GCSE Geography Nepal Earthquake Case study

BASIC INFORMATION:

~7.9 on the Richter scale

~ 25th April 2015

~The epicentre was about 80km from Kathmandu (Nepal's capital)

~ Happened 15km below the surface, causing severe tremors

Primary effects

• 9000 people died and 20 000 injured – over 8 million people (a third of Nepal’s population) affected.

• 3 million people left homeless when homes were destroyed.

• Electricity and water supplies, sanitation and communications affected.

• 1.4 million people needed food, water and shelter in the days and weeks after the earthquake.

• 7000 schools destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed.

• International airport became congested as aid arrived.

• 50% of shops destroyed, affecting food supplies and people’s livelihoods.

• Cost of damage estimated at over US$5 billion.

Secondary effects

• Ground shaking triggered landslides and avalanches, blocking roads and hampering relief efforts. 

• Avalanches on Mount Everest killed at least 19 people – the greatest loss of life on the mountain in a single incident.

• An avalanche in the Langtang region left 250 people missing.

• A landslide blocked the Kali Gandaki River, 140 km (90 miles) north west of the capital, Kathmandu – many people evacuated in case of flooding.

• The earthquake occurred on land so did not cause a tsunami.

Nepal: immediate responses

◆ Search and rescue teams (photo C), water and medical support arrived quickly from countries such as UK, India and China.

◆ Helicopters rescued many people caught in avalanches on Mount Everest and delivered supplies to villages cut off by landslides.

◆ Half a million tents needed to provide shelter for the homeless.

◆ Financial aid pledged from many countries.

◆ Field hospitals set up to support overcrowded main hospitals.

◆ 300 000 people migrated from Kathmandu to seek shelter and support with family and friends.

◆ Social media widely used in search and rescue operations and satellites mapped damaged areas.

Nepal: long-term responses

◆ Roads repaired and landslides cleared. Lakes, formed by landslides damming river valleys, need to be emptied to avoid flooding.

◆ Thousands of homeless people to be re-housed, and damaged homes repaired. Over 7000 schools to be re-built or repaired, and stricter building codes were introduced

◆ In June 2015 Nepal hosted an international conference to discuss reconstruction and seek technical and financial support from other countries.

◆ Tourism, a major source of income, to be boosted – by July 2015 some heritage sites re-opened and tourists were starting to return.

◆ Repairs to Everest base camp (photo D) and trekking routes – by August 2015 new routes had been established and the mountain re-opened for climbers.

◆ In late 2015 a blockade at the Indian border badly affected supplies of fuels, medicines and construction materials.