A decade after the devastating 2015 earthquake, is Nepal any safer?
KATHMANDU: Friday (April 25) marks the tenth anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, claiming nearly 9,000 lives and injuring over 22,300 people.
The major quake measuring magnitude 7.8 and its numerous aftershocks devastated the country, damaging more than half a million homes and other structures, according to official records.
After the 2015 earthquake, Nepal continued to experience aftershocks for an extended period.
As highlighted in the government's Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report, Nepal ranks as the 11th most earthquake-prone country globally.
'Since the first recorded earthquake in 1255 AD, which killed a third of the Kathmandu Valley's population, including King Abhaya Malla, Nepal has witnessed a major earthquake every few generations,' the report states. The last significant earthquake before 2015, with a magnitude of 8.4 in 1934, resulted in over 10,000 deaths in the Kathmandu Valley. Significant earthquakes also occurred in 1980, 1988, and 2011, all of which caused substantial loss of life and property.
After the 2015 disaster, Nepal experienced jolts of varying magnitudes frequently. In November 2023, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck Jajarkot in western Nepal, resulting in the tragic loss of 153 lives.
In response to the 2015 disaster, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration introduced the Town Development, Urban Planning and Basic Guidelines on Building Houses, 2015, to reduce casualties in future disasters.
However, despite introduction of these policies, experts warn that the initial resolve to improve safety standards has faded over the years.
Amod Mani Dixit, president at the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET), an NGO dedicated to earthquake preparedness, noted that although significant policy decisions, such as enforcing stricter building codes, were made, they have not been effectively implemented.
'There are serious issues in the monitoring of infrastructure construction,' Dixit told the Post. 'Unfortunately, no corrective measures have been taken.'
Dixit emphasised the need for commemorating disasters as important occasions of public education and preparedness. 'Other countries establish museums with earthquake memorabilia to maintain awareness. In Nepal, however, these crucial matters are often ignored by the authorities.'
Government officials, meanwhile, contested Dixit's claims. Kali Prasad Parajuli, spokesperson for the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, asserted that the government has fully enforced the recommended policies with regard to implementing building codes and delegated authority to provincial governments.
'Provincial administrations now have the power to set building standards, though these must be at least as stringent as those of the federal government,' said Parajuli. 'Many municipalities are actively demolishing structures that breach building codes.'
Most activities related to town development, urban planning and open spaces, as well as building new houses, are overseen by the Ministry of Urban Development, said Parajuli.
However, an official at the Ministry of Urban Development argues that their role is limited to coordination, as the local governments are responsible for overseeing such activities.
'I doubt rural municipalities bother getting building maps approved before construction, since they are not required to do it. Map approval is compulsory only in municipalities,' said Narayan Prasad Mainali, a joint secretary at the Urban Development Ministry. 'But the code of conduct implemented by the government soon after the earthquake of 2015 should have been implemented by local governments.'
Mainali argued that they are not aware of what the local level governments are doing with regard to implementing the building code.
While the central government claims the implementation of the code of conduct for building houses falls under local units, local governments on the other hand claim the absence of technical experts to support their supervision.
Nimesh Mishra, the chief administrative officer of Melamchi Municipality in Sindhupalchok district, one of the most affected areas by the devastating 2015 earthquakes, claims that local residents have partially followed the building code enforced by the government.
'However, the place is still prone to a multi-hazardous situation, since landslides and floods have continuously hit the area,' Mishra said. 'Even the houses built following the building code have been impacted.'
Barpak of Gorkha was the epicentre of the 2015 earthquake. However, following years of the quake, people in the area seldom follow the building code of conduct established by the government, says Bishnu Prasad Bhatta, the chair of Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality.
'People who received reconstruction aid from the government after the earthquake followed the building code, but the people building houses these days do not follow such conduct.'
Dixit says the new constitution has empowered the local level but without technical know-how. He thinks that the local units alone cannot monitor these tasks properly in the absence of technicians.
The 2015 guidelines state that the house structure of a commercial building should cover no more than 50 per cent of its plot, while the structure of residential houses should be limited within 70 per cent of the plot. Experts claim these codes are routinely ignored.
Architectural engineer Susan Vaidya of Livable Kathmandu initiative remarked that in urban areas where land prices are extremely high, compliance is often impractical. 'The government must formulate more realistic standards,' she said.
Experts agree that ignoring the lessons of the past puts Nepal at grave risk. The country lies on a major tectonic zone, where the Indian and Tibetan (Eurasian) plates collide.
The officer of the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre stressed preparedness saying another large earthquake could strike Nepal at any time.
'Nepal sits in one of the world's most active continental collision zones,' the officer explained. 'The Indian plate continues to push northward by about four centimeters a year. This builds pressure until rocks eventually fracture, causing earthquakes.'
Dixit points out that the government has failed to protect and promote open spaces, which are vital during emergencies, especially in urban areas. For instance, the Bhainsepati area in Lalitpur was earmarked as open space after the 2015 quake, but is now occupied by ministerial residences.
The open space that has been breached in the core residential area is located in Bhaisepati, where a new minister's quarter has been constructed.
There were at least eight hundred eighty-eight open spaces throughout the Kathmandu Valley before the 2015 earthquake. What is the condition of those open spaces at present? Dixit questioned.
During the 2015 crisis, open spaces played a critical role, with many Kathmandu residents taking shelter in fields near the Nepal Army Officers' Club at Sundhara, Bagdurbar. Even these areas are now covered by buildings.
Government officials also agree that space constraints in cities like Kathmandu pose a serious challenge during major disasters. 'Yes, there was a discussion post-earthquake about preserving open spaces, but availability of land is a genuine concern in urban zones,' they acknowledged. 'In some instances, buildings were constructed out of necessity.' - The Kathmandu Post/ANN
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Labour's big worry is no one will feel record spending surge
BRITAIN's Labour government will make an historic investment into the country's battered public services this week – a £300bil (US$406bil) uplift for areas such as health care, education and transport, amounting to the largest sustained funding increase since at least 2010. The danger is the public won't notice. For all the political pain Labour has endured by raising taxes to pay for the commitment, the money will seem to disappear. That's largely because the previous Conservative administration cut spending to pay for giveaways before last year's general election, putting public services on track for a period of austerity described by critics as politically implausible. 'It turns out £300bil is the cost of ending implausible,' Andy King, former chief of staff at the Office for Budget Responsibility fiscal watchdog, told Bloomberg. Britons' experience of government over the last decade-and-a-half can be boiled down to two inconvenient facts: frontline services have deteriorated and taxes have risen. Today's broken social contract is that people pay more for less. The latest causes of the rot are ballooning costs from demographic pressures (the size of the state is at a postwar high), a debt pile swollen by Covid, higher interest rates and abysmal levels of productivity leading to persistently weak growth. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has the unenviable task of confronting this reality when she unveils her Spending Review and the stakes could not be higher. James Smith, chief economist at the Resolution Foundation think tank, said Reeves' choices could determine whether Britain's long record of centrist politics survives and keeps Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party at bay. Reform is soaring in the polls with the same promise of 'change' that Labour campaigned on in 2024. 'People are understandably frustrated with Britain's 'less for more' approach to public services in recent decades,' said Smith. 'The combination of austerity, economic stagnation and fiscal pressures mean that their experience of public services is that they don't work properly and yet they are paying more in tax to fund them. This economic failure has created a political opening for political parties like Reform who haven't been in government during this period.' Police seem unable to tackle shoplifters, a record number of patients are choosing private health care above the cherished National Health Service (NHS), and potholes blight the roads. Yet the tax burden is at a post-Second World War high, 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) or £90bil more in today's money than before both the 2008 financial crisis and the pandemic. The Spending Review is Labour's chance to reset the contract, and will be the first opportunity to see clearly where the priorities lie for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government. Trade-offs will have to be made, with cuts to policing expected to prop up the NHS. Even a record spending boost is not enough to prevent fights over how to split the pot. 'Not every department will get everything they want,' Reeves admitted. 'I had to say 'no' to things I want to do.' Aggravating the problem has been the collapse in productivity since Covid. Public sector workers today are 4.6% less productive than in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics. That means for the same taxpayer contribution, the public gets a service that is almost 5% worse. That would be bad enough if taxes had stood still but they have risen by £90bil since 2008 in today's money – equivalent to increasing the basic rate of income tax from 20% to 33%. To show taxpayers their money is not being wasted and 'every penny counts,' Labour will cull thousands of civil service jobs. Meanwhile, since 2008, the United Kingdom debt pile has more than doubled to 100% of GDP and now costs about £50bil a year more to service than before both the 2008 crash and the pandemic in 2020, almost as much as Britain spends on defence. Weak economic growth has compounded the problem, costing tens of billions of pounds in foregone tax revenue. On an output per person basis, GDP per head – a proxy for living standards – has grown just 5.5% since the pre-financial crisis peak in 2008, an average of 0.4% a year. In the preceding 17 years, GDP per head grew eight times faster - by more than 45%, or 2.2% a year. — Bloomberg Philip Aldrick writes for Bloomberg. The views expressed here are the writer's own.


Borneo Post
a day ago
- Borneo Post
Premier: Sarawak's GDP expected to surpass 5 pct this year
(Seated from left) Sagah, Uggah, Ting and Mancha in a photocall with other guests during the event. MIRI (June 11): Sarawak's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is expected to exceed 5 per cent by the end of this year, driven by strategic investments in infrastructure and green technology, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. He attributed the state's strong performance to political stability, the people's unity, and policies implemented by the Sarawak government, which have begun yielding encouraging results. Against the setting of Malaysia's GDP growth forecast of 4.4 to 5.5 per cent, Abang Johari said Sarawak's performance continues to be guided by the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, launched in July 2021 to transform Sarawak from a traditional economy to a new economy, centred on green growth policies. He expressed optimism that the implementation of PCDS 2030 would enable Sarawak to achieve developed and high-income status by 2030, while also ensuring social inclusion and environmental sustainability. 'The almost threefold increase in state revenue, from around RM5 billion eight years ago to RM15 billion last year, gives us the confidence that we can achieve the PCDS 2030 goals,' he said. Abang Johari's speech text was read by his deputy Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas during the 'Religious and Other Religions Thanksgiving Ceremony', held in conjunction with the state-level official birthday celebration of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Limbang Civic Hall today. Also present were State Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development and minister-in-charge of the celebration, Dato Dri Roland Sagah Wee Inn; State Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industries and Arts Performance Sarawak Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew; and Sarawak Police Commissioner Dato Mancha Ata. Meanwhile, a total of RM475 million in aid funds has been provided by Other Religious Affairs Unit (Unifor) to houses of worship, including those of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, Baha'i, Sikh, and Hinduism, based on the principle of social inclusivity. These funds are meant for their construction projects, repairs, renovations, maintenance, and purchase of equipment and religious tools. 'In addition, Unifor has also provided a total of RM90 million to missionary schools in Sarawak since 2021. This means that RM565 million has been allocated to Unifor by the Sarawak government,' added Abang Johari. Commenting on the event, he said it provides an opportunity for Sarawakians to witness the uniqueness of their culture. 'We are the only region in Malaysia that organises such thanksgiving ceremony as an annual event, held in conjunction with Sarawak's flagship celebrations such as today's event. 'This ceremony reflects the nature of tolerance, inclusiveness, respect, and understanding among our people who come from various religions and beliefs, yet are united in giving thanks and offering prayers for the wellbeing of His Majesty and the Queen,' he said. abang johari economic growth GDP


The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
Hong Kong principals slam popular schools' class expansion without consultation
Principals in Hong Kong have criticised education authorities for failing to consult the sector regarding a new measure that permits popular schools to apply to operate an additional Form One class in the next academic year, raising concerns that the move will intensify competition among institutions. The Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools also questioned the timeliness and necessity of implementing the policy change amid the city's declining student population. The Education Bureau briefed representatives from secondary schools at a meeting on May 20 about new class-size regulations, which are expected to jeopardise the survival of disadvantaged schools. The new regulations have increased the minimum number of students required for operating a class, while also permitting schools with four Form One classes to apply to run an additional class in the coming academic year. A maximum of five school applications will be approved. 'There is no consultation at all with such an important policy change,' Lin Chun-pong, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools, told the Post last Thursday. 'We principals are concerned about the criteria for vetting and approving such applications and whether the quota will be increased in the future.' Other significant measures include raising the minimum number of students required for secondary schools to operate a Form One class from 25 to 27, commencing in the new term in September. This threshold will be further increased to 29 in the 2026-27 academic year. With these changes, a school will need to enrol at least 28 students to run the minimum of two classes required under the regulations and 30 pupils in 2026-27. Schools that fail to secure two Form One classes must submit a survival plan and have it approved by the government. Principal Lin recalled that in 2010, the Education Bureau launched a months-long consultation on a scheme called 'voluntary optimisation of class structure scheme'. This scheme allowed schools operating five Form One classes to apply to operate four classes to alleviate the problem of the sharp decline in student numbers. 'At the time, the Education Bureau conducted a comprehensive consultation and negotiation with the school sector before announcing such a scheme, as the policy change was huge,' he said, adding that more than 200 schools joined the scheme at the time. Last week, the bureau explained in a circular that the new policy change aimed to offer quality education and address parents' needs. '[It is] to work along with Hong Kong's aim of developing high-quality education, better addressing parents' preferences and taking into consideration the enrolment situation of schools,' the circular said. But Lin said principals were puzzled by the necessity and timing of the new policy change amid the shrinking student population. He described them as having 'reacted strongly' after learning of the new measures. 'Especially when the sector is now facing the structural decline in student population, the bureau allows schools with four classes to operate one more class. Is the new policy change timely and necessary, and why should the new policy be implemented shortly?' he said. He noted that most schools felt 24 classes – four classes in each of the six grades – were optimal for offering good education and learning space for students. 'Some principals asked, is this new policy a step moving backward?' he said, adding the bureau should have talked to affected schools before making its final decision. 'The education authorities should now know how worried the school sector is. With so many opposition voices, will the government withdraw such changes? Should they conduct some consultation and consider the views from the sector even if they insist?' The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, an association regarded as a pro-establishment group, also stated in a strongly worded press release last Friday that allowing popular schools to have more classes caused panic in the education sector. 'We are concerned about the new arrangement, fearing that it will intensify competition among schools for admissions, which will have an impact on disadvantaged schools,' it said. It added that enrolment figures should not be the sole factor in deciding whether a school could continue to operate, as some less popular ones had made great efforts to cater to the diversity of students' learning. Lee Yi-ying, chairwoman of the Subsidised Secondary Schools Council, said the arrangement of four classes in a year group allowed for better care for students, which was conducive to improving the quality of education. 'The government has set a quota of five schools [to run five classes] in 2026; it shows the government does not encourage most schools to change the current class structure,' she said. Schools should carefully consider their characteristics and the future student number changes when weighing expansion, she added. A bureau spokeswoman said it would maintain a 'high threshold and strict control' when assessing applications for operating one more Form One class, adding that it 'totally understood' their concern and therefore set a quota of five schools in the new arrangement. She added that it would take into account a number of factors, including community demand and school facilities.