Natural disasters: An engineer’s perspective in Nepal

Abstract

In 2011 an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale occurred on the border of Nepal and Sikkim. This sparked a flurry of interest in improving Nepal’s resilience to disasters. In April 2015, numerous large earthquakes were experienced throughout central Nepal. The impact of earthquakes in Nepal is exacerbated by poor quality structures, poor public infrastructure, extreme poverty and a lack of access to the worst affected areas, making the country extremely vulnerable to earthquakes and a range of other natural disasters including landslides, flooding, fires-all of which kill hundreds of people each year. The role of engineers in helping governments and local communities prepare for, mitigate and recover from these disasters is a critical aspect of the national strategy for disaster risk management. Significant progress is being made in raising the profile of resilience and the role of engineers. The efforts of the engineering community in the immediate aftermath of the 2015 earthquake resulted in unprecedented positive messages in the Nepal media on the role of engineers. With initiatives in motion to improve engineering practice, the time is ripe for the Nepali engineering community to influence government and the construction sector to improve the country’s resilience to natural disasters.