home- especially rural areas gender inequality
Lower-caste Tibeto-Burman people more affected as live on higher slopes in Himalayas class inequality
Poor quality housing in rural area was more badly affected than in the cities spatial inequality
Many survivors esp women and children were victims of human trafficking – took advantage of chaos
Economic
Economic losses up to $10 billion – devastating as GDP is only $20 billion
Tourism decreased by 70% - tourism accounts for almost 10% of economy
Severe damage to 4 out of 7 UNESCO sites in the country decreased tourism
Earthquake damaged 14 HEP plants out of 23 25% loss of electricity capacity
Environmental
3000 landslides flooding - rivers are blocked and moraine lakes burst
Several large avalanches eg Langtang Valley and Everest
Climate change will exacerbate effects of eq – more rainfall more landslides (already loosened by eq)
Political
Political instability meant Nepal was not well prepared for eq – hospitals became overwhelmed quickly
Government pledged $4.1 billion of overseas aid however increased debt in long term
UN gave $15 million from its emergency response fund
Earthquake worsened already weak political stability
MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR SEISMIC ACTIVITY
Modify event – not possible however afforestation programmes to enhance slope stability decreased landslides
Modify vulnerability
Introduced small scale education programmes
Encouraged households to have a ‘go-bag’ containing food, water, blankets for use in an eq emergency
Mapping of high-risk shake zones
Building codes introduced
LIDC so limited funding and resources – difficult to plan effectively
Modify losses
90% of Nepalese army deployed to help search and rescue efforts – however relief was a physical barrier
India dispatched 1,000 members of its Disaster Response Team, including 8 military helicopters
330 humanitarian agencies involved eg Red Cross Red Crescent provided shelter, and provided safe burials
for families
LIDC so resources limited and therefore dependent on actions international organisations eg UN, individual countries
eg India and NGOs eg Red Cross – shows low resilience. Also, relief = physical barrier to aid, and comms = difficult.
BACKGROUND
Collision plate boundary – Indian plate and Eurasian plate
Triggered an avalanche on Everest killing 21 people
51 aftershocks above 5Mw (every 15 mins)
SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND POLITICAL IMPACTS – Gorkha earthquake 2015 – 7.8
Social
9000 killed, 3.5 million homeless
More women died than men due to traditional role in the home- especially rural areas gender inequality
Lower-caste Tibeto-Burman people more affected as live on higher slopes in Himalayas class inequality
Poor quality housing in rural area was more badly affected than in the cities spatial inequality
Many survivors esp women and children were victims of human trafficking – took advantage of chaos
Economic
Economic losses up to $10 billion – devastating as GDP is only $20 billion
Tourism decreased by 70% - tourism accounts for almost 10% of economy
Severe damage to 4 out of 7 UNESCO sites in the country decreased tourism
Earthquake damaged 14 HEP plants out of 23 25% loss of electricity capacity
Environmental
3000 landslides flooding - rivers are blocked and moraine lakes burst
Several large avalanches eg Langtang Valley and Everest
Climate change will exacerbate effects of eq – more rainfall more landslides (already loosened by eq)
Political
Political instability meant Nepal was not well prepared for eq – hospitals became overwhelmed quickly
Government pledged $4.1 billion of overseas aid however increased debt in long term
UN gave $15 million from its emergency response fund
Earthquake worsened already weak political stability
MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR SEISMIC ACTIVITY
Modify event – not possible however afforestation programmes to enhance slope stability decreased landslides
Modify vulnerability
Introduced small scale education programmes
Encouraged households to have a ‘go-bag’ containing food, water, blankets for use in an eq emergency
Mapping of high-risk shake zones
Building codes introduced
LIDC so limited funding and resources – difficult to plan effectively
Modify losses
90% of Nepalese army deployed to help search and rescue efforts – however relief was a physical barrier
India dispatched 1,000 members of its Disaster Response Team, including 8 military helicopters
330 humanitarian agencies involved eg Red Cross Red Crescent provided shelter, and provided safe burials
for families
LIDC so resources limited and therefore dependent on actions international organisations eg UN, individual countries
eg India and NGOs eg Red Cross – shows low resilience. Also, relief = physical barrier to aid, and comms = difficult.
