A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal at 2:11 p.m. on April 25, killing more than 1,100 people as of the early hours of April 26. The quake also triggered Mount Qomolangma avalanches, trapping tourists and climbers. The exact number of casualties is not yet available. It is also reported that the earthquake affected China's Xizang, at least 13 people were killed and 4 people were missing (another 4 compatriots were killed in Nepal). This is the strongest earthquake since the magnitude 8.2 earthquake in Bihar, Nepal, in 1934, which killed tens of thousands of people.
This article is about the stories told and experienced by several Nepalese people before the strong earthquake.
◆ The boss who sells earthquake rescue kits
& emsp; & emsp; "I don't think these things are necessary"
Bishnu Shrestha runs a shop in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and sells earthquake rescue kits. Most of the customers who buy life-saving kits are foreigners, and he admits that "these life-saving things don't make much sense.".
Foreigners who aid Nepal and diplomats in Nepal will go to Shrestha's shop to buy sheets and pottery with local ethnic characteristics. Occasionally, they will pay $48 for a small iron box for earthquake rescue, which contains an iron sled, plastic film, bottled water and medicine.
"In Kathmandu, I don't think it's necessary to prepare these things. There's no reason to do these things," Mr. Shrestha said.
Nepal was hit by the deadliest and largest earthquake ever recorded at 2:13 p.m. on January 15, 1934. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8.2. The epicenter was located in Bihar, northern Nepal, killing 7,253 people in Bihar and more than 10,800 people in Nepal.
Geologists predict that Kathmandu will experience an earthquake of the magnitude of 1934 in about 70 years. "If Nepal were hit by an earthquake of the magnitude of 1934 today, 40000 people would die and 100,000 people would need to be hospitalized," Dr. Amod Disit, head of Nepal's National Institute of Seismological Science and Technology, said in 2005.
◆ Construction expert in Nepal
& emsp; & emsp; "Most houses are not earthquake-resistant"
In the spring of 2013, the Nepalese construction community held an exchange meeting and came to the conclusion that most of the buildings in the capital city of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes.
"The vast majority of houses and buildings in these places fail to strictly comply with construction management regulations and use qualified building materials," the expert said.
In 2005, Dr. Dixit estimated that 93% of the houses in Kathmandu did not meet building safety standards. Although new building safety standards were introduced in Nepal in 2002, there is little enforcement.
"The lives of thousands of people are being put at risk by the fact that housing construction [in Kathmandu] is not being carried out according to basic building safety standards," Dr Utar Kumar Regmi, a senior engineer at Kathmandu's Ministry of Construction, said in 2013.
The worst thing is that cities like Kathmandu are still developing rapidly and their population is still increasing. Up to now, the population of Kathmandu is about 1.45 million, and the population of Nepal is about 28.7 million.
This means that if a strong earthquake hits Nepal, especially in densely populated areas, the casualty figures could be very, very large.
◆ Nepal Building Material Manufacturer
& emsp; & emsp; "Low-grade and low-quality steel is used for construction"
One of the main reasons for the poor quality of construction in Nepal, Dr. Regmi charged, is the substandard quality of construction materials. The materials used in Nepal's construction, from cement to steel, are of low quality and "do not meet even the most basic standards," he said.
Ananda, the head of Kathmandu Steel Company, which is responsible for steel trade, responded at the time and admitted that most of the steel manufactured by Nepalese manufacturers is low-grade and inferior, which is very easy to rust. "The consequences of using these inferior steels could be terrible," he added.
Experts from Nepal's National Society for Seismological Science and Technology believe that there is no need for a high-intensity earthquake, and a small earthquake can collapse many houses in Nepal.
Construction experts in Nepal publicly advised in 2013 that when people build houses, they must choose the highest level and best quality building materials, strictly abide by relevant building standards, and adopt earthquake-resistant technology in construction, so as to make the house "safer".
Do Nepalese people not listen to advice and are willing to live in fear in buildings where safety is at stake?
◆ Ordinary people in Nepal
& emsp; & emsp; "Building a house at 3% of the cost of earthquake resistance is regarded as a joke"
Kathmandu, the capital, is undoubtedly an area with weak earthquake resistance. On the one hand, it is located in the Kathmandu Valley, which is located in a riverbed area. When an earthquake occurs, it will produce high-intensity shaking. When an earthquake of magnitude 8.2 occurred in 1934, it was like "a huge wave on the sea that kept shaking". On the other hand, there are only two mountain roads leading to the outside world. In the rainy season, mudslides may interrupt the contact with the outside world. As for the international airport, there is only one in Nepal, and an earthquake could bring it to a complete standstill, leaving the country paralyzed and isolated.
Geologists have determined that the area from Pokhara City in western Nepal (about 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu) to Dehradun, India, is an "earthquake blank area". Experts imagine that more buildings will be built in this safe area to attract more people to prevent earthquake disasters.
However, residents of Kathmandu often regard the plan as a joke.
A resident in Kathmandu said that when her family built an earthquake-resistant house, many people laughed at it, thinking that it was a fart with pants off and too much money to spend.
Dr. Dixit, the head of Nepal's National Society for Seismological Science and Technology, has had a similar experience of being ridiculed. When building a house, it costs 3% more to be earthquake-resistant. "At first, no one paid attention to it. At least half of the people thought we were too funny.". However, once they are willing to listen to you, they want to know more about earthquake resistance.
A new analysis by The Economist on April 25 pointed out that Nepal had previously encountered "long-term political obstacles"-that is, the political instability brought about by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) from the mid-1990s to around 2008 (on May 28, 2008, the Constituent Assembly of Nepal passed a resolution by an overwhelming majority of 560 votes to 4 votes. It formally abolished the monarchy and became the Federal Republic of Nepal), nor did it make sustained efforts to protect large populations from earthquakes, nor did it educate people about earthquake preparedness.
Another fact that cannot be ignored is that Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world, with a GDP of 19.3 billion US dollars (about 119.5 billion RMB, World Bank data) in 2013, which is only about 1/8 of Hangzhou's GDP in the same year; According to the World Bank's poverty threshold standard of "daily consumption of less than $1.25", 25.2% of Nepal's 28.7 million people, or about 7.23 million people, are poor.
This is a catastrophe, and rescue must be a race against time. It is hoped that China, India and other neighboring countries of Nepal can put aside their past prejudices and grudges, reach a consensus on rescue, and work together to save every life in a more timely and effective manner.
Pray for the people who suffered from this catastrophe, and pray for the people who were trapped in the earthquake and avalanche.
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