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A product of the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Project implemented byNational Society for Earthquake Technolgy-Nepal (NSET) and Geo Hazards International (GHI)1133 Devkota Sadak, Mahadevsthan, Baneshwor, P.O.Box No. 13775, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tel: (977-1) 4474192, FaxM (977-1) 4490943

E-mail: nset@nset.org.np, Website: nset.org.np

National Sciety for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET)

This scenario was developed as part of the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk ManagementProject, a subset of the Asian Urban Disaster Management Project (AUDMP). Core Fundingcame from USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). Management andimplementation of AUDMP came from the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).

National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET)1133 Devkota Sadak, Mahadevsthan, Baneshwor

P. O. Box: 13775, Kathmandu, NepalTel: 977-1-4474192, 4490359 Fax: 977-1-490943

e-mail: nset@nset.org.np

KATHMANDU VALLEY'S

A product of the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Project implemented byNational Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET-Nepal) and

GeoHazards International, USA (GHI)

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© National Society for Earthquake Technoloty-Nepal (NSET)Scenario Authors:Shreeram Singh BasnetAmod Mani DixitLaura Dwelley-SamantMahesh NakarmiShiva BhahadurPradhanangBrian Tucker

Published by:National Society forEarthquake Technoloty-Nepal(NSET)

First Publication:4,000 Copies

Second Publication:5,000 Copies

Cover Art:A collage made fromentries by the followingchild artists to the artcompetition organisedon the occassion ofFirst Earthquake SafetyDayof Nepal:Ashik ManandharMekhsing GurungRashmi AmatyaRajendra DesharSarala SilwalSamanta ManandharSubishma Manandhar

Graphic Design by:Chandan Dhoj RanaMagar

Printed by:His Majesty's Govern-mentDepartment of PrintingSingha DurbarKathmandu, Nepal

Publication Series:

National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET)1133 Devkota Sadak, Mahadevsthan, Baneshwor

P. O. Box: 13775, Kathmandu, NepalTel: 977-1-4474192, 4490359 Fax: 977-1-490943

e-mail: nset@nset.org.np

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January 2004

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CAUTION

The following publication describes possible impacts of a potential

earthquake to affect Kathmandu Valley. Other earthquakes not

evaluated in this study would produce different consequences. This is

not a prediction of a specific earthquake, earthquake damage, or

consequences. This description is intended only for use in planning and

preparedness exercises and in raising awareness of Kathmandu Valley's

earthquake risk. The authors, advisors, publisher and other contributors

to this report are not responsible for use beyond these purposes.

National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET) and

GeoHazards International, USA (GHI)

NSET-Nepal Management Committee

Shiva Bahadur Pradhanang Amod Mani Dixit Jyoti Prasad PradhanPresident General Secretary Executive Member

Madhab Raj Pande Mahesh Nakarmi Mukunda P. S. Pradhan (Dr.)Executive Member Executive Member Executive Member

Shanti Malla Shreeram Singh Basnet Yogeshwor ParajuliExecutive Member Executive Member Executive Member

Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Project Advisory Committee

K. K. Gurugharana (Dr.)ChairmanKVERMP/Advisory Committee

Keshab SthapitMayorKathmandu Metropolitan City

Buddhi Raj BajracharyaMayorLalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City

Prem SuwalMayorBhakthapur Municipality

Hirakaji MaharjanMayorKirtipur Municipality

Madan Krishna ShresthaMayorMadhypur-Thimi Municipality

Jayaram GiriSpecial SecretaryMinistry of Education

Kul Chandra ShresthaJoint SecretaryMinistry of Home

Gopal Singh ThapaDirector GeneralDepartment of Mines & Geology

Lekh Raj UpadhyayDirector GeneralDepartment of Building

Sashi B. ThapaDirector GeneralDepartment of Housing & UrbanDevelopment

Benu B. Karki (Dr.)DirectorDepartment of Health

Kedar Prasad RijalDirectorDisaster Prevention Technical Center

Matthew FriedmanTechnical AdvisorUSAID

William S. BergerCo-ordinator, DMSUNDP

Todd StowellManager DPPLutheran World Service

Murai B. PokharelDirector DRPUnited Mission to Nepal

Ramesh SharmaChairmanNepal Red Cross Society

Ramesh AryalPresidentNepal Geological Society

Promod ShresthaProfessorInstitute of EngineeringTribhuvan University

Santosh GyawaliDeputy Executive OfficerUSAID

Kishor ShakyaSecretaryNepal Engineers' Association

Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management ProjectEARTHQUAKE SCENARIO WORKSHOP

Feb 21-22, 1998, Dhulikhel

List of Participants

Ajit Kumar Gurung (Dr.)DSP, Emergency DepartmentBirendra Police Hospital

Amar Nath AmatyaAdministrative OfficerMaternity Hospital

Ashok ShresthaAdministrative OfficerLalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City

Basant B. Panth (Dr.)Chief, Emergency DepartmentBir Hospital

Bharat Kumar YadavEmergency ChiefPatan Hospital

Bihsnu SubediChief AdministatorMedicare National Hospital

Binayak SharmaEngineerKathmandu Metropolitan City

Deo P. ShahSecurity ChiefTribhuvan International Airport

Hot Raj LamsalAdministrative OfficerKanti Children Hospital

Keshav WagelySenior Divisonal engineerDepartment of Road

Kumar BudhathokiLt. Col.Royal Nepal Army

Pradeep Mohan DhaubhadelJoint ManagerRastriya Bima Sansthan

Pranaya Raj ManandharAdministrative OfficerKathmandu Model Hospital

Suresh AmatyaAssist. AdministratorTeaching Hospital

H.D.RanjitkarHead, Dept.of Social WelfareKathmandu Metropolitan City

Indra Prasad Prajapati (Dr.)Medical OfficerBhaktapur Hospital

Jaicharana KasteeSenior Divisonal EngineerDepartment of Archeology

Karna Bahadur Chand (Dr.)Lt. ColBirendra Army Hospital

Karuna P. ShresthaDeputy DirectorNepal Red Cross Society

Narayan B. ThapaExe. OfficerMadhayapur Municipality

Ramesh Man MaharjanDeputy MayorKirtipur Municipality

Shambu P. MainaliManager (Planning)The Timber Corporation of Nepal

Sidhi Man BasnyatGeneral ManagerSagarmatha Insurance Co.

Sugat Ratna KansakarManagerNepal Telecommunication Corp.

Surya Bhakta ShresthaDeputy ManagerNepal Water Supply Corp.

Taranand Jha (Dr.)DirectorInfectious Disease Hospital

Tirtha Kumar PradhanDeputy Inspector GeneralNepal Police

Nepal Electricity AuthorityRatna Park

Mental HospitalLagankhel

Juddha Fire BrigadeDharmapath

List of Observer

Bel Prasad ShresthaMayorDhulikhel Municipality

Benu B. KarkiDirectorDepartment of Health

William S. BergerCo-ordinator, DMSUNDP

Bishal Nath UpretiPresidentNepal Geological Society

Chet Prasad BhattaraiGeneral ManagerNepal Telecommunication

Gopal Singh ThapaDirector GeneralDept. of Mines & Geology

Hirakaji MaharjanMayorKirtipur Municipality

Jitendra BotharaEngineerNepal Bureau of Standards & Metrology

Jnan Kaji ShakyaJoint SecretaryMinistry of Home

Jyoti P. PradhanExecutive MemberNSET-Nepal

Kishor ShakyaGeneral SecretaryNepal Engineer's Association

Madan Krishna ShresthaMayorMadhyapur Municipality

Madhav Raj PandeExecutive MemberNSET-Nepal

Madhunsudan PoudelDirectorDisaster Prevention Technical Center

Mukunda BistaEx. OfficerLalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City

Murari Binod PokheralDirector, DRPUnited Mission to Nepal

Naresh man ShresthaHead MasterVishwo Niketan H.S.School

Parthibeshwor TimilsinaProfessorTribhuvan University

Purna KadariyaD.Director GeneralDHUD

Rajendra B. AdhikariExecutive MemberSOMEN

Santosh GyawaliSystem ManagerUSAID

Todd StowelProject Manager, DPPLuthern World Service

List of International Observers

Abid ShabanAga-Khan Foundation

Carlos VillacisGeoHazards International

David HollisterADPC/AIT

Fumio KanekoOYO Corporation

Julie KlementOffice for Foreign Disaster Assistance

Kenji OkazakiIDNDR/RADIUS

Philippe MasureBRGM

Rajib Kumar ShawOYO Corporation

Ramana BarathiADPC/AIT

Shirley MattingleyCity of Los Angeles

Sun JichunOYO Corporation

Suthira SuwanarpaADPC/AIT

Tom BrennanOffice for Foreign Disaster Assistance

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This map shows the different intensities of ground shaking that occurred in the valley in the greatearthquake of 1934.

If you are inside a buildingwhen an earthquake strikes,take shelter under a sturdy

desk or a table, or stand in adoorway. Stay away fromheavy furniture, such as

bookshelves, which couldfall and injure you. Also,

stay away from windows.

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It is a gray winter day. The skyhas been overcast since early morning. Thepeople of Kathmandu Valley are feelingcold, but everyone is busy with their work.Schools have re-openedafter winter vacation andstudents are busy withtheir studies. It is anormal day in KathmanduValley.

It is a quarterpast two o’ clock in theafternoon. All of thesudden, many people feeltheir seats shaking butthey do not understandwhy. Nobody takes muchnotice and everybodycontinues their business.Soon after this, theground begins violentlyshaking and there is astrange, low rumblingnoise. Everybody gets upand hurries out of theirrooms. They see every-thing around them fallingto the floor. Racks andbook-cases fall to theground in offices;hospitals are in totaldisarray with medicinesdumped on the floor anddrawers falling to the

ground; and dishes, cookware and foodsupplies fall to the floor in homes. Window-panes are breaking and buildings arestarting to crack.

KATHMANDU VALLEY'S

THE EARTHQUAKE STRIKES !

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X: Most well-built masonry and frame structures are destroyed. Many wooden structures andbridges are destroyed. People are thrown to the ground.

IX: Poorly built masonry structures collapse. All structures are damaged. General panic occurs.VIII: Damage occurs to masonry structures. Heavy furniture moves or overturns. People are

frightened and have difficulty standing.

The following earthquake scenario describes the possible physical damage andsocial impact due to earthquake shaking similar to that which occurred in the

1934 earthquake of Kathmandu Valley.

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If you are inside near an exitwhen an earthquake strikes,

exit the building and find alocation far away

from buildings, walls, trees,narrow streets and power

lines.

If you are inside a vehiclewhen an earthquake strikes,pull over to the edge of the

road and stop. Stayaway from buildings, trees,

power lines and bridges.

2

The atmosphere is confusing andfrightening. In some places, where peoplehave not been trained how to behaveduring an earthquake, people start runningin all directions, horrified and screaming.Many people stumble and fall, and someeven jump out of windows and off veran-dahs. Lots of people are injured as every-one, trying to save their own life, rushestowards exits. Some people driving vehi-cles do not know what is happening andcause traffic accidents.

In some offices, schools and hos-pitals where people have previouslyconducted earthquake drills and awarenessprograms, people are scared, but they knowwhat to do when an earthquake strikes andthey are not panicking. People who areoutside or in the ground story of a buildingnear to open space rush outside to an areaaway from all buildings, walls, trees andpower lines. People who are insidebuildings and cannot rush to an open spacetake shelter under sturdy desks and tables,or in doorways. School children arecrouched under their desks, waiting forinstructions from their teachers. Doctorsand nurses are helping the most seriouslyill patients to protect themselves and arepreparing to evacuate the hospitals.Drivers in automobiles pull carefully off tothe side of the road, waiting for theshaking to stop.

All living creatures are affected bythe earthquake, not just humans. Dogs arewhining and barking. Cattle, buffaloes,sheep and goats are frightened, running inall directions and crying out.

When the shaking stops, theentire city seems to be stunned. Theground has stopped moving, but the peopleare still trembling. The air is thick with dustand it is difficult to see what has happenedto the valley.

ONE HOUR LATER

The clock strikes 3:00 in the after-noon. The Radio Nepal news broadcastsays, “Kathmandu Valley was shaken bya high intensity earthquake at about2:25 P.M. today. The earthquake isbelieved to have caused massive loss anddamage to Kathmandu Valley. Detailedreport is yet to be received.” Onlypeople with battery powered radios hearthis report.

Kathmandu Valley looks muchdifferent than it did an hour ago. Manybuildings have collapsed completely,others remain half-standing. Fallen wallsand buildings block the streets in manyplaces. The roads are crowded withdamaged vehicles and masses of scaredpeople. In many places, fissures and crackscan be seen in the road, with sand oozing

Bhaicha is running …

Bhaicha is a friendly, lower middle-class man who works as a clerk in a financial company. He is riding his bicycle on an errand for his branchchief. As he reaches Durbar Marg, his bicycle suddenly loses its balance and he falls over. Bhaicha is confused because his bicycle has notcollided with anything, nor has it hit a bump in the road. He notices that other people around him have also fallen down and he is surprisedto see that motorbikes and other vehicles are swerving and shaking. While trying to determine what is happening, he hears a low rumblingsound like that of a storm and sees many people running in all directions and he notices the swaying of buildings and trees. Only then he

realizes that he is experiencing an earthquake. He leaves his bicycle on theroadside and starts running. He thinks of his family and, forgetting his errand,runs towards home.

It is difficult to run because the ground is still shaking strongly and there aremany frightened and confused people in the streets. A house collapses directlyin front of Bhaicha, blocking his path. He realizes that he could be crushed byfalling debris and starts to move with a little more caution. Bhaicha is scared, buthe stumbles on in the direction he thinks is towards home, trying to avoid otherpeople and falling objects. Bhaicha reaches an open space and stops, unsure ofwhere he is. The shaking has stopped, but the collapsing buildings are no longer

recognizable and the air is thick with dust. He takes a deep breath, realizing that it will be difficult to find his way home.

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Develop a plan for yourfamily to reunite after anearthquake, in case an

earthquake occurs when allfamily members are not

together. It is a good idea toselect a site near your homethat is outside, away from all

buildings, walls, trees andpower lines, where

everybody will gather.

3

out of them. Such fissures can also be seenat Bhadrakali Corner in Tundikhel,Rangashala, Baneshwor and other places.Fire and clouds of smoke are bellowing outof many buildings in the center areas ofeach city in the valley, caused by cookingfires overturned by the earthquake orelectrical sparks from damaged wires.

The people of Kathmandu Valleyhave recovered from their initial shockafter the earthquake and are realizing thatthey are in the middle of a crisis. The firstpriority of most people is to find out if theirfamilies and loved ones are safe.

Some people know exactly wherethey should go, despite the chaos aroundthem. These people are from families thatplanned for an earthquake in advance.These families made arrangements to meetat a specific place if a disaster occurredwhen they were separated from each other.Since the earthquake occurred in the mid-dle of the afternoon, most families werescattered, with some people at office, someat school, and some at home. For peopleoutside of the city center, it is easy toselect a safe place to meet that is outsideand away from all buildings, walls, treesand power lines. For families which live inthe city, many have arranged to meet atTundikhel, the open air theatre, Ratnaparkor other open spaces and there are crowdsgathering there now. These people waitanxiously to see which family memberscan safely come to the appointed meetingplace, and which ones are missing. Thereare many discussions going on amidst allof the families gathered about how tosearch for missing people, and how to getinformation about who is safe, who isinjured, and which houses have beendamaged.

Families that did not plan how toreunite after an earthquake are nowpanicking. Office-workers are anxious toreturn home as fast as they can to learnthe condition of their family, but they arehaving difficulty getting from their offices

to their homes. Many roads and bridgesare damaged or blocked by debris, andvehicles are useless. Housewives at homeare worried about their husbands in theoffice buildings, their children at school andother family members who were awayfrom home when the earthquake occurred.People whose homes have been damageddo not know whether it is safe to stay nearthe house, but they are afraid to leave theirhomes, too, in case their missing familymembers go there.

There are many schools which didnot prepare for an earthquake and are nowsuffering. Many school buildings are heav-ily damaged with children trapped insideof them. The children who are safe arecrying from fear. Parents have rushed tothe schools to collect their children but theteachers do not know where all of thechildren are. Some children have left forhome already, some children have stayedat school, and the teachers cannot keeptrack of where all the children are. Manyparents are worried and angry becausetheir children have not returned home, norare they in school, nor can they be seen onthe road.

This photograph shows the damage experienced by the Palace of55 Windows in Bhaktapur during the great 1934 earthquake.

(Photo credit: Shangrila Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 2, April-June, 1993)

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After an earthquake, do notmove people who are

injured unless they are inimmediate danger of furtherinjury. If it is necessary tomove someone, be verycareful. You can make

someone’s injuries muchworse by moving them

improperly.

4

However, in some other schoolsthe teachers are well prepared and haveassembled their students in nearby groundsand are keeping strict vigil, not allowinganyone to leave. They are comforting thechildren and explaining to them what hashappened. They are also identifying all ofthe children who are present and those whoare missing, and sending a few teachersand senior students to search for anymissing children. When lucky parentswhose children are safe come to theseschools, the teachers are handing over thechildren to their parents and assuring themnot to worry or panic.

The news of the earthquake has spread byradio to other parts of the kingdom and theworld and many people outside the valleyare desperate to contact their relatives andfriends in the capital to find out if they areokay. However, the earthquake hasdamaged telephone towers, poles andwires and has cut practically all telecom-

munications service. Even in the few placeswhere telephones continue functioning,nobody has the courage to enter buildingsto receive the telephone calls.

There is now a great need forsearch and rescue activities, fire suppres-sion, medical care and other services.However, little official response can be seenbecause of the chaos following this event.Telephone lines and electrical power havebeen disrupted in the valley, making itdifficult for emergency response agenciesto communicate amongst themselves andcoordinate their response to this calamity.However, normal citizens are working totry to save their neighborhoods and friends.As the day progresses, groups of soldiers,police, and fire fighters can be seen joiningthe residents of each ward in the rescueeffort.

The fire brigade is fighting valiantlyto put out the fires that are burning in

central Kathmandu. How-ever, only two of thebrigade’s seven fireengines can be used. Twofire-engines were out-of-order even before theearthquake struck. Theremaining three enginesare trapped in theirgarages because theearthquake damaged thegarage gates and now theycannot be opened.Blockedroads have made it difficultfor fire engines to reachmany of the blazes and firefighters are attempting touse long water hoses inareas which they cannotaccess by truck. Thisapproach is very slow.Fire-engines are also shortof water to fight the firesbecause the engines needto be filled with water fromRani Pokhare, the pond lo-cated inside the Zoo

Liquefaction, which occurs when wet soil is shaken by an earthquake, causes the ground to lose itsability to support structures. This map shows areas in the valley which could experience liquefaction.

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If you are on the upperfloors of a building during an

earthquake, do not jumpfrom a window or a

verandah. Stand in adoorway or near a columnand wait until the shaking

stops before using thestairs.

If you are outside when theearthquake strikes, do not

go into a building.

5

in Lalitpur. The roads are damaged andcrowded with people and rubble, so eachtime the fire trucks need to fetch water alot of time is wasted. There are hydrantsat various points in the city meant for useat times like this. However, attempts to openthe hydrants and pump out water to fill thefire-engines are futile. The water sourcethat supplies them went dry years beforethe earthquake occurred, and was neverreplaced.

People from all over the city arebringing the injured to hospitals. Thoseliving near to hospitals have come thereeasily but those living far away do not knowhow they will get to the hospitals.Ambulances cannot be called becausetelephone lines are damaged in mostareas. Ambulances could not reach thehospitals because of the clogged roads evenif they could be called.

At the hospitals, doctors arehaving a difficult time managing becausethe emergency wards have been swampedwith injured people. In addition to the manynew patients coming to the hospitals, somepatients and doctors who were in thehospital at the time the earthquake struckwere injured while trying to escape and arein need of medical attention. Many of theinjured brought to the hospital have headinjuries. Some people were hit by fallingflower pots or other objects as they wererunning in the streets. Others were insidewhen a ceiling collapsed, a balconycrumbled on their head, or a ceiling fan felldown upon them. There are many otherswho broke their hands or legs from falling.

Only the doctors who were on dutywhen the earthquake struck are at thehospitals now. Some off-duty doctors aretrying to reach the hospitals because theyknow that they are needed, but it isdifficult for them to get there because oftransportation problems. There is massivecrowding at every hospital, especiallyconsidering that nearly all hospitals werefull before the earthquake occurred. A large

amount of medicines and supplies arebroken, spilled or lost. This makes it verydifficult for the doctors to treat thewounded. Disruption of the power supplymeans that machines, such as x-rays, arenot working. Hospitals with generators arefaring much better than those without. Thehospitals are so crowded that the doctorshave trouble identifying the most seriouslyinjured patients from those with lesserinjuries, and in some places people arebeing treated in the order they arrive ratherthan the order of their need.

In almost every ward, local youthshave organized themselves to search build-ings for injured and buried people. A fewwards received training in emergencyresponse before the earthquake, so theyare well organized and know how to searchfor people without injuring themselves orhurting the earthquake victims more thanthey already are. In most wards, however,the people have no training in rescueoperations, so they are working as hard asthey can, but they are having difficulties.In some places, buildings that were stillstanding after the earthquake collapsedwhile rescue workers were searchinginside of them.

Radio Nepal broadcasts a newsflash at approximately 5 PM: “Kathmanduwas rocked by a high intensity earth-quake today at 2:14:45 PM. Accord-ing to the Department of Mines andGeology, the earthquake had anepicenter near Rasuwa district about100 km away from Kathmandu, andmeasured 8.2 on the Richter Scale. Theearthquake is believed to have causedmassive loss of life and property. HisMajesty’s government, Ministry of Homerequests that the residents of KathmanduValley remain calm, have patience,extend cooperation to each other, andjoin in the rescue and relief operation ifable.”

When night falls the valley iscompletely dark because the electricity

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If you are outside when anearthquake strikes, go to a

location far away frombuildings, walls, trees,

narrow streets and powerlines.

6

system is not operating. Darkness isslowing rescue and relief works but notstopping them. In some areas relief workis being conducted by the light ofautomobile headlights. Work is being donewith the help of electric power fromgenerators, where available, but in manyplaces, generators have been damaged bytipping over in the earthquake. In mostareas, people are trying to cope with the

darkness by using whatever torches,lanterns, kerosene lamps, and candles canbe found.

The people of the valley are pre-paring for a long night with little sleep. Theyare comforting each other and helping oneanother to find a safe, warm place to restand food to eat. Many housewives andchildren are preparing whatever food canbe found and bringing it to the laboringrescuers. It has been a devastating day.

The shaking has stopped and, finally, Bhaichareaches his neighborhood. Everything looks differ-ent, and it takes a few moments for Bhaicha torecognize his property. One half of his house hascompletely crumbled to the ground. Crying, hetries to enter it, but the door is firmly blocked byrubble. He shouts, “Father! Mother!” There is noresponse. He rushes back to the street, sees hisneighbor and asks him if he has seen his parents,wife and children. But his neighbor cannot helpBhaicha because he is busy looking for his ownfamily.

Bhaicha runs towards his field, thinking that hisparents and wife could be there.There, to Bhaicha’s relief, hesees his mother, aunt andseveral neighbors. His father isnot there. His mother, crying,tells Bhaicha that his father wasnot feeling well today andstayed at home, his daughterand wife have gone to hisin-laws, and his son is atschool. He asks his mother andhis aunt to stay in the field andnot to go anywhere, and startsrunning towards his in-laws’house.

His son’s school is on the way to his in-laws’ house,so Bhaicha stops there first to fetch him. He seesthat the school building is damaged in many placesand both the students and teachers are crying infear. Bhaicha asks several of the teachers about hisson, but there is a lot of confusion and it takesmany minutes before he finds a teacher who candirect him to his son. His son is lying in a smallopen space behind the school. Other students, manyof them injured, are also there in the open space.Seeing his father, Bhaicha’s son starts to cry. Theteacher explains that Bhaicha’s son jumped from

Bhaicha has no house ...the upper story of the school because he was scaredduring the earthquake and now his leg, and maybeother bones, seems to be broken.

Bhaicha is very worried about his son. It could beurgent to take him to the hospital, but it is alsourgent to know the condition of his wife and daugh-ter. It will take him two hours, maybe more becauseof the damaged roads, to reach the house of hisin-laws. First, he decides to take his son to thehospital. But how? The roads are in such badcondition that there are no ambulances, or evenregular cars, to take him to the hospital. The onlychoice is to carry his son all the way there.

Bhaicha needs to rest frequentlyon the way to the hospital andarrives exhausted, with his sonin great pain. There is a hugecrowd of injured people andtheir relatives outside of thehospital. There are very fewdoctors, so all of the injuredpeople must wait a long timebefore a doctor can see them.After three hours of waiting, adoctor comes to look atBhaicha’s son, and says that hisleg must be x-rayed. This will

require another long wait because the electricitysupply has been disrupted, and the emergency generator has to be used for many differentmachines at once. There is only one technicianworking because the others have left to find out iftheir own homes and families are safe.

There is nothing to do but wait for his son’s x-rays.He is increasingly feeling worried, hungry, tired, andcold. It does not seem possible to go to his in-laws’today, so Bhaicha prays for the safety of his wife,daughter, and father and prepares to stay at thehospital all night with his son.

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After the shaking stops,stay in an open space. Beready to help rescuers byidentifying injured people

who need help.

7

Before dawn, the people of eachward in Kathmandu Valley have gatheredtogether and started working again. Therewere several major aftershocks during thenight, so no one, including children, sleptwell because of fear. A few houses whichwere only slightly damaged by the largeearthquake yesterday collapsed during thenight because of the aftershocks.

Rescue Work

The search for trapped victimscontinues. Some bodies are found buriedand lifeless. Some others are found lyingunconscious but still living. Sounds ofmourning can be heard all around the city.Army, Police and volunteers aremobilized in the rescue work but the taskthat faces them is extremely difficult anda lack of proper coordination, tools andtraining is evident. Roads are destroyedand traffic, even pedestrian traffic, isdisrupted. It has been very difficult tokeep track of who has been found deador injured. There are almost no tools orequipment, so men are using their handsto clear the roads and to find buriedpeople. Priority has been given tosaving the lives of the injured rather thanremoving dead bodies. Everyone isworking as hard as they can, risking theirown lives to save others who aretrapped, as nervous family members andfriends stand nearby.

Because of the lack of propercoordination and management, noarrangements have been made for thevolunteer rescuers to rest, eat, or bereplaced. As a result of this, all of therescue workers are totally fatigued byafternoon. Residents of each ward arehelping to feed workers with whateverthey have available, but there is notenough food for everyone.

Hospitals

The situation in hospitals is

getting worse today. People fromeverywhere in the valley are coming in fortreatment of earthquake related injuries.Many of the medical staff, includingdoctors and nurses, are injured and unableto work. Those that are not injured havebeen working ever since the earthquakestruck, with no rest and little food. Manyhospitals have cracks in their walls andequipment inside the hospitals is heavilydamaged. In this condition, providing propertreatment to the patients is a very difficultjob.

Several of Kathmandu Valley’smajor hospitals have only minor damage,so they are still able to provide goodtreatment. However, a couple hospitalbuildings have collapsed completely, and

ONE DAY LATER

Possible damage to Kathmandu Valley roads.

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There will be aftershocks,that is, additional

earthquakes after the first,large earthquake. Stay

away from houses whichmight be damaged becausethey could collapse during

an aftershock.

8

many patients and staff inside were killed.The residence quarters of another hospitalhave been badly damaged. Luckily, sincethe earthquake occurred in the day time,no one was inside at the time. Otherhospital buildings have suffered varyingdegrees of damage. Water and sand areoozing out of cracks and holes on thepremises of a few hospitals. Others havedeveloped some dangerous looking cracksin their buildings.

In Patan Hospital and MilitaryHospital, a siren was sounded immediatelyafter the earthquake and, due to previousemergency drills carried out in thesehospitals, everyone in the hospitals imme-diately moved to safe places and no onewas seriously hurt.

In other hospitals, which did notprepare for an earthquake by conductingevacuation drills, there were many injuriesand a number of deaths. When the earth-quake struck, the people in the hospitalsstarted running wildly in all directions.There were almost stampedes for theexits in which some patients, attendants andhospital employees were injured. At BirHospital, the main gate on the Southern sidewas locked when the earthquake struck,making it difficult for people to escape fromthe building and causing more panic. Thegate is now open to facilitate the processof bring injured to the hospital.

Drinking water, electricity, andtelephone services have been disrupted inall hospitals. However, Patan Hospital andMilitary Hospital have adequate drinkingwater from their reserves and electricityfrom their generators. Other hospitalseither do not have such reserves, or theyare not working well.

The Military Hospital, T.U. Teach-ing Hospital, Birendra Police Hospital andBhaktapur Hospital which own open spacearound their buildings, have startedpitching tents to hold additional injuredpatients. This is very helpful, but it has beendifficult for them to provide adequatemedical attention, bedding, blankets andmedicines for these extra people.

The loss of medicines and medicalequipment during the earthquake, due tospillage and cabinets tipping over, is beingfelt severely. In particular, the shortage ofoxygen, blood, plaster materials and x-rayequipment is causing many problems.

Transportation

Both paved and unpaved roads areaffected by the earthquake. The road fromKoteshwor to Kirtipur has developedcracks in many places and some portionsof the road have subsided, making trafficand pedestrian movement dangerous. The

Bhaicha stops talking ...

In the morning Bhaicha carries his son backhome. He has not yet told his son thattheir house has collapsed. When he seesthe collapsed house, his son grabs hold ofhis grandmother who is waiting for themthere and starts to cry. She also burstsinto tears. Bhaicha’s brother-in-law isthere, and Bhaicha immediately asks abouthis wife and daughter. His brother-in-lawdoes not speak for several minutes, buthis face shows that something is wrong.Bhaicha begs him to tell what happened,and after some moments he tells the trag-edy. Yesterday, when the earthquake oc-curred, Bhaicha’s wife tripped while run-ning down the stairs and was seriouslyinjured. She died at midnight. His daugh-ter, luckily, is safe, but both Bhaicha’sfather-in-law and mother-in-law were

killed in the earthquake. Bhaicha is stunned with disbelief at this news.Other people from the neighborhood come to console him and tell him thatmany people have suffered as much as he has. No one knows whether ornot Bhaicha’s father is safe. They advise him to search for his father.Maybe he is trapped in the house but still alive. Maybe he was away fromthe house and is injured so he cannot walk back home.

With tears in his eyes Bhaicha begins to search for his father. His motherhas already gone to many places where her husband would sometimes goduring the day, but there is no trace of him. Everyone fears that he might beburied beneath the debris of the house. At last, at noon, with the help of the

(continued)

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Water stored inunderground tanks is more

likely to be available after anearthquake than water

stored in tanks on the roofof a building.

9

road around Tundikhel has also developedmany cracks which are oozing sand andwater. Traffic movement is almost impos-sible. Broken tree branches block the road.The road between Bhadrakali andSinghdurbar has also subsided, bringingtraffic to a complete halt. Many of the nar-row roads in the center of Kathmandu arecompletely blocked with rubble and unus-able.

Bridges are badly affected by theearthquake. The Manohara river bridgeon the old Thimi route has been completelydestroyed, while the Manohara river bridgeon the New Thimi route is partiallydamaged. The old bridge at Thapathali thatlinks Kathmandu and Lalitpur has shiftedand may not be stable. Only pedestrianscan cross it. The new bridge at Thapathaliis being kept open only to ambulances, fireengines, army vehicles, police, governmentofficials, media reporters and rescue teams.

Likewise the bridge on theKoteshwor, Patan route (ring road),Sinamangal bridge, the bridge on the routeto Lubhu and the Gaurighat bridge nearGuhyeshwori have been completelydestroyed making traffic movementimpossible. The bridges on the roads toGorkarna and Balaju are partially damaged.The ground at one end of the Bagmatibridge near Tinkune has sunk, and so,although the bridge is okay, it cannot beaccessed.

Drinking Water

People are having difficultyfinding enough drinking water today. Thereis no drinking water in the houses, but manyroads are flooding with water flowing outof broken pipes. Household water tanks areeither damaged by the earthquake orrunning very low due to the added strain ofserving relatives and neighbors. Thereservoir and water treatment plant inBhaktapur have been badly damaged.According to the engineers it could takeover a month to fix these facilities. The

people of the ancient city are, therefore,queuing up at natural stone spouts for theirdrinking water.

The pumping station at Nakkhu hasbeen completely destroyed, while those atBanddha, Mahankal and Balaju have alsobeen affected by the earthquake. Since theelectricity supply has been cut off it isimpossible to get the pumping stationsoperating again. Water reservoirs in thenorthern part of Kathmandu havedeveloped cracks and the leakage ofwater is adding to the water shortageproblem. Many traditional wells havesuffered considerable damage. Water fromnatural stone spouts is quite dirty, but it isgradually becoming cleaner as the daypasses. People have started queuing up atthese spouts. In a couple of areas, waterspouts that have been dry for years startedflowing again. The people from Tebahal,Khichapokhari and New Road, and thosewho have been sheltering at Tundikhel sincelast night are gathering in large numbers atSundhara for drinking water.

police and some volunteers, he findshis father, dead, crushed under therubble. On seeing the body, his mother,son and aunt are overwhelmed withgrief and they begin to cry again. Thereis no one to comfort them becauseeveryone they know has suffered theirown losses.

Bhaicha, always talkative, now hasnothing to say. He has lost almost eve-rything in the earthquake. His house,now destroyed, was recently built andBhaicha is still heavily in debt fromthe expense. His in-laws who havealways helped him in times of needhave also lost their house. Worst ofall, he has lost his father, his wife, hisin-laws, and undoubtedly many otherloved ones.

Bhaicha now must perform funeralrites for his father and his wife at thesame time. All of his relatives havenot yet been informed of the deaths.There is no one who has time toinform them, and probably none of

them could spare time to help Bhaichaeven if they knew. Bhaicha takes hisfather’s body to the riverbank forcremation with the help of a fewothers. His father is covered with abed sheet which was pulled out fromthe rubble of the house, as no othercloth can be found. There are manyfamilies with dead loved ones at thebank of the river. There is shortage offirewood for cremation and no priestto consecrate it. Some people at theriver are talking about collectivecremation. At first, Bhaicha feelsuneasy when he hears the idea. Soon,however, he sees how desperate thesituation is, and Bhaicha agrees that itis the only way. After his father iscremated with the bodies of severalothers, he goes to his in-laws for thecremation of his wife.

Now, Bhaicha has no home, no wife,and no father. His mother is broken-hearted with grief. His son is injuredand in pain. Bhaicha does not knowwhat to do.

(continued)

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Only use telephones androads in the first few days

after an earthquake if it is anemergency. These servicesneed to be kept free for use

by emergency workers.

10

The drinking water tanker servicesof the water supply corporation andprivate sector have not been able tooperate. The damaged roads and bridgesmean that they have not been able to fetchdrinking water from the sources ordistribute it. Lack of drinking water isbeginning to become a serious problem formany families.

Electricity

The Electricity supply, which was damagedin most parts of Kathmandu Valley, is stillnot working. In many places the entirepower supply system has been completelydestroyed . The sub-stations at Bhaktapurand Lagankhel have been completelydestroyed, while the sub-stations atKathmandu have also been affected bythe earthquake. Many of the electricitypoles in the urban and rural areas havebroken or tipped over. Snapped electricitywires are lying here and there on theground. In many places transformers havefallen off of their poles. Electrical short

circuits have caused fires and a fewpeople have been electrocuted. Becauseof this, Nepal Electricity Authority hasturned off all of the electricity inKathmandu for the time being in order toprevent further accidents.

Telephone

Telephone service has also beendisrupted due to the earthquake. TheSundhara and Chabahil exchanges ofNepal Telecommunications Corporationhave serious damage, but they arerepairable. The Gongabu exchange hassuffered more damage. Most of thetelephones in Balaju, Naya Bazar,Samakhushi, Thapathali, New Road,Tripureshwor, Naya Baneshwor,Koteshwor, Sinamangal and in some otherareas are out of order. A few telephonelines are still working, but all functioninglines are very busy. There are long queuesof people waiting to use some of the fewworking telephones.

Food Supplies and Markets

It is beginning to look like there maybe a shortage of food in the valley, inaddition to the shortage of water. A lot offood was buried or spilled during the earth-quake yesterday. Almost all shops in themarket are closed. Nothing is available.Many housewives have been searchingthrough their damaged homes for any food,sweeping up grains that have spilled on thefloor. Children are in an especiallymiserable condition due to lack of food,since they do not have the patience ofadults.

Because of the lack of electricity,the Dairy Development Corporation andother private dairies have not been able toproduce milk. They have not been able todistribute the milk they have in stock eitherdue to transportation problems. Also, theyare worried about distributing the milk theyhave in stock because there is not enough

This photograph shows damage caused to a road in Costa Ricaafter an earthquake in 1991. Similar damage

could occur in Kathmandu Valley when the next earthquake strikes.(Photo credit: Sam Swan, with permission from EERI)

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It is a good idea to store an“emergency kit” in your homewith all the supplies you will

need if an earthquake, oranother disaster, occurs.

You should store thefollowing items: food and

water adequate for at leastone day for your family, a

battery operated radio withextra batteries, a torch or

candles and matches, first aidsupplies such as bandagesand basic medicines. Store

all of these items together in alocation that should be

accessible even if your homeis damaged.

A battery operated radio isusually the best way to getinformation after an earth-quake. Store one in a safe

place in your home.

11

to meet the demand, and selling smallquantities of milk might cause fights orriots. Taking advantage of this situation, afew people are buying milk from thedairies secretly and selling it in the blackmarket, charging far more than the usualprice. Demand for readymade food suchas beaten rice, lakahmari, noodles, etc. isvery high. Families which stored such foodsin easily accessible places before theearthquake are having an easier time now.

Almost all of the houses and shopsin the major market places of Kathmandu– Bhotahity, Ason, Indrachowk andChhetrapati – and in other areas aredamaged or destroyed. None of them areopen. Some shopkeepers are secretlyselling their goods at high prices. It hasbeen announced over the radio that foodgrain sales depots will be set up in variousplaces by the District AdministrationOffices, Municipalities and Nepal FoodCorporation, but nobody knows when thiswill happen.

Mass Communications

Since the electricity has been cutoff and everything is in chaos, no newspa-pers are published today. Some of theprinting press buildings have beendestroyed. Some of the journalists on dutyin various places have been injured. Thosejournalists who survived unhurt are busycollecting information on the impact of theearthquake, the extent of loss and damagecaused by it and taking pictures. Due tothe power cut and the damage caused toits Phulchoki station, Nepal Television hasnot been able to operate its transmissionservice today, either.

Radio has become the only meansof mass communication now. People arelistening to battery operated radios. RadioNepal has shortened its broadcasting time,but it is airing frequent notices concerningthe earthquake. Because of a lack ofnecessary preparation and knowledge

about what kind of message should be givento the people following such a disaster theradio program managers and producersseem to be in a confusion. RastriyaSamachar Samiti, Radio Nepal and theforeign media correspondents inKathmandu are running after the latestinformation about the loss of life andproperty caused by the earthquake, butdisruption in traffic and telephone service,and poor coordination is making newscollection difficult and incomplete.

Deeming it improper to broadcastentertainment or musical programs in sucha time of crisis, Radio Nepal is airingreligious hymns and devotional songs.

Cremation

The cremation of dead bodies is avery big problem. Dead bodies are every-where, but there is no proper cloth to coverthem. Therefore, any cloth that can befound, including bed sheets and curtains,have been used as a ‘Katro’ to cover thecorpses. Not enough priests are availableto perform the cremation rituals. The mostcritical problems are that there are too fewpeople to carry the crops up to the Ghats,too little space for cremation, and not nearlyenough fire wood. There is a large queueof crops in every ghat, including PashupatiArya Ghat, Kalmochan Ghat, ShovaBhagawat, Indrayani, Bishnumati,Shankhamul, Hanuman Ghat and others.It is necessary to conduct group crema-tions to conserve the ghat space and firewood, but most bereaved families havetrouble accepting this nontraditional idea.Some families, understanding the crisis,have accepted the idea of groupcremation rather than no cremation.

The Condition of People

Because of this catastrophe, thepeople of Kathmandu Valley are in a statedeep tragedy. Every family has beentouched by the disaster. Some are facing

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Roads and bridges are oftenweak after an earthquake.Be cautious if you need to

drive heavy vehicles.

The first priority of rescueworkers after an earthquakeis usually to make sure that

important emergency facilitiesare safe, such as hospitals,schools and police stations.

These electricity poles and transformer were damaged inan earthquake in 1971 in California, USA. Similar damagecould happen in many places during Kathmandu Valley’snext earthquake, resulting in power outages for up to a

month in some parts of the valley.(Photo credit: Steinbrugge collection, EERC, UC Berkeley)

12

the sorrow caused by the death of theirfamily members. Some people are facingthe tragedy caused by the collapse of theirhouse, where they invested their lives’savings. All of this sadness is overwhelm-ing, but most people are too busy dealingwith the aftermath of this crisis to think toomuch about their losses yet.

The devastating earthquake hasnot spared the religious and archaeologicalsites. Many temples where the residentsof the valley worshipped just one day agohave been destroyed. This damage weighsparticularly heavily on many peoples’

hearts. Luckily, some temples andmonuments, especially those which wererenovated recently, have not been damagedseriously. There are many people at thesetemples now.

Every one is regretting the lack ofopen space. There is a big problem in thecity core finding areas for the temporarysettlements, treatment camps, and otheressential emergency arrangements.People are wishing that more planning hadgone into building the cities in the valley,but that wish is too late.

One week after the earthquake, theresidents of Kathmandu Valley are stillfeeling very unsettled. There have beenseveral aftershocks during the week, and

some slightlydamaged houseshave collapsedcompletely duringthe aftershocks.The winter rains aremaking thingsworse.

Preliminary datanow shows that thedeath toll from theearthquake is about30 thousand and thenumber of seriouslyinjured victims isover 80 thousand.Some people arguethat these figuresgreatly underesti-mate the casualties.The percentage ofbuildings whichhave been dam-aged significantly isestimated at about60 percent inKathmandu, 60

percent in Lalitpur, 75 percent in Bhaktapurand 60 percent in the valley as a whole.Houses with more than two stories and builtusing concrete pillar construction have suf-fered the most damage. Arrangementshave been made to collect more completenumbers of those killed and seriouslyinjured at community police posts, but thisis a difficult task since records were notwell kept in the chaotic days right after theearthquake.

Reports are coming in that thedevastating earthquake caused extensivedamage outside Kathmandu Valley as well.The Tribhuvan highway has been damagedin many places and the Prithavi highwayand the Araniko highway have also beendamaged, mainly because of landslides.This, combined with difficulty accessingTribhuvan airport, has caused many delaysin transporting goods and aid from outsidethe valley. The earthquake has also causedextensive damage at Nuwakot, Dhading,Kabhrepalanchowk and Sindhupalchokdistricts.

Some of the most essentialservices damaged by the earthquake havebeen repaired and brought into operationagain within this week. The most impor-tant roads have been cleared of debris.

ONE WEEK LATER

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People who knowforeign languages otherthan English can help the

relief effort after anearthquake by identifyingmedicines and supplies

sent by non-Englishspeaking countries. Be

prepared to help.

13Possible water supply after one week

Damaged bridges are a larger problem, butsince it is winter and the rivers don’t havemuch water, temporary arrangements havebeen made for crossing the rivers in a fewlocations. Only a small amount of thevalley’s usual traffic is on the roads thesedays because nearly all business activitieshave stopped. A policy has been adoptednot to allow vehicular movement unless itis essential, so most of the traffic is relatedto official business. There are moremotorcycles and bicycles on the streetsthan cars. Public transportation is notoperating.

Drinking water supply is not yetsufficient but it has improved since the dayafter the earthquake. Tankers have starteddistributing water in many places, but thereis not enough for everyone and this iscausing some quarrels. Some water pipelines which were not severely damagedhave been quickly repaired and aresupplying drinkingwater to certainareas. The peopleof the valley havenot been able towash their clothesor take a baththroughout theweek. Luckily, thecold winterweather makes thisan insignificantproblem. Eventhose who aremourning the deathof their nearestrelatives aremanaging with onlyone or two mugs ofwater for theirritual bath.

Electricitysupply is also notfully resumed.After repairingsome broken trans-

mission lines, poles and transformers theelectricity is available again in manyneighborhoods, but priority has been givento hospitals, rescue camps, policestations, and public places rather than pri-vate households. City residents are stillusing torches, candles, and oil-lamps.Similarly, telephone systems are beingrepaired and many critical locations, suchas police and army stations andhospitals, have operating telephones now.

Hospitals have been extremelybusy this entire week. The number ofincoming injury cases has dropped now.Some of those admitted to hospitals withserious injuries have already returned totheir homes after necessary treatment, butmany patients are still not out of danger.Some seriously injured people died thisweek while undergoing treatment. Most ofthose killed in the disaster are found to havedied from serious head injuries. Some

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People who volunteer to helpthe army and police in the

rescue effort should be verycareful when entering

damaged houses. Wearprotective helmets.

14

others died of cardiac arrest caused by theshock they experienced when the earth-quake struck. Many people who were notinjured are now suffering from colds andfevers due to the cold weather and poorliving conditions.

Patan Hospital, Military Hospital,T.U. Teaching Hospital, Bhaktapur Hospi-tal and Police Hospital are still operatingtreatment camps in tents on their premises.An acute shortage of tents is affecting allthe hospitals, especially the MentalHospital at Lagankhel which is unable to

use any of its buildings. This is unfortunatebecause many people, traumatized by thedisaster, are seeking admission to thishospital. The 50 bed institution cannot copewith the increased number of patients, andhas stopped accepting cases. Privatehospitals and nursing homes are alsoreceiving earthquake victims in largenumbers, and these hospitals are asoverwhelmed as government hospitals.Both government and private hospitals arestill suffering from the lack of adequatedoctors, medicines and medical equipment.Because of a shortage of people whospeak foreign languages other thanEnglish, many of the desperately neededmedicines sent from abroad bynon-English speaking countries are lying atthe hospitals useless because no one canidentify what they are.

Some shops are open now butprices are very high and very few suppliesare available. The demand for basic foodsis very high, but they are in short supply.Sales of grains are being coordinated by ajoint effort of the District AdministrationOffice, the Municipalities and the NepalFood Corporation. This effort has been veryhelpful to the residents of KathmanduValley. Some other organizations, such asthe Federation of Nepalese Chambers ofCommerce and Industry, Nepal Chamberof Commerce, Rotary Club, Lions Club,Leo Club, Marwadi Service Committee,etc., are also distributing food, with prioritygiven to children.

The Dairy Development Corpora-tion and other dairies have starteddistributing milk in the market today. Thisis a great relief to children and elders. Theprices are quite high, but they are lowerthan they were on the second and third daysafter the earthquake.

The search for the buried victimshas slowed because the likelihood offinding anyone alive is very low by this time.More bodies continue to be found as the

Bhaicha gets a blanket

Bhaicha cannot live in hishouse anymore, so he is takingshelter at a primary schoolnearby. His mother and injuredson are staying there with him.His daughter has gone to staywith relatives outside ofKathmandu Valley. Manyfamilies from the neighborhoodare packed into this tight space.

There are many temporary shelters like this around the city now, and allof them are crowded. There is no running water or electricity, and thecondition of the toilets is terrible. Worse than this, it is winter and thereare not enough blankets to keep everybody warm at night. Like Bhaicha,many families lost all of their possessions, including bedding and clothing,under the rubble of their houses. It will take a lot of time and money foreveryone to start over again.

Today, the Red Cross distributed some blankets brought from abroad tothe families in the school where Bhaicha is staying. There were onlyenough blankets to give one per family, so Bhaicha gave his to his motherand his poor son. A few people took two blankets by cheating, whichcaused some small fights. The families which did not lose their homes andmany groups from abroad are collecting relief materials, like clothes, tohelp the earthquake victims. However, since it is winter and most of thefamilies in Kathmandu Valley are strongly affected by the earthquake,there are not enough supplies for everyone who needs them.

Bhaicha does not have any money. He has some money in the bank, buthis cheque book and all of his other documents were lost in the earth-quake, so he can not withdraw the money. Bhaicha cannot remember hisaccount number either, so there is no way for him to access his account. Inany case, computers at most of the banks are not working well, due to theelectricity failure and damage to the computers, and the bank employeescannot tell how much money is in each person’s account. Many peopleare angry at the banks, and many, like Bhaicha, are suffering because theycannot access the cash they need to start rebuilding their lives.

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Move flower pots off of thetops of walls and away fromthe edge of ledges. Flower

pots are likely to fall during anearthquake and could injure

people.

Consider buyingearthquake insurance for

your house.

15

massive amounts of rubble are slowlybeing moved. The owners of destroyedhouses are busy sorting through the rubblefor their belongings.

Many people whose houses havebeen damaged by the earthquake aretaking shelter at temporary camps. Schoolsand other large buildings are being used tohouse people, while tents, plastic tarps, andcorrugated metal sheets are being used forshelter in open spaces. All of the campsare overcrowded. None of the familieshave sufficient space. Proper provisionshave not been made for drinking water,toilets or sanitation at these camps.Although it is winter, insects are abundant.Many people have fallen sick, and thewinter rains are making everythinguncomfortable.

Various relief materials arebeginning to arrive from inside and outsidethe country. The Central Disaster ReliefCommittee is actively engaged incollecting and distributing relief materials,coordinating and directing the DistrictDisaster Relief Committees, Nepal RedCross Society, Royal Nepal Army, NepalPolice, and many other organizations.There have been many complaints abouthow long it has taken to get reliefmaterials and how these materials are nowbeing distributed. Some of the materialswhich are available are not necessary. Forexample, there is an oversupply of toiletpaper, but very few blankets, which arebadly needed.

Some attempts have been made byofficials to sell the relief materials receivedfrom abroad, to replace them with similarNepali made products, and to provide theNepali products to earthquake victims.Victims, hearing only that foreign reliefgoods are being sold rather than distributed,are very angry. There are constant reportsthat clever officials are keeping thesewell-made foreign goods for their own use.Some people are making public speeches

about this and causing uneasiness amongthe population.

All the people in KathmanduValley are grieving and sorrowing deeply,but many are worried about their safetyand the safety of their belongings whichsurvived the earthquake. Some people arereported to be stealing and looting fromdamaged houses and shops. In someneighborhoods, such people have beencaught and severely beaten by the localpeople. Most of the police force is busywith the rescue operation. Therefore, thereare no police available for security. Theauthorities are trying to get additionalpolice forces from outside of the valley tohelp, but they have not arrived yet. Localyouth groups are guarding someneighborhoods in the meantime.

A few newspapers have beenpublished today for the first time since theearthquake, in short editions. They arecarrying heart-rending news and pictureson the massive loss of life and propertycaused by the earthquake. They alsocontain information, such as lists ofhospitalized people, to help separatedfriends and families reunite. Radio Nepalhas been broadcasting various informationabout the earthquake, including whererelief materials are available. Televisiontransmission has resumed in the placeswhere electricity is available. NepalTelevision is broadcasting programs on theimpact of the earthquake.

Though transmission time is stillreduced, Radio Nepal and Nepal Televi-sion have started to present a fewentertainment programmes again. Inseveral of the temporary shelters,televisions and radios have been put in acentral locations, and these entertainmentprogrammes are helping children andfamilies to forget about the trauma of theearthquake for a few moments.

Diseases spread easilyin temporary shelters ifpeople are not careful

about sanitation.

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Relief materials, such asfood, water and blankets,

should be distributed equallyto everyone after an

earthquake.

16

Day to day life of the people ofKathmandu Valley is slowly getting backto normal after the earthquake. Now, thereis not much fear that an earthquake willoccur again soon and people are no longerpanicking. It has been officially confirmedthat 40 thousand people died and 95thousand people were injured in theearthquake. The number of dead alsoincludes those dying weeks later fromconditions caused by the earthquake, suchas serious injuries or kidney failure.

Meanwhile, the winter session inParliament has begun. The ParliamentHouse was damaged by the earthquake,so the House session is being held at theBirendra International Convention Hall.The primary focus of the session is theearthquake. The session has adopted manybills and resolutions concerning rescuingvictims, relief efforts, loans, and reconstruc-tion. The government has been severelycriticized by the media and prominentcitizens for not preparing adequately for theearthquake since it was well-known that

Nepal is a highly seismic area. Thegovernment conceded that the devastatingearthquake destroyed much of thedevelopment made in the past 20 years inKathmandu Valley and surroundingdistricts. The government has expressedits commitment to the House that,hereafter, immediate, short-term, andlong-term measures will be adopted toensure that an earthquake will never againdevastate the Kathmandu Valley asseriously as last month’s event.

Business and government officeshave reopened and are slowly becomingactive again. A few schools have resumedclasses, but many schools were destroyedor are being used as temporary shelters,so most children are still missing theirstudies. People taking shelter in schools ortents are worried about their future. Theyare not sure when their houses will bereconstructed or how they will pay for thereconstruction. The government hasdecided to provide loans to earthquakevictims according to resolutions made inthe Parliamentary session, but it could takemonths to set-up the procedures. Victimswho do not have any other resourcesexcept the loans are simply waiting. Thosewho insured their houses have startedqueuing up at the insurance companies,better off than the rest.

Repair and reconstruction ofgovernment buildings and other publicstructures are under way. There is ashortage of construction materials for therepair and reconstruction work. Priorityhas been given to repair andreconstruction of roads, bridges,electricity, drinking water and telephonefacilities. As a result of the repair work to-date, it is now possible to drive to most partsof the valley, but traffic is very heavy sincemany alternate routes are still closed.Heavy vehicles are required to use

ONE MONTH LATER

After the 1934 earthquake, thousands of Kathmandu Valleyresidents stayed in temporary shelters for months.

(Photo credit: Shangrila Magazine, Vpl. 4, No. 2, April-June, 1993)

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Objects can fall during anearthquake and injure

people. Place large andheavy objects on lower

shelves in your home. Makesure that there are no heavyobjects hanging above your

bed or places where youusually sit.

17

diversion routes rather than cross thebridges currently under repair. Repairplanning is just beginning for the bridgesthat were completely destroyed.

Repair work on electricity andtelephone facilities is nearing completion.These services have resumed in most partsof Kathmandu Valley. Areas whereelectricity and telephone infrastructure wasbadly damaged, such as Bhaktapur, stillhave only limited access to these services.The water system is still not functioning inmost areas, and tanker trucks or long walksto water sources are becoming part offamilies’ routines.

Most of the quake victims whorequired hospitalization have alreadyreturned to their families. Only the seriouslyinjured ones are still undergoing treatment.However, the number of patients sufferingfrom pneumonia, common colds, fevers andrespiratory problems is increasing in thehospitals. These patients are mostlypeople who have been sleeping outside inthe cold weather or in crowded shelters.

Relief materials are still coming infrom inside and outside the country. Nowthey are being collected and distributed tothe victims in a well-planned manner. Thereare still some complaints, but the efficiencyof the relief effort has improved dramati-cally. Many countries and internationalagencies are providing grants and loans toHis Majesty’s Government in aid of thequake victims. This money is helping tofund the rebuilding effort.

Mass communication media havestarted functioning almost as usual. RadioNepal and Nepal Television have resumedtheir usual programs. Newspapers havestarted coming out regularly, although theyare still somewhat shorter than usual.Earthquake related news is making theheadlines but other issues also have startedappearing in the press. Those cinema halls

which did not suffer much damage havestarted to show one film per day. Manyreligious programmes are being conductedaround the valley to help people handle theirgrief.

Law and order has been restored in thevalley. Theft and looting cases have beenbrought under control. The black marketof essential goods has mostly disappeared.

The people of Kathmandu Valley are nowbeginning to restart their lives. The painfrom the earthquake can still be seeneverywhere, but it is becoming bearable.

Bhaicha is angry

Bhaicha’s mother has fallen ill,like many people at the tempo-rary camps. The cold and rainyweather has given her a highfever. A lot of children are suffer-ing from coughs and colds, andmany elders have developedrespiratory problems. Bhaicha’sdaughter, still staying with

relatives, is reported to have pneumonia, along with her cousins. Every-body’s spirits are low.

Nowadays, there are a lot of speeches being delivered in Bhaicha’sneighborhood. Many familiar and unfamiliar people come and talk of bigthings. They give advice on how to be safe from earthquakes. But Bhaichabecomes angry when he hears them talk. He asks himself, “Where werethese people who know all of these things when we needed them? Whatwere they doing before the earthquake? Why didn’t they tell us thesethings beforehand?” If his wife had known what to do during anearthquake, she might not have tripped down the stairs and died. If theinformation about what should and should not be done during anearthquake had been taught at school, his son might not have been injured,and the lives of some of the students who died in the earthquake could havebeen saved.

A common topic now is how to construct earthquake resistant houses.Listening to this makes Bhaicha even more sad. Had he known about thesethings before building his home, he could have built it to be earthquakeresistant. His home might not have collapsed and his father would still bealive. The more he thinks about what these people are saying, the sadderand angrier Bhaicha becomes. Bhaicha does not want to listen to thesepeople now.

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The procedure todistribute government

loans after anearthquake needs to besimple in order to be fair

to everyone.

18

Life in Kathmandu Valley is nowslowly coming back to normal. People havenot yet forgotten the distress which startedsix months ago, but everyone is busyrebuilding their lives. The traditionalsix-month ritual in houses where familymembers died in the earthquake has beencompleted.

During these six months thepeople of the valley not only suffered, butthey learned many things about them-selves. The youths and social organizationsin the valley showed incredible dedicationto the community during the past sixmonths. Starting immediately after theearthquake, they were busy in rescue work,aiding the relief effort and helping to

reestablish society. Even unemployed andneglected youths, previously looked downupon, were involved in this work. Thissurprised the local people and the respectfor these youths has suddenly increased insociety as a result of their courageous anddifficult work. Also, strong bonds havedeveloped between the community andpolice and military personnel. People nowfeel that they are like their own familymembers after seeing their great couragein the rescue work.

The debris of collapsed buildingshas not been completely removed yet. Infact, although the main roads have beencleared, only a quarter of the total debrishas been removed. Heaps of broken bricks,

mud, and cement canbe seen all over thevalley. Even insidehouses one seesbroken pillars, fallenverandahs andbroken portions of ce-ment slabs. People aresifting through the pilesof debris to find mate-rials to use in rebuild-ing their homes.

Offices, educa-tion institutions, andcinema halls havestarted working asusual. Most schoolsare in session again,although many areholding their classes intents since theirbuildings have not beenrebuilt yet.

Services likedrinking water,electricity, telephones,roads, transportation,

Bhaicha left his job

SIX MONTHS LATER

Six months ago today,Bhaicha lost his father andwife in the earthquake. His lifehas changed a lot in thesemonths. The major change isthat he left his job as alow-level employee in afinancial company. After theearthquake, many depositorswithdrew their savings atfinancial companies as aresult of the economic crisisfollowing the disaster. Theloans held by the company could not becollected as a result of the earthquake. Therefore,many financial companies reached a state ofbankruptcy, including Bhaicha’s company. Hiscompany let go a great number of its staff, andBhaicha was one of them.

But Bhaicha did not sit idle. Two months after theearthquake occurred, new construction andre-construction projects began at a great pace. Therewas a huge demand for manpower and constructionwork in all sectors of society. Bhaicha’s father usedto work as a mason when he was young. Hisfather’s elder brother was also a skillful mason.Following this tradition, Bhaicha, after losing hisjob, decided to work as a mason. As there is a greatdemand for masons at this time, Bhaicha is nowvery busy.

Governmental bodies and organizations like theNational Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepalare running training programs on the technology ofconstructing earthquak resistant houses. Bhaicha

participated in one ofthesetraining courses andacquired some practical knoledgeof earthquake resistant construc-tion technology. This has helpedhim to find work easily.Bhaicha constructed a temporaryhouse for his family using thebricks and wood from hiscollapsed, old house. This hashelped everyone to feel morecomfortable, but he and hisfamily still feel the grief caused

by the earthquake. His mother often cries, re-membering her husband. Every night she hasnightmares about theearthquake and, once healthy and robust, she nowfalls sick regularly. She has difficulty eating andsleeping properly since the earthquake.

The earthquake also shattered the dreams of hisschool going son. He was a promising footballplayer. He was always a matter of pride in hisschool and “Tol”(hometown) matches. Afterseeing his special talent in football the schooldecided to send him to train with a special coach.Now, however, it seems that his leg will alwaysbe too weak for running. His dream to become aprofessional footballer has ended.

The younger daughter of Bhaicha has just startedto utter some words. This little girl lost hermother’s lap forever due to the earthquake. Shecalls her grandmother “mama”. As there is no oneto look after her in Bhaicha’s home, she almostalways stays with her mother’s family these days.

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It costs almost the sameamount to build an

earthquake resistant houseas it costs to build a

non-earthquake resistanthouse. If you are planning

to build a new house,consult professionals abouthow to build your home as

safely as possible.

19

hospitals, and the market have improved.Most of the problems of drinkingwater in Kathmandu and Lalitpur havebeen solved. In Bhaktapur, only half of thepopulation has reliable access to drinkingwater. During last May and June there wasa scarcity of water in Kathmandu Valleydue to the damaged system and the dryseason. This caused many problems. But,now, since the rainy season has begun,water is readily available. There areproblems, however, with the water beingunhygienic and contaminated which iscausing higher than normal levels ofdisease.

Similarly, the electricity supplysystem is functioning much better.Electricity supply has reached itspre-earthquake state in Kathmandu andLalitpur. In Bhaktapur most areas haveelectricity services. Likewise, telephoneservice has been restored in most areas ofthe valley. Road transportation in theKathmandu Valley has not been completelyrestored, but the major traffic routes arerepaired. The Kathmandu-Bhaktapur

trolley bus service has resumed. This hashelped people to feel like life in KathmanduValley is becoming normal. Reconstructionof damaged bridges and roads is stillunderway.

Reconstruction work of homes andoffices is taking place rapidly now. Due toa severe shortage of construction materi-als people have not been able to beginrebuilding as quickly as they would like to.Long-term temporary shelter camps havebeen established in residential areas. Thesenew camps are much more comfortableaccommodations for the displaced familiesthan the tents and schools which were usedpreviously, but these camps restrict theability of the neighborhoods’ residents torebuild. Thousands of families who havenowhere to go are living in camps locatedon land where others would like to beginrebuilding.

The government has begun distrib-uting loans to the earthquake victims.People have started reconstructing theirdamaged houses with the help of these

Like many other families in KathmanduValley, Bhaicha is not celebrating thisyear’s Dashain festival. It seems thateveryone in Kathmandu Valley is dressedin mourning and sad at heart, so it doesnot feel like the great Dashain-Deepawalifestival has come at all this year. ThisDashain is not like the past years wheneveryone was full of red “Tika” on theirforehead and yellow “Jamara” on their headbecause either those giving blessings orreceiving the “Tika” are in mourning. Similarly, for theDeepawali festival, very few people will be seen with “Rain-bow Tika” on their forehead. Most of the people in theKathmandu Valley, who used to be busy preparing goat, sheep,buffalo, duck, etc. for meat during Dashain, are celebrating avegetarian Dashain this year. No one has the enthusiasm for afestival.

Bhaicha does not want to leave his house during Dashain-Deepawali. He does not feel like celebrating because he is

concerned about improving the daysahead and securing the future of hischildren. In previous years, whenBhaicha used to spend lots of moneyduring the holiday season on frivilousthings, his wife used to plead with him tobe more frugal. Now, he remembers herwords and understands the value of heradvice.

The earthquake has changed Bhaicha. Heused to be a jolly, carefree fellow. Now, he feels strong anddetermined to face any kind of hardship for the future of hischildren. As he is sitting in the courtyard of his temporaryhouse chewing fried soybeans and bitten-rice thinking thesethoughts, he sees a red kite flying in the sky above. Hefollows the kite string down to the ground and sees his ownson flying the kite. This makes him smile and think that maybehis family will be all right.

Bhaicha’s Dashain andDeepawali festivals

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Building a seismically resistanthouse will help keep your

family and possessions safein an earthquake.

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loans. There are complaints that the loansare insufficient and that the procedures toacquire a loan are unnecessarily difficult.One big problem is that the earthquakeseriously damaged the “Charkhal Adda”of Kathmandu, where the land records ofKathmandu district are kept in the LandTax Office and the Land Reform Office.Many land ownership certificates in thehands of the land owners have also beendestroyed or burned to ashes in the firesparked by the earthquake. This hasbecome a big problem for people wantingto use their land ownership certificates ascollateral for loans.

The monsoon has begun. This hasboth positive and negative effects.Farmers are very busy in the paddy fieldsplanting rice. There was a scarcity of riceseeds because the rice stored by thefarmers was spoiled by the earthquake.HMGN and other countries have helpedthe farmers to get sufficient supplies of seed

Farmers should store seeds,grains and vegetables in safe

places so that they will beavailable even after an

earthquake.

Possible water supply after six months

for planting. No one wants a bad harvestin the year after the earthquake becausethat could lead to a famine. Farmers wereconcerned that there would be no rainduring the time of sowing rice-seedlings,but continuous rain has encouraged them.

The rain, however, has beencausing trouble to those living in temporaryshelter camps. Leaking roofs have wettedmattresses and blankets. The rain has alsoslowed reconstruction and renovationworks. Some heaps of debris have beenwashed away, but dirt and puddles haveappeared everywhere. Rivers in the valleyare overflowing and landslides in thevillages are worse than normal this year.

Some people are following thebuilding code while reconstructing theirdamaged houses, and some people are not.The government is especially active infollowing the building code for all of itsconstruction and efforts are being made to

carefully inspectthe construction ofpublicly importantbuildings such asschools, universities,hospitals, cinemahalls, etc. to makesure that the build-ing code is followed.Communicat ionmedia is extensivelypublicizing thebuilding code andearthquake resist-ant constructiont e c h n o l o g y .Government andnon-governmentgroups are organiz-ing trainingprograms on thistopic. Everyonefeels that Kathm-andu Valley is aboutto get a new look.

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Construction ofnon-earthquake resistant

buildings must bestopped immediately.

Training sessions inearthquake resistant

construction should beoffered regularly.

21

ONE YEAR LATERUntil yesterday, Kathmandu

Valley was full of people clothed from headto foot in white. Today, the city has goneback to many different colors. People wholost their father, mother, or husband in theearthquake have completed their yearlymourning.

This one year period has broughtmany changes to Kathmandu Valley. Themajor change is the way KathmanduValley looks. Places inside the valley, likeAson, Indrachowk, Bhotahity, Bhedasingh,Thahiti, Nardevi, Chhettrapati, Wotu, andMakhan, which were very congested andnarrow before the earthquake, have nowbeen rebuilt with wider roads. Most of thehouses in these areas were damaged bythe earthquake, so construction work isbeing conducted with a new city develop-ment plan. All of the new houses are beingbuilt to conform to the building code, andthere are many open spaces being left ineach ward. When the Mayor of Kathmanduproposed this development plan, somepeople did not want to follow the city planor the building code. They wanted toconstruct houses in their own way. Now,most people agree to follow the plan,realizing that attention should be given to apossible future disaster and that the presentprovides a unique opportunity to developthe city safely.

Before beginning reconstruction inthe valley, a lot of effort was given toremove the debris scattered everywherefollowing the earthquake. Only 60 percentof this debris was removed during this oneyear period. Old bricks, mud, and cementcan still be seen lying in some places. Anumber of unusable, damaged buildings arestill standing, reminders of what happeneda year ago.

Many of the hundreds of thousandsof people made homeless by the earthquakeare still living in temporary camps today.People with money have already recon-structed their houses, but most others are

living with relatives or in the camps.Construction work in Kathmandu Valleyfollowing the earthquake is going on at fullspeed, but it will take many years beforeKathmandu Valley’s housing stock iscompletely rebuilt.

The electricity supply system ofKathmandu Valley, damaged by theearthquake, is now functioning at almost100 percent of its pre-earthquake efficiency,even in Bhaktapur. There are still somerepairs to be made, but the service is mostlyreliable now. Telephone services inKathmandu and Lalitpur were restoredcompletely nine months after the earth-quake, but it took one full year to do thesame in Bhaktapur.

More time is still needed inBhaktapur to restore the water supplysystem to its state prior to the earthquake.Reestablishment of the water supplysystem in other places of the valley wascompleted within this one year period.Water supply experts expect that it will takean additional year and a half to completelyrepair the water supply system in Bhaktapur

Most of the roads and bridgesdamaged by the Earthquake in KathmanduValley have been renovated and are inworking condition. A new bridge has been

"New Road” in Kathmandu was built after the 1934 earthquake. Itwas designed to be a wide, safe place for future generations. Today,

this street is growing narrower, overcrowded and less earthquakesafe. (Photo credit: M. M. Khan, Photo Concern, Kathmandu)

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constructed at Guheswori- Gauri Ghat. Anew concrete bridge over the ManoharaRiver on the old way to Sanothimi is underconstruction. Construction work on roadsand bridges under the permanent plan willcontinue for years to come.

The market situation, includingfood supply, has become normal. Theincreased demand for needed constructionmaterials such as cement, brick, wood, ironrods, and sand, has not yet been adequatelymet. The price of such goods is very high.Laborers, masons, carpenters, overseers,engineers and planners are all very busy.Everyone is now interested in the technol-ogy of earthquake resistant construction,especially the government and otherpublic bodies. The reconstruction work ishelping to rebuild the country’s devastatedeconomy.

Various media sources are report-ing news of donations and loan assistancereceived from different countries anddonor agencies to help reconstruct the dam-aged infrastructure of Kathmandu Valleyand to help plan the new development.Organizations such as the UNDP,UNESCO, USAID, JICA, KOICA, GTZ,World Bank, Asian Development Bank,

United Mission to Nepal, Lutheran WorldFederation and others are making contri-butions and starting projects to give newlife to Kathmandu Valley.

The earthquake has taught manylessons to the residents and leaders ofKathmandu Valley. All of the municipali-ties in the valley are now being rebuilt toconsider the effects of earthquakes, andall government organizations are allocat-ing staff to work towards preparing forfuture disasters, including disasters otherthan earthquakes such as floods. Lessonson natural disasters and safety drills havebeen added to school curriculums. Thearmy, police, and other government andnon-government groups are developingplans to work together to respond efficientlythe next time a disaster strikes the valley.Organizations are planning trainingprograms in earthquake resistant construc-tion and why it is necessary, to make surethat the hard lessons of this earthquake arenot forgotten by future generations. Thecity is being rebuilt in a much moreearthquake resistant fashion. All of theseactivities are creating new hope andconfidence for the people of KathmanduValley.

*****

Remember, earthquakesdo not kill people. Poorlyconstructed buildings do.

A year has elapsed since Bhaicha lost his father and wife in the earth-quake. He solemnized the annual rituals of their death, as did hisneighbors. After performing the annual rituals, Bhaicha feels better.He remembers all of the events of the past year, and he thinks that hehas changed a lot. Before the earthquake, he thoughtof himself as a free spirit who did whatever he liked.But now, he thinks that he has become mature andhas to shoulder great responsibility. In the last year,he finds changes taking place not only in himself butalso throughout the Kathmandu Valley. The narrowlanes of the past have been widened. New houseshave been built at the sites where there were oldhouses before the earthquake struck, and many morenew houses are being built at new sites. In the past, Tundikhel was theonly open space one could find in Kathmandu, but many such openareas can be found now. Many of the families staying at the tempo-rary camps have been able to leave the camps. The affluent amongthem have built earthquake resistant houses. Those who are not soprosperous are living in temporary homes and are gathering togetherenough money to build their own houses.

Bhaicha has worked as a mason this year and earned some money. He

has taken a government loan for the earthquake victims and isbuilding a new house for his family. He is determined to buildhimself an earthquake resistant home using the knowledge he gainedfrom training sessions on construction and the experience he has

gained while working this past year. He has learnedthat it does not cost much to build houses that areresistant to earthquakes. The only thing you needis the knowledge of how to do it.

With the passage of time, the wounds caused bythe earthquake have diminished but nottotally disappeared. His mother has become frailerthis year. She appears old and weak. His son, nowin the eighth class remains unable to play football,

so he has turned his attention towards table tennis. Bhaicha’s daugh-ter is still staying with her maternal uncle. He does not want totrouble his in-laws by having his daughter always stay with them,but his in-laws have a different idea. They are thinking of Bhaichagetting married again so that he can take care of his family. Therefore,they are planning his marriage with one of their relatives. Bhaichahas asked them to wait until the construction of his new house iscomplete…

Bhaicha is constructing a new house

A house which looksnice from the outside is

not necessarily strong onthe inside.

Managing Kathmandu Valley’s Earthquake Risk:

The Kathmandu Valley Earthquake RiskManagement Action Plan

Earthquakes are an unavoidable part of Kathmandu Valley’s future, just as they have been a part of its past. As described bythe Kathmandu Valley's Earthquake Scenario, a large earthquake near the Kathmandu Valley today would cause signifi-cantly greater human loss, physical damage, and economic crisis than caused by past earthquakes. With the valley’s burgeon-ing population of almost 1 1/2 million people, uncontrolled development, and a construction practice that has actuallydegraded over the 20th century, the valley is becoming increasingly vulnerable to earthquakes with each passing year. TheKathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Action Plan aims to manage and reduce this growing earthquake risk.

The purpose of the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Action Plan is to assist His Majesty’s Government ofNepal, concerned agencies, and the municipalities in Kathmandu Valley to reduce Kathmandu Valley’s earthquake risk overtime by identifying, coordinating and focusing risk management activities. The plan outlines objectives, strategies, andspecific initiatives to fulfill this purpose. It also provides background information on Kathmandu Valley’s risk from earth-quakes, the current status of earthquake risk management in Kathmandu Valley, and the development process of the plan.

The National Society for Earthquake Technology – Nepal (NSET) has taken responsibility for creating and implementing thisplan. NSET, a multidisciplinary professional society, promotes awareness of earthquake risk and implementation of seismicrisk reduction projects in Nepal. For more information about The Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management ActionPlan, please contact NSET.

Plan ObjectivesThe plan focuses on eight specific objectives to achieve its purpose of reducing Kathmandu Valley’s risk over time. Theseobjectives are

• Improve emergency response planning and capability.• Improve awareness of issues relating to earthquake risk.• Integrate seismic resistance into the process of new construction.• Improve the safety of school children and school buildings• Improve the seismic performance of existing buildings.• Improve the seismic performance of utility and transportation systems.• Increase experts’ knowledge of the earthquake phenomenon, vulnerability, consequences and mitigation

techniques.• Prepare for long-term community recovery following damaging earthquakes.

Plan Implementation StrategyNSET is responsible for implementing this plan, or in other words, conducting activities that increase the likelihood ofsuccess of the specific initiatives included in this plan. The specific initiatives will be implemented by other local institutions.NSET’s activities to implement this plan include the following:

• Building Support for the Plan and Earthquake Risk Management in General- Using transparent and inclusive processes- Making decisions rationally- Using open financial policies- Building relationships with other groups- Raising general awareness- Educating decision makers through awareness efforts- Conducting regular public hearings- Formally presenting plan to government- Informing the international community of Kathmandu Valley about the plan

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• Supporting Individual Initiatives- Coordinating initiatives- Planning initiatives- Arranging technical support- Conducting peer review of initiatives- Seeking external funding for organizations implementing initiatives- Publicizing successful initiatives

• Keeping the Plan Current- Monitoring the initiatives annually- Evaluating the objectives and strategies periodically- Creating a new edition of the plan periodically

Initiatives to Start NowThe plan includes a short list of initiatives which are urgent to implement now. These initiatives focus on meeting the plan’sobjectives. NSET will actively aid and promote the implementation of these initiatives. These initiatives are1. NSET will request HMGN to (1) constitute the National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) headed by the Prime

Minister; and (2) direct the NDMC to define an integrated national disaster management system.2. Once constituted, the National Disaster Management Council should (1) provide guidance for the preparation of new (or

revision of existing) integrated emergency response plans and (2) direct all relevant organizations to prepare emergencyresponse plans.

3. NSET will work with the Ministry of Science and Technology to develop a comprehensive program to raise publicawareness about earthquake risk and mitigation options.

4. NSET will work with the municipalities and districts in the valley to create Disaster Management Committees, and todesign a program of activities, including public awareness programs, for these committees.

5. NSET will request the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning to (1) constitute the Building Council and direct it todraft the rules and procedures for implementing and enforcing the building code, and (2) formally adopt requirements toimplement and enforce the building Code.

6. NSET will work with the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning and others to prepare training materials and providetraining for building inspectors, masons and engineers on applied aspects of design and construction of buildings toconform to the Building Code.

7. NSET will manage and coordinate the “School Earthquake Safety Project” which will (1) inform selected communitiesabout the vulnerability of their schools and what can be done to reduce the risk; (2) prepare school-specific plans forimprovements in seismic safety; and (3) mobilize community support and resources to improve the safety of the schoolbuildings.

8. NSET will create information products to explain what non-structural hazards are and how to mitigate them in typicalNepali homes and offices.

9. NSET will encourage the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation to assess the vulnerability of its system to earth-quakes, identify the most vulnerable elements, and develop a program to improve its performance after earthquakes.

10. NSET will encourage engineering institutes to develop and offer short courses for practicing engineers on earthquakeengineering principles and procedures.

*****

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CAUTION

The preceding publication describes possible impacts of a potential

earthquake to affect Kathmandu Valley. Other earthquakes not

evaluated in this study would produce different consequences. This is

not a prediction of a specific earthquake, earthquake damage, or

consequences. This description is intended only for use in planning and

preparedness exercises and in raising awareness of Kathmandu Valley's

earthquake risk. The authors, advisors, publisher and other contributors

to this report are not responsible for use beyond these purposes.

National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET) and

GeoHazards International, USA (GHI)

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