April 2015 Nepal earthquake
On April 25, 2015, Nepal experienced a catastrophic earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.1 in magnitude, marking it as the worst natural disaster in the country since 1934. The earthquake resulted in significant destruction, with an estimated 8,964 fatalities, 21,952 injuries, and 3.5 million people left homeless. Its impact extended beyond Nepal, with tremors felt in neighboring countries including Pakistan, China, India, and Bhutan. The earthquake caused avalanches on Mount Everest and triggered numerous landslides, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis as the region faced further destruction during the monsoon season. Recovery efforts were mobilized by various organizations, including the Nepalese army and international aid groups, with significant support coming from countries around the world. The earthquake also caused extensive damage to Nepal's cultural heritage, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites, prompting initiatives aimed at rebuilding using improved construction methods. Ongoing challenges included overseeing aid distribution and ensuring the effective recovery of the affected populations, particularly vulnerable groups such as children.
April 2015 Nepal earthquake
Event Information
- Date: April 25, 2015
- Place: Nepal
- Result: Estimated 8,964 dead, 21,952 injured, and 3.5 million homeless
Overview
On April 25, 2015, Nepal suffered a violent earthquake. Measured on the moment magnitude scale, this earthquake was between 7.8 and 8.1 in magnitude and is considered to be the worst natural disaster in Nepal since Nepal’s 1934 earthquake. The 2015 earthquake resulted in avalanches on Mount Everest, landslides throughout the country, destruction of buildings throughout Nepal, an estimated death toll of 8,964 with an additional 21,952 people injured and 3.5 million people left homeless. Aftershocks continued for many days, including an aftershock of 7.3 magnitude that occurred on May 12, 2015, near the border of Nepal and China. People in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, as well as some parts of Pakistan, China, India, and Bhutan, reported feeling tremors from the earthquake and its aftershocks.
Nepal is located along a fault line where two tectonic plates, the India plate and the Eurasia plate, press against each other with almost equal force. Millions of years ago, when what is now India began to push into and below the Earth’s crust of current-day Nepal and Tibet, the Himalayas were produced. This push between two tectonic plates and the thrusting of one plate over another has continued, and the pressure that develops from the friction and the stress is eventually released in the form of destructive earthquakes.
Nepal’s April 2015 earthquake was something scientists had been expecting: Nepal’s National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) stated that approximately every seventy-five years, the area experiences an earthquake with an approximate magnitude of 8, and the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that in the past one hundred years alone, the region has experienced four earthquakes above magnitude 6, with one reaching magnitude 8.1 in 1934 and the largest earthquake in the region to date with a magnitude 8.6 occurring in 1950.
Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, although not the largest, caused widespread injury, death, and destruction. Within an hour of the initial quake, two aftershocks with magnitudes 6.6 and 6.7 occurred and dozens of smaller tremors were felt for several days. On May 12, an aftershock registering magnitude 7.3 struck northeast of Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu and killed over one hundred people and injured nearly two thousand more. The earthquake and its aftershocks created landslides, collapsed buildings, and triggered an avalanche on nearby Mount Everest. Conditions were made worse when the Nepali monsoon season began, which further destroyed roads and produced mudslides and landslides and delayed reconstruction efforts. Nepal’s food supply was disrupted when the earthquake destroyed many farms and villages, and the monsoon rains compounded the problem since many farmers were unable to replant their crops.
Recovery efforts were conducted by the Nepalese army and international aid organizations such as Doctors without Borders and Red Cross/Red Crescent and United Nations Relief Agency. Aid also came from national military organizations such as the Indian Army and the United States Marine Corps. Monetary donations were sent from around the world, and nations without large international aid budgets sent doctors, search and rescue teams, medical supplies, blankets, and food to assist in the recovery. The United Nations Infant and Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called for donations to assist the estimated 1.7 million children who were suddenly homeless, and the need for programs and assistance for at-risk Nepali children was expected to continue for many years after the earthquake.
With so many organizations and volunteers arriving to help in Nepal, the government became concerned that aid workers would add to the country’s chaos and upheaval. While already established organizations such as UNICEF and the Red Cross were allowed to continue their work without oversight, all new donations and organizations were required to coordinate with the prime minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. The government then ensured that all newly arriving aid, supplies, and staff were sent to the areas that were most in need. Several groups expressed their frustration that the government was only delaying aid from reaching those most in need. The government held firm, however, explaining that administrative oversight was necessary in order to ensure all areas in the region received assistance.
Impact
Beyond the humanitarian problems, many architectural and historic sites were destroyed in the earthquake. These included historic Nepali structures that had been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur (Patan). Efforts were soon underway to stabilize and repair damaged structures, but it was noted that none would be able to be restored to their pre-earthquake condition.
Organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) worked with the Nepalese government to rebuild communities that had been damaged by the earthquake. New construction projects adopted a "building back better" approach and incorporating stricter building codes and green technology to help ensure buildings are better able to withstand future earthquakes.
Bibliography
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