14.4 Living with Earthquakes: Nepal case study

Question 1

How often does Nepal receives 7-8.0Mw?

Answer 1

Receives two every 40 years

Question 2

What tectonic plates does Nepal sit on?

Answer 2

In the middle of a collision zone between Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates

Question 3

What geological structure amplifies seismic risk in Nepal?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

When was the Gorkha earthquake?

Answer 4

25th April 2015

Question 5

What size was the Gorkha earthquake?

Answer 5

7.8 Mw

Question 6

What caused the quake?

Answer 6

A slip along the main frontal thrust fault in the collision zone

Question 7

Where was the epicentre?

Answer 7

90km northeast of Kathmandu

Question 8

Where was the focus?

Answer 8

15km

Question 9

How many aftershocks equal to or above 5.0Mw?

Answer 9

51 including a 7.3 Mw in May

Question 10

What hazards were produced?

Answer 10

Landslides and avalanches

Question 11

Social impacts: how many were killed + injured?

Answer 11

8,800 people killed (including 20 Everest climbers) and 22,000 people injured
(Further 160 people killed in other countries)

Question 12

Social impacts: how many people were displaced?

Answer 12

2.8 million people were displaced from Kathmandu Valley

Question 13

Social impacts: how many houses were destroyed?

Answer 13

473,000 houses destroyed

Question 14

Social impacts: how many people required food assistance?

Answer 14

1 million people

Question 15

Social impacts: what happened to women?

Answer 15

Increase in trafficking of women and girls to South Asian brothels

Question 16

Social impacts: which ethnic group was hardest hit by the quake?

Answer 16

The lower-caste Tibeto-Burman as tended to live on highest slopes which were affected by landslides and inaccessible

Question 17

Social impacts: what culturally important location was damaged?

Answer 17

UNESCO World Heritage Site Bhaktapur damaged

Question 18

Economic impacts: how much did it cost?

Answer 18

US$10 billion – US Geological survey (hard to predict)

Question 19

Economic impacts: what % of economy is made from tourism and what were the effects?

Answer 19

10% of economy is based on tourism

Everest was shut for 2015 climbing season

Question 20

Economic impacts: who provided aid for reconstruction + how much?

Answer 20

The Asian Development Bank provided US$200 million

Question 21

Political impacts: what happened to Nepal’s government?

Answer 21

Lacked capital reserves to cope with scale of damage so had to borrow = increased debt

Question 22

Political impacts: impact on food security?

Answer 22

Disrupted planting season ahead of monsoon so long-term food security impacts

Question 23

Political impacts: which countries sent aid?

Answer 23

Indonesia – sent military aircraft and personnel

India – controversial as used to self-promote in the region