Nepal Earthquake Preparedness

When an earthquake the magnitude that occurred in Pakistan in 2005 hits Kathmandu and the hills of Nepal...

1. Tens of thousands will die immediately and be injured as poorly constructed brick buildings collapse.

2. There will be no effective system for bringing in relief. 
1. The two roads to the plains of India will almost certainly be blocked;
2. The airport, which is built on lakebed sediments, could well be unusable;
3. Roads, bridges and other infrastructure that links communities within Kathmandu will be damaged and blocked;
4. Rural areas are likely to be completely inaccessible;
5. Water supply and sanitation systems – two of the most important needs for survival – will collapse.

3. Disease will spread rapidly due to disruption of water supply and sanitation systems. Within days the immediate impacts of the quake will be compounded by disease as sanitation collapses and hundreds of thousands of people are forced to depend on whatever water they can find.

An earthquake of magnitude 8 or greater is all but inevitable in the Kathmandu region. The only question is when?

What is being done?

1. The Nepal Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) is the only Nepali non-government organization working on earthquake issues. They are recognized regionally for their activities on the:

1. Promotion of emergency planning
2. Development of earthquake resistant structures
3. Education and awareness

2. The United Nations, other country representatives and major international non-government organizations (Care, Save the Children, etc.) are well aware of earthquake risks and have undertaken:

1. Some emergency planning
2. Pre-positioning of emergency medical and other materials
3. Some initiatives to protect key infrastructure (hospitals, bridges)

Overall, Nepal remains woefully unprepared. Only a few houses have been retrofitted and the building industry and general public are largely unaware of earthquake risks.

What is ISET planning?

We are currently developing a program to:

1. Work with the numerous groups in the US, Canada and Europe that have experience in Nepal to develop programs for reducing risk and for emergency response when an earthquake does occur. 

2. Work with the Nepal Society for Earthquake Technology and partners in India and Nepal for the creation of a regional disaster response capability. Our activities in Pakistan and on climate issues in the region will contribute to this.

3. Identify, test and promote new designs for earthquake resilient structures that can be sold in the burgeoning market for housing in Nepal. We are particularly interested in upgrading structures such as the modern yurts now sold for housing in the US that are much less expensive than conventional housing.

4. Development of earthquake resilient water supply and sanitation systems. Our partner organization, Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH), has built drinking water systems that serve approximately 1 million people in Nepal. Their systems are much more sustainable than those of most other agencies because NEWAH’s approach catalyzes community investment in system construction, operation and maintenance. We will be working with NEWAH at the community and national policy level to identify technologies and institutional approaches that improve the resilience of water supply and sanitation systems to earthquakes and improves the capacity of communities to repair them rapidly when they are damaged.