nepal

Question 1

nature and causes

Answer 1

• 7.9 magnitude
• 25th April 2015
• 11.56am
• Indian subcontinent pushes against Eurasia
• constant crashing of plates forms Himalayas

Question 2

natural risks to be managed

Answer 2

o	Landslides and few boulders
o	Avalanche on Mt Everest
o	Loss of forest and wetlands
o	9 million animals dead or injured
o	Kathmandu = raised land 1m and shifted 3m south
o	Red panda, musk deer and taha affected
o	Springs dried up
o	Kathmandu valley = liquefaction
o	19 cubic metres of sediment

Question 3

cultural risks to be managed

Answer 3

• loss of property
• loss of life
• effects on infrastructure
• effects on jobs
• effects on physical and mental health

Question 4

economic impacts

Answer 4

o $2 billion to rebuild home, hospitals, gov offices, historic buildings
o Gov handed out money ($1260) to each family with quake victims killed
o Estimated total value of damage and loss = $7 billion
o Damage to tourism industry
o Increased unemployment and decreased productivity
o Communication cut off to Asia
o Damage to agriculture industry

Question 5

social impacts

Answer 5

o	Lack of helicopters and poor communication
o	Villages cut off from cities because of landslides
o	Quake destroyed communication links
o	People live in tents
o	200 million tents needed, water, food and medicines also needed
o	Schools shut
o	Loss of jobs and source of income
o	Cause of poverty
o	Tent cities established
o	Loss of livestock/animals
o	Food shortage
o	Medicine running low (edible herbs)

Question 6

environmental impacts

Answer 6

o Avalanches around Mt Everest
o World heritage land forms destroyed e.g. temples
o Aftershocks caused land movement and erosion
o Landslides caused farming land to be lost
o Increased sediment in rivers and water sources caused downstream flooding
o Following rains and monsoons caused floods, sediment, waterborne diseases

Question 7

physical vulnerability factors

Answer 7

1) proximity to earthquake - plate boundary
2) nature - rocks and soil
3) distance from coast
4) time of year - monsoon weather

Question 8

human vulnerability factors

Answer 8

1) decision to live in EQ zone
2) buildings
3) failure dams - flooding
4) economic - LEDC with low GDP
5) education
6) government - building regulations
7) technology

Question 9

magnitude

Answer 9

o 7.9 on Richter scale (large)

o Amount of built up stress due to long time between last major quake in 1935

Question 10

duration

Answer 10

o Initial quake 30 seconds
o A complex area with many faults
o This causes large number of aftershocks

Question 11

frequency

Answer 11

o There are lots of earthquakes in the region
o High frequency of quakes
o But a large one didn’t happen for a long time

Question 12

scale of spatial impact

Answer 12

o Local to the fault

o In east west direction

Question 13

distribution

Answer 13

o Quake and aftershocks were mostly in a line along the main fault and boundary
o Many occurring to east of Kathmandu
o Original movement triggered other movement – East to West on minor faults

Question 14

how human activities intensify the hazard

Answer 14

• construction techniques
• location of settlements
• land clearance/ agriculture/ valleys
• tourism activities

Question 15

city dwellers - stakeholder

Answer 15

• The educated city dwellers want to decrease vulnerability
• Want gov to take more responsibility but don’t expect it
• Not willing to move from area
• Would like guidance from gov
• Cost seen as too high by many poorer urban dwellers - especially to build to quake standards and retrofit
• Would but font expect gov grants to help rebuilding

Question 16

rural farmers and villagers

Answer 16

• Used to looking after themselves
• Work together as a community
• Would like to receive help from gov but don’t expect it
• Have less access to money to rebuild
• Communities worked together with help from charities e.g. build for change, to retrofit
• Some people still living emergency accommodation

Question 17

government

Answer 17

• At the time gov was writing new constitution and parties squabbled over it
• Did not view reducing vulnerability as priority
• Have now introduced new building codes
• Gov accepted help from India and China for rescue an relief and rebuild – short of money
• Gov slow to respond and slow to get NRA
• Money that had been pledged was lost

Question 18

charities

Answer 18

• MSF, Red Cross, world vision, oxfam
• Key aim is to reduce vulnerability through aid and long term programs
• They want to reduce immediate impact and work with communities and gov to decrease vulnerability
• Poor gov response so some charities withdrew their offers to help
• See the cost of mitigation as a necessity to ensure reducing impact in the future
• Find cost effective strategies
• Encourage donations
• Provide simple low cost solutions

Question 19

short term relief

Answer 19

o Distribution of essentials
o Oxfam distributed 58 000 hygiene kits
o Safe spaces for children set up
o Rescuers
o Local volunteers worked with army and international aid workers
o Tents were set up for people who lost their home

Question 20

long term relief

Answer 20

o Building codes
o Donors pledged more than $4 billion USD to the NRA
o Rebuild infrastructure, small roads, schools and hospitals
o Oxfam installed waterproofed shelters and helped protect livestock
o World vison will focus on improving household income and food accessibility for households
o Restoring safety

Question 21

mitigation

Answer 21

o Gov created a new public body, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA)
o Building more disaster resilient infrastructure
o Build and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders, local authorities, organisation, humanitarian agencies
o Long term shelter assistance will include repairing, retrofitting or reconstructing affected houses as part of a community based project

Question 22

preparation for future hazards

Answer 22

o Region wide research and recovery initiative
o World vison will provide the equipment needed and train health workers and community volunteers
o Organise national workshops
o World vision will establish referral mechanisms and provide training in child protection

Question 23

retrofitting housing

Answer 23

o Education of local builder to strengthen old houses
o Straps to build roof
o Strengthen foundation
 S – provides long term skills for builders
 E – Cheaper to retrofit
 E – improves safety of houses in long term

Question 24

aid groups

Answer 24

o Immediate relief + long term projects to improve resilience, reduce vulnerability and exposure
 S – sometimes not what is needed
 E – provides money + aid to rebuild and recover
 E – have long term projects as well as aid

Question 25

building regulations

Answer 25

o Building code 1994 enforce Kathmandu 2006 but not everywhere
o Not enforced
 If implemented, regulation should reduce future impacts
 But cost might make these unaffordable for many in Nepal

Question 26

education in school

Answer 26

o Earthquake education in schools
o Safety drills
o House and farm education – strong resilient buildings
 S – creates a better educated community for future – on how to prepare for EQ