Written by: Sumit Raj Thakur - 24091, Grade XI
Posted on: 21 December, 2022
On 25th of April, 2015 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. The earthquake struck central Nepal. More than 8,000 people died and about 17,000 were injured. The earthquake was caused due to the movement of tectonic plates releasing built up strain energy, in the form of seismic waves. As Kathmandu is located right on top of the fault line between the plates, Kathmandu suffered most of the damages from this earthquake. About 75% of the buildings were destroyed leaving lots of Nepalese homeless. There were several aftershocks on the 26th of April and also on the 12th of May. According to the Red Cross, about 800,000 homes were destroyed. Many temples and historic monuments were destroyed which caused a long term effect on the tourism industry like Dharara, two temples in Patan Durbar Square, and many monuments were destroyed. The aftershock also caused many landslides and triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest.
The Gorkha earthquake caused a drastic impact on the economy of Nepal. At that time, the GDP of Nepal was only $20 billion and the estimated cost of damage was $10 billion which means Nepal had to depend on foreign aid to rebuild the economy. Due to the earthquake many industries, and offices were closed which also affected the economy. The tourism industry got affected the most as many historical sites were destroyed and many tourists were injured and some even died. Many people lost everything and suffered poverty. Many hospitals were destroyed leaving many injured people struggling to survive and lots of people couldn't get medical treatment.
During the time of the earthquake, people had to live in tents and had to eat junk food. Many people slept on the street as there were no other places to stay. During that time some people struggled to survive as the price of junk food was very high and there were no other ways to cook food. Robbers and human traffickers took advantage of the situation. The most affected were people from poor communities who lost their homes. The earthquake had many impacts on the environment. Many forests and farmlands were destroyed due to the earthquake. Many roads were cracked and destroyed due to which many areas were unable to get the help they needed.
About 90% soldiers from the Nepalese army were sent to the destroyed places and conducted rescue operations under the name Sankat Mochan. The soldiers saved many people who were stuck under destroyed buildings. Many other countries also helped Nepal to overcome the situation. Uk provided £33 million in aid which helped in buying food, water, shelter and medical supplies. Japan sent a search and rescue team and India provided 50 tons of water and medical supplies. Many rural areas were unreachable due to the condition of the road and had to use helicopters to reach there. The Red Cross provided 8000 volunteers to help rebuild homes and tents for people. Many Nepalese people restrained themselves as builders and helped in rebuilding the damaged infrastructure. UNICEF worked with the government to help people in rural areas and provided resources.
Reference : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ52EMOhTQg
