14.4 Living with Earthquakes: Nepal case study Flashcards
How often does Nepal receives 7-8.0Mw?
Receives two every 40 years
What tectonic plates does Nepal sit on?
In the middle of a collision zone between Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates
What geological structure amplifies seismic risk in Nepal?
Pre-historic lakes filled many of the valleys leaving behind hundreds of metres of soft sediment which amplifies seismic waves, causing structures to swing violently
Eg Kathmandu valley has sediment 600 metres deep
When was the Gorkha earthquake?
25th April 2015
What size was the Gorkha earthquake?
7.8 Mw
What caused the quake?
A slip along the main frontal thrust fault in the collision zone
Where was the epicentre?
90km northeast of Kathmandu
Where was the focus?
15km
How many aftershocks equal to or above 5.0Mw?
51 including a 7.3 Mw in May
What hazards were produced?
Landslides and avalanches
Social impacts: how many were killed + injured?
8,800 people killed (including 20 Everest climbers) and 22,000 people injured
(Further 160 people killed in other countries)
Social impacts: how many people were displaced?
2.8 million people were displaced from Kathmandu Valley
Social impacts: how many houses were destroyed?
473,000 houses destroyed
Social impacts: how many people required food assistance?
1 million people
Social impacts: what happened to women?
Increase in trafficking of women and girls to South Asian brothels
Social impacts: which ethnic group was hardest hit by the quake?
The lower-caste Tibeto-Burman as tended to live on highest slopes which were affected by landslides and inaccessible
Social impacts: what culturally important location was damaged?
UNESCO World Heritage Site Bhaktapur damaged
Economic impacts: how much did it cost?
US$10 billion – US Geological survey (hard to predict)
Economic impacts: what % of economy is made from tourism and what were the effects?
10% of economy is based on tourism
Everest was shut for 2015 climbing season
Economic impacts: who provided aid for reconstruction + how much?
The Asian Development Bank provided US$200 million
Political impacts: what happened to Nepal’s government?
Lacked capital reserves to cope with scale of damage so had to borrow = increased debt
Political impacts: impact on food security?
Disrupted planting season ahead of monsoon so long-term food security impacts
Political impacts: which countries sent aid?
Indonesia – sent military aircraft and personnel
India – controversial as used to self-promote in the region
