New Delhi:
Buildings and streets cracked, walls trembled, trees swayed, power lines came down and voices shrilled as devastation scene woke Nepal on a gloomy Saturday morning. Witnessing a powerful quake after 80 years, Nepal bore the brunt of 7.9 magnitude shake on Richter scale, which killed more than 1800 and injured 5000. And, these are just government figures, the actual impact of the earthquake can be much more.
Not to mention the 17 dead including a Google Executive and 61 injured during the quake-triggered avalanche at Mount Everest.
The poor South East nation took a blow after a quake originated outside the Kathmandu capital on Saturday morning. Not one but three quakes hit the country extending its impact to North India, China and Bangladesh.
According to the eyewitness, “When the earth first shook, we knew that if we survive without a scratch, it will return to haunt us like a heart stroke.”
Already, an alert has been issued for next 72 hours which may face mild tremors as aftershock.
Studies all over the world have forecasted the ‘Big One’. So was this the ‘Big Himalayan quake’ we feared or another bigger one is in store.
Seismologists or geo-physicists have been predicting a ‘big earthquake’ in the Himalayan belt for the past two years.
Their report states that an active Indian tectonic plate is said to be pushing up against the Tibetan tectonic plate at upwards of 4cm a year.
Notably, in geological terms this is considering a breakneck speed and a red flag has been raised for the region that includes the complete Gangetic plain in India.
Also, according to GeoHazards International (GHI), Kathmandu is the world's most 'at-risk' city for earthquakes by
As the dust settles on debris one question however remains important- WHAT NEXT?
Next in turn is another crisis- sanitation and epidemic- that will hit Kathmandu and surrounding areas soon after.
It is cold and raining briefly in Kathmandu. There is no power supply and piped gas supply and water supply are already out.
“Hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley are overcrowded, running out of room for storing dead bodies and running out of emergency supplies,” the United Nations said in a statement.
The quake will also put a huge strain on the resources of Nepal, a nation of 28 million people, which majorly relies on tourism for livelihood.
World’s offering aids in the form of money, relief material, equipment, expertise and rescue teams will only be short-lived and temporary. India has moved in to help but ultimately it will have to be the people of the nation who have to be strong.
The sadness is sinking in. Your temples are lost but not your culture and history. So rise and rise just like a phoenix from its ashes.
Remember, Time is the best healer.
