Seismic Hazard- Kashmir Earthquake Flashcards
Location
The Kashmir region in north Pakistan sits on a destructive plate margin where the Indian plate is being forced under the Eurasian plate.
About earthquake
An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Moment Magnitude Scale occurred in the Kashmir region on 8th October 2005.
The earthquake caused damage to an area of 30 000 km².
Over the next few weeks, there were nearly 1000 aftershocks
Social Impacts
Around 80 000 people died, and hundreds of thousands were injured.
Around 3 million people were made homeless.
Water pipes and electricity lines were broken, cutting off supplies.
Landslides buried buildings and people. They also blocked roads and destroyed telephone lines.
Diarrhoea and other diseases spread due to little clean water.
Economic impacts
It’s been estimated that the earthquake cost around US $5 billion in total.
Whole villages and thousands of buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. The total cost of rebuilding has been estimated to be US $3.5 billion.
Environmental impacts
Landslides and rockfalls occurred throughout the region, affecting habitats.
A landslide in Jhelum Valley was over 1 km wide and over 2 km long. The debris created a dam at the bottom of the valley that blocked two rivers where they joined.
People tried to respond- but the response was delayed
International aid and equipment such as helicopters and rescue dogs were brought in, as well as teams of people from other countries.
However, the poor roads meant that help didn’t reach many areas for days or weeks. People had to be rescued without any equipment or help from emergency services.
Tents, blankets and medical supplies were distributed within a month, but not to all areas affected.
Recovery
Around 40 000 people were relocated to a new town, from the destroyed town of Balakot.
Government money was given to people whose homes had been destroyed so they could rebuild them themselves.
Long term development
Training has been provided to help rebuild more buildings as earthquake resistant.
The Pakistani government set up the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) and the Federal Relief Commission (FRC) to coordinate activities with other international agencies and non-governmental organisations
Foreign aid
About US $5.8 billion of foreign aid was provided by the international community in response to the disaster. Some of this was for long-term development.
