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The 2015 Gorkha Nepal Earthquake - Coggle Diagram
The 2015 Gorkha Nepal Earthquake
Overview of the Disaster (UN):
8617 deaths
16,808 injuries
2.8 million displaced
5.6 million affected
More than 1 million in need of food assistance
26 hospitals damaged
More than 473,000 houses destroyed
7.8 M
Occurred midday 25/04/15
Cause:
Occurred at a depth of 15km, 80km NW of Kathmandu (Gorkha district)
Occurred due to the subduction of the Indian plate beneath the Eurasian plate
Indian plate moves northwards at an annual rate of 45mm forming part of the Himalayan uplift
Much of the energy was transmitted 120km eastward towards Kathmandu - epicentre was at the western end of the affected region
Hazards:
Landslides:
Can be triggered by tremors or monsoon rains
Rugged terrain, unstable soils and heavy rains meant that mountain villages in the Langtang region (west of Kathmandu) were buried under landslides
250 people died under a mudslide and avalanche at Ghodatabela
Continuing aftershocks were the main obstruction to rescue and relief operations, making may villages unreachable
Affected the roads connecting Kathmandu to the outside world, preventing aid and daily supplies from coming into Nepal
However, not as severe as expected -
Earthquake occurred before the monsoon season so the ground was dry and more resistant to slippage
Shaking was less intense
Rocks were stronger than expected
Flooding:
Landslides can block rivers creating floods upstream
Thousands were evacuated due to the threat of flash floods
Everest:
Avalanches killed 22 climbers near base camp
Helicopters took the most badly injured to Pheriche but transport was hindered by bad weather and poor communication
12th May 2015 Aftershock:
300 aftershocks during the following 6 weeks ranging from M 4.0-6.7
Eastern end of the same fault line, 80km ENE of Kathmandu, focus of 15km
Further 200 killed, 2500 injured
Rescue effort disrupted that was already underway
Further 200 were killed
Impacts:
Neighbouring countries were affected -
India - 67 deaths, 300 injured
Bangladesh - 4 deaths
China - 18 deaths, 50 injured
Less deaths than expected from the magnitude - indicating less ground shaking/sturdier buildings
90% of tourist bookings were cancelled in the immediate aftermath
Estimated that $600 million will be lost during 2015-2017
Unequal impacts:
Spatial -
Poor quality housing in rural areas was more badly affected than in the cities and towns
Kathmandu valley used to have a huge lake that was infilled over time with 300m of clay - this area suffered intense liquefaction and weak buildings collapsed under ground shaking
Income -
Immediate hardship - harvest of rice and maize had been disappointing and the loss of livestock (17,000 cattle, 40,000 chickens)
Worst affected districts contained 30% of the national cottage industries
Estimated - 700,000 will be pushed into poverty (2015-2016), 50-70% will be from vulnerable communities in the mountainous regions
Gender -
More females of all ages died due to being indoors
Women bore more impact - less assets, limited access to economic resources and fewer alternatives livelihoods to aid recovery
Destruction of water, sanitation, infrastructure = required women to walk greater distances
Sudden drop into poverty and lack of opportunities increases the risk of child trafficking and abuse
Damage to transport and power exacerbated the impact
14 HEP stations were damaged causing 25% loss of electricity capacity
Workers in the mountains were trapped by landslides on the roads
Flash floods were avoided but Nepal's only storage dam was cracked and the lake lowered by 3m
Loss of power meant closure of the international airport, where tourists waited to leave
Positive impact - increased demand for labour, earnings for skilled and unskilled workers will increase due to more demand
1 million students were learning in tents three months after the earthquake
Immediate Response:
125,000 ex service men from the Gorkha regiments of the Army were recalled for rescue operations
Nepalese Government made an international appeal within hours and released 500 million Nepal rupees for relief
Organised relief was difficult - especially to areas outside Kathmandu, due to landslides and bad weather so accessible villages received duplicated resources
Government buildings and personnel were lost in the earthquake so preparedness was undermined
UK - $7.6 million in response and an 8 person response team
China - $4 million and 62 people for search and rescue
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR):
three main risks that need to be embedded in Nepal's future preparedness plans
Geology
- Nepal needs to develop further its seismic network and mapping of landslide risk
Architecture
- Building codes need to be enforced
Urbanisation
- Greater and more dense urbanisation exceeds government's ability to enforce building regulations, means there is an over reliance on concrete and loss of indigenous knowledge - this is a poverty crisis rather than a natural disaster
Main aim
- build resilience in its economy, social cohesion and governance, so that the cycle of vulnerability is broken, and future impacts are mitigated
Schools are a priority - if built well they can continue to educate and develop young people as social capital for the future and act as a community resource in any future of disaster
Distinct isolated villages need to focus on social capital and local governance
Nepal's heritage is central to tourism - recovery is focusing on damaged/destroyed historic buildings, using cultural specialists to help communities revitalise their traditions
Reasons for Concern for the Future:
Physical factors -
Slopes are very vulnerable to landslides due to tremors and saturation from snowmelt and monsoon rains
Climate change will result in more intense rainfall and greater snowmelt, increasing flood risk
Social factors -
Concern to provide shelters before the monsoon rains may lead to shoddy construction and there are insufficient building materials for improved resilient buildings
Economic factors -
Rebuild costs are estimated at $10 billion - only 50% of the initial appeal has been funded
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world - HDI = 145/187
2014 - Nepal repaid debts of $217 million, money which might have been better spent on resilience