Nepal Earthquake of 2015 - Case Study Example

Nepal Earthquake of 2015 [Name of the Student] [Name of the University] Nepal Earthquake of 2015 Introduction The area between Pokhara and Kathmandu, in Nepal, experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25 April 2015. This transpired at 11:56 hours, and the epicentre of the earthquake was 77 km northwest of the capital city Kathmandu. In addition to central Nepal, which bore the brunt of this earthquake, the contiguous areas of India, Bangladesh and Tiber were affected. Moreover, fatal avalanches were caused on Mount Everest, claiming the life of several mountaineers[Neu15]. As stated by the US Geological Survey, the earthquake was of 7.3 magnitude on the Richter scale. Thereafter, in rapid succession, there were more six strong aftershocks, whose effect was experience in New Delhi and Dhaka, the capitals of India and Bangladesh, respectively[Bur15]. A number of temples that were hundreds of years old, underwent extensive damage. Furthermore, several buildings that had not been constructed properly, collapsed. In addition, many villages located in the remote mountains were razed to the ground. There were several fatalities and a large section of the populace in these areas was rendered homeless. Initial data revealed that around 7,400 persons had lost their life and that more than 14,000 had been injured[Neu15]. Fortunately, its airport at Kathmandu and major roadways were not destroyed, and remained quite usable. This enabled the neighbouring nations, such as India, to rapidly deploy rescue teams to the disaster struck Nepal. A major criticism levelled at the rescue efforts and the media was that these had concentrated on the capital city. As a consequence, the neighbouring communities had to survive in the face of acute scarcity of food, water, tents and medical supplies. The situation was considerably aggravated in the remote villages, which had to wait interminably for relief[Neu15]. The Nepalese Government beseeched the international community for help, as thousands were in dire need of food, shelter and water[Gov15]. The disaster caused by this earthquake was awesome, and the National Emergency Operation Centre disclosed that 7,250 individuals had lost their life and 14,222 had been injured. This earthquake has been recognised as the worst experienced by this nation since the 1934 earthquake that proved fatal for 17,000 in India and Nepal. The United Nations (UN) has estimated that around eight million individuals have to be provided with urgent humanitarian aid. This constitutes a fourth of the population of the nation[Bha15]. Subsequently, there was another earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale. This had its epicentre in Kodari, and it brought all activities at the Kathmandu airport to a standstill for several hours. The Indian Government deployed the Indian Army to provide assistance and relief to Nepal. This was a very good decision, as the highly motivated Indian Army had been intimately associated with Nepal. The Gurkha soldiers in the Indian Army were from Nepal, and there had been a two century old association between these entities. The rescue efforts had to face tremendous setbacks[The153]. Evaluation of Disaster Management Pertaining to Nepal Nepal is one of the poorest and least developed nations of the world. Australia, UK and the US promised to provide aid to the extent of $3.9 million, $7.6 million, and $10 million, respectively. In addition, the United Nations (UN) had promised to provide it with $15 million as aid. The UN had been coordinating the international initiatives to maximise the effective use of such aid. Such intervention, on the part of the UN, was essential as relief supplies had been delayed at airports and warehouses, due to bureaucratic interference that demanded customs inspections and other procedures[Bha15]. In addition, it is essential for the international responders to coordinate their efforts with the national and local networks and organisations. Thus, the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) of the Ministry of Home Affairs has been enacting a pivotal role in management of this national disaster. Its efforts have been supported by the village development committees and the chief district officers. Moreover, there are a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Nepal, which have considerable experience of earthquakes in the nation. In addition, some of the community and faith based organisations, which incorporate disaster management as an important aspect of their functioning, have come to the fore[Bha15]. Geologists had cautioned Nepal regarding the advent of a massive earthquake in Kathmandu. Nepal is situated on the converging Indo-Eurasian tectonic plates, and this is the cardinal cause of it susceptibility to earthquakes. In the year 1999, the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal of GeoHazards International, USA, had provided an action plan for risk management to the Nepal Government. Despite this, the Nepalese Government failed to adopt the required measures to mitigate the damage[Neu15] The UN World Food Programme had mobilised its entire stock of food in the region, and the World Health Organization distributed medical supplies for addressing the requirements of 40,000 people. UNICEF had stated that there were around 940,000 children in Nepal, who required urgent humanitarian aid, and that the most vulnerable children were those that had been rendered homeless[Bur151]. The redoubtable Indian Army was dissuaded in the least by this development. In fact, these stalwarts in rescue operations, redoubled their efforts and enhanced their endeavours. In this connection, 13 aircraft carrying food, water, blankets and medical supplies landed at the earthquake ravaged Kathmandu airport. In addition, the Indian Air Force pressed 17 helicopters into these relief operations. These helicopters made continuous flights to Nepal, and succeeded in rescuing around 200 people. The dynamic and result-oriented Indian Prime Minister, Narender Modi, was reviewing the developing situation and expanded the rescue operations from Kathmandu to the other earthquake affected areas of Nepal. In this context, three mobile hospitals were airlifted to Nepal and 10 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams commenced operations[The153]. The Indian Armed Forces evacuated thousands of people from Nepal. Moreover, the national carrier Air India conducted extra flights on reduced fares, and the private airlines Indigo and Jet Airways provided extra aircraft. As such, the Indian Air Force aircraft transported 8,000 blankets, 14 tonnes of food, 100 stretchers, a tonne of medicines, and six tonnes of prepared food. Moreover, a large number of oxygen cylinders were also transported to Nepal, as the Kathmandu oxygen plant had undergone significant damage[The153]. The damage caused by the earthquake was extensive. The Internet and phone networks were severely damaged, which rendered communication an onerous task. The Indian Government set up numerous control rooms to address this issue, and in order to deal with the large number of callers, it utilised email and the social media to register evacuation and rescue requests. In addition to the Kathmandu airport, the other airports were also gradually used for the rescue efforts. Moreover, India promised to help Nepal in the reconstruction work. The Indian Army Everest Expedition, which had been training at the Everest Base Camp, quickly swung into action, despite having been buried in the earthquake induced avalanche. These extraordinary men played a major role in rescuing foreign mountaineers and in recovering bodies[The153]. The massive earthquake in Nepal, rendered tens of thousands families homeless, posed the danger of shortage of food and medicines, and enhanced the danger of contracting infectious and waterborne diseases. The disaster management agency of the nation made it clear that it was receiving innumerable requests for rescue and assistance from all over the nation[Bur151]. . Nevertheless, it would be a blunder to blame the admittedly difficult terrain and poverty for the inadequate relief provided. The blame has to be squarely placed upon the shoulders of the Nepalese Government and the international donor agencies. These entities failed to prioritise disaster preparedness in the national-development agenda, with horrendous results. The infatuation of Nepalese politics with implementing an optimal system of governance and constitution had the undesirable outcome of emasculating the safety of its citizens[Neu15]. Moreover, elections to the local councils had not been conducted for 18 years. If there had been elected bodies at the local level, then the emergency assistance would have proved to be much more effective. Under those circumstances, there would have been elected representatives to seek help. The residents of remote villages, unlike those living in cities, do not enjoy access to governance units. As a result, the poor communities had to fall back upon their own resources, whilst facing the disaster. The uncoordinated relief and reconstruction work seemed to be a disturbing repetition of the blunders committed during the Haiti disaster. It was acknowledged in many quarters that there had to accountability and transparency in relief distribution and in the participation of local groups and communities, as this would ensure resilient and sustainable reconstruction[Neu15]. Furthermore, it was felt that building codes had to be implemented stringently, and that this process was not to be compromised by political concerns. Although, several nations and the international community expedited rescue and relief operations in Nepal, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was absent in these endeavours. Indeed, as the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal could have used its position to galvanise the regional organisation and lead it in disaster management. It had been assessed by the UN that approximately US$ 423 million would be necessary for providing relief to the survivors for three months. However, just a fraction of this amount could be raised, as of the end of May. Despite the volunteering of the international community to donate, the amount collected could prove insufficient for meeting the requirements of this nation. This situation could have been averted if SAARC had established a disaster relief fund. Moreover, the failure of this organisation to respond to this disaster indicated the absence of a collective response system to address conventional dangers in the region[Nay15]. It is the misfortune of Nepal that it is frequently visited by disasters. Moreover, it is an impoverished nation that provides a natural location for studying landslides. Nepal has been ranked 138 out of 169 nations in the UNDP, 2009 Human Development Index. It has a population of 23 million, and is one of the poorest nations of the world. Nevertheless, contemporary data discloses that some success has been achieved by this nation in reducing the poverty of its denizens. Thus, it achieved a reduction in poverty from 31 to 13%, primarily on account of generous inward remittances. Such amounts are received by 55.8% of the households of this nation[Sud13]. It has been incontrovertibly demonstrated that in the majority of the grave disasters that have transpired in rural or urban areas, decision makers and emergency managers have a critical function in mitigating the outcomes of the disaster. Furthermore, it has been acknowledged that emergency managers, in general, do not possess the required expertise and knowledge regarding disasters with respect to controlling and managing the emergency response. Moreover, the competence of such individuals has not been up to the mark[Hos10]. Nevertheless, the 2015 earthquake wreaked havoc upon the national economy and the life of a very larger number of citizens. The humanitarian plan has to address the immediate requirements of this ravaged nation. Strictly speaking, the success of this plan will be determined by the level of efficiency employed in the recovery and reconstruction initiatives. It is essential for the humanitarian and reconstruction programmes to focus upon the citizens of this nation, who are the first responders. Addressing their concerns and necessities is fundamental to formulating an effective response strategy[Lac15]. In addition to providing succour to the beleaguered people affected by the earthquake, it is essential to repair and rebuild the dwellings of those whose houses have been damaged or demolished during this disaster. Thus, the national and international organisations have to combine efforts with the Nepalese Government and private entities, so as to have in place buildings that can better withstand future earthquakes. Medical Response The fundamental goal of a medical response to a disaster is to reduce the morbidity and mortality related to that event. Another aim is to restore the health status to what had been obtaining prior to the disaster. Furthermore, the medical response would strive to implement a recovery process that would promote health and improve the level of preparedness of the concerned individuals and entities. A number of criteria come to the fore, with respect to determining whether these objectives had been realised[Gun]. In this context, it is to be understood that the evaluation of the severity of a health disaster and the effectiveness of the responses to it are on the basis of the number of casualties or injured, or the economic loss experienced by the healthcare and social systems. As such, assessment tends to overlook several other factors that are related to the public-health and social response. Some of these are; the conditions existing prior to the emergency, the nature of the emergency, alleviation of hunger, provision of shelter, capacity to respond to the remaining health requirements, preservation of mental health and well-being, restoration of the infrastructure, rejuvenation of the economy, and the re-establishment of security[Gun]. The situation in Nepal after the earthquake had been dismal, due to the lack of a large number of things ranging from electricity to medical assistance. In addition, the authorities expressed inexperience in dealing with disaster and in rescuing the people trapped under the collapsed buildings. The injured and sick people had been compelled to procure temporary treatment, along with the displaced survivors living on the streets[Bur151]. . It is an incontrovertible fact that the consequences of a disaster persist for a considerable period, and that this usually outlasts the attention span of the public. During the period that immediately follows a disaster, the affected nation exhausts a considerable proportion of its financial and material resources. In such instances, the focus of external aid should be upon the restoration of the common primary health care services, water systems, housing, and income generating employment[deG00]. As such, the community development recovery processes pertain to the built, economic, natural and social environments. These environments are affected to different degrees, depending upon the nature of the disaster and the community that has been affected by it. The recovery processes should endeavour to enhance social capital, stimulate livelihoods and economies, re-construct infrastructure, rejuvenate institutions, and develop the wellbeing and health of the community[Aus114]. As such, the processes associated with disaster recovery have to adopt an approach that is more proactive than the processes related to other developmental milieus. Legislation of Nepal Relating to Building Construction In 1994, the National Building Code of Nepal came into force. However, this piece of legislation was largely ignored. As such, the municipalities, which had been vested with the responsibility of issuing building permits, had been lackadaisical in incorporating the building code into the permit issuing processes. In fact, disaster risk reduction specialists of the UN, had discerned that the majority of the buildings destroyed, had been constructed prior to the implementation of the safe building code or had failed to comply with it. As such, 80% of the buildings in Nepal had been built by the owners who had hired masons without formal training in construction[Bha15]. The US Geological Survey estimated these losses to be around $10 billion, and the cost of reconstruction to be $5 billion, which is a fifth of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Nepal. As a consequence, the GDP of Nepal will be adversely affected, in the absence of effective and efficient utilisation of international assistance and support. The unemployment rate has been determined to be in excess of 40%. Furthermore, 70% of the population depends upon agriculture, whose contribution to the Nepalese GDP is more than one-third. Moreover, remittances from abroad constitute 22 to 25% of the GDP with tourism comprising 8.6% of the economy[Bha15]. Conclusion Albeit, natural disasters cannot be prevented, their deleterious consequences can be mitigated via the employment of up-to-date disaster management. It is vitally important to have in place leadership, coordination, communication and the participation of the local stakeholders for providing an adequate response. The first earthquake, in Nepal, had claimed 8,000 lives, injured 18,000 and destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses[Abi15]. Nevertheless, the response to earthquake disaster was ineffective, due to the failure of disaster management by Government of Nepal. Despite the abundance of relief material and several rescue teams, Nepal was unable to help the victims in a satisfactory manner. Although, the international community, with its proven expertise in disaster management, rushed in medical and other supplies, the fundamental issue of a vulnerable built environment remained unresolved. The death toll in this disaster was estimated at being more than 10,000. As such, several of the recent studies on disaster management policies have placed considerable emphasis upon the administrative and governmental imperfections and impediments that preclude members of the concerned communities from furthering their life circumstances. In this regard, the Nepalese Government is also to be blamed for its callous attitude towards disaster management in this ill-fated state. It is incumbent upon the Nepalese Government to adopt stringent measures to implement the building construction laws in an efficient manner, as this will make it possible to prevent catastrophes of such great magnitude. List of References Neu15: , (Neupane, 2015, p. 2041), Bur15: , (Burke, Rauniyar, & Gayle, 2015), Neu15: , (Neupane, 2015, p. 2042), Gov15: , (Gov.UK, 2015), Bha15: , (Bhatt, 2015), The153: , (The Times of India, 2015), Bur151: , (Burke, McCurry, & Jones, Nepal earthquake: authorities struggle to cope despite international aid efforts, 2015), Nay15: , (Nayak, 2015), Sud13: , (Sudmeier, Jaboyedoff, & Jaquet, 2013, p. 368), Hos10: , (Hosseini & Izadkhah, 2010, p. 185), Lac15: , (Lacey-Hall, 2015), Gun: , (Gunn & Masellis, 1996, p. 240), deG00: , (de Goyet, 1999-2000, p. 28), Aus114: , (Australian Government Attorney-General's Department, 2011, p. 37), Abi15: , (Abir & Moore, 2015), Read More