Aardbeving Nepal

Nepal nieuws artikel - Gevolgen aardbeving Nepal:

- Circa 40.000 doden
- Circa 100.000 mensen met dusdanige verwondingen dat verpleging in het ziekenhuis noodzakelijk is.
- Circa 60% van de gebouwen ingestort
- Circa 95% van de waterleidingen geknapt
- Circa 50% van de bruggen ingestort
- Circa 10% van de wegen vernield
- Circa 80% van de ziekenhuizen in Kathmandu niet meer operationeel en de overige 20% kan zijn dienstverlening niet volledig uitvoeren.

Geologen geloven dat aardbevingen met een kracht van 8 of hoger op de schaal van Richter Nepal elke 70 tot 80 jaar treffen. In 1934 werd Nepal getroffen door een beving met een kracht van 8,4 en experts waarschuwen dat een nieuwe aardbeving elk moment kan plaatsvinden en dat de Kathmandu vallei, waar ruim 3 miljoen mensen wonen dan waarschijnlijk het zwaarst getroffen gebied zal zijn.

De hierboven genoemde gevolgen zijn schattingen die het Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Project in 2004 heeft gemaakt. Het is te hopen dat bovenstaande cijfers niet binnenkort als feiten de headlines gaan beheersen, maar helaas is die kans dus wel aanwezig.

Zie voor meer details onderstaande artikel van Kantipur Online

Preparing for earthquakes

Earthquakes can neither be predicted nor prevented. That leaves humankind, especially those living in earthquake risk zones with risk minimizing measures, they can adopt.
Geologists believe that an earthquake measuring 8 or higher on the Richter scale hits Nepal every 70 to 80 years. Since an earthquake measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale rocked Nepal in 1934, experts warn that another big quake could strike Nepal at any time. What is worrisome is that Kathmandu valley, the home of some 3.3 million people, is likely to be the most affected in the eventuality of such a quake.
A survey by Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Project (KVERMP) three years ago, warned that some 40,000 people were likely to die and over 95,000 suffer injury requiring hospital services. The survey also estimated that six out of ten buildings would collapse should an earthquake similar to the one in 1934 strike the capital.
As if that were not enough here comes a far worse prognosis: 95 percent of water supply pipes might explode and 50 percent of bridges and 10 percent of roads could collapse in the valley. In the face of such a calamity, we would need prompt hospital services. But guess what? The major hospitals in Kathmandu are so poorly built that 80 percent of them would be non-operational and the remaining ones will also see services disrupted.
Are we prepared to face such a disaster? The answer is certainly not comforting, but it's not hopeless either. Things are beginning to improve. Thir Bahadur GC, chief of Natural Disaster Section at Home Ministry, concedes that the government has not been able to work adequately in the field of disaster preparedness. "The government had to focus more on man-made disasters than on natural disasters in the last ten years. We could not expedite the process despite the fact that it should have been our top priority," said GC.
However, GC informed that the government has set up a Central Disaster Relief Fund for which Rs 25 million is allocated each year. In the event of disasters like earthquakes and floods, a Central Disaster Relief Committee headed by the home minister, in coordination with district branches, executes relief operations. Though the relief fund is available, there is a dearth of trained rescue workers. The government has been mobilizing Nepal Army and Nepal Police personnel while carrying out rescue and relief operations. "Rescue work is not a simple process. It requires specially trained people," says Dr Amod Mani Dixit, executive director of National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET).
Realizing this fact, the US Agency for International Devel-opment, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) together with NSET started a Program for the Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER) in four Asian countries including Nepal some eight years ago. The PEER program includes components like Medical First Responder, Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue, Hospital Preparedness for Emergencies and Training for Instructors. Officials said the training has reached only a few personnel from Nepal Army, police and Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) volunteers so far.
A good start has been made in Kathmandu Valley though. Some 10 wards of all five metropolis, sub-metropolis and municipalities have formed Ward Level Disaster Management Committees, recruiting community volunteers and providing training and capacity building opportunities for them, with support from United Nations Development Program (UNDP). According to Umesh Dhakal, executive director of NRCS, other wards have started similar work recently. Stating that earthquake preparedness has been a priority for NRCS, he said, "We have set up some 40 boxes containing light search and rescue operation equipment, in various locations of the capital."
Niyam Maharjan, head of Earthquake Safety Department at Lalitpur Sub Metropolis, said they have identified 14 different evacuation sites and located Deep Tube Wells (DPWs) to meet water demand in case of a major earthquake occurring. Experts call for a specialized body to tackle major disasters like earthquakes and landslide in the country. Fire Brigade Offices, for example, carry out rescue work in India and Bangladesh while a Department of Civil Defense takes up the job in Pakistan. Dixit says rescue measures are still carried out in an ad hoc basis in Nepal as the job is assigned to police and army personnel who may not necessarily have knowledge of rescue work. "They often put their own lives at risk while trying to save others."
The authorities are also taking long term preventive measures. KMC and Lalitpur Sub-metropolis have already implemented the building code while Biratnagar Sub-metropolis is all set to enforce it. According to Kishore Thapa, director general, Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, preparations are underway to enforce the code throughout the country.
The Building Code, however, does not speak about structures built before the implementation of the codes. "Concerned municipality and Village Development Committees alone can do nothing in this regard. It requires a national policy from the government," says Devendra Dangol, head of Urban Development Department at KMC. According to the National Seismological Centre (NSC), there are about 1,000 earthquakes in Nepal each year, ranging from two to five in magnitude on the Richter scale.

Safety tips

During an earthquake

If you are indoors, stay away from windows until the shaking stops. Turn off stoves and take cover if you are cooking. If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow. If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees and power lines and lie flat on the ground. If you are in a vehicle, slow down and drive to a clear place. Stay inside until the shaking stops.

After the shaking stops

Check for injuries. Inspect your home for damage. Turn off gas cylinder if you think it is leaking. Expect aftershocks. Get everyone out to an open space if your home is unsafe.

Bron, Kantipur online (13 januari 2007)

keywords: earthquake, Kathmandu, Nepal, risk

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