Nepal is known to the world -- among other things -- for its beatific sights, which include the Himalayas. Despite boasting a breathtaking landscape bestowed upon it by nature, the nation has been cursed. Why else would Nepal repeatedly be affected by these quakes?
Frightening assumptions and imaginations of an earthquake quietly go to sleep as time passes after the first devastating quake. But the scars are still there in the lives of the thousands of people, as they struggle within a system of insecurity in which poverty plays a great part. The consequences of the earthquake will live on for an indefinite period of time. It is especially true in poorer societies overwhelmed with misgovernance with a facade of fairness. At present, the Nepalese people’s sufferings know no bounds.
The April 25 earthquake destroyed houses in villages in almost every district, and people are still digging up the rubble of their homes, trying to retrieve their belongings, and living in makeshift tents and running around, desperate for relief material. They don’t even have time to take care of crops.
In times of crisis like this, rebuilding houses and managing food are more important than anything else. If we compare a quake-devastated Haiti or a mudslide-flattened Afghan locality with what Nepal has gone through, there’s no difference. At times like these, even major metropolises in the world are not safe, as was exposed in the aftermath of Katrina.
Now let’s take a look at what happened to Nepal’s farming in the outskirts of the cities. Currently, farming in Nepal has virtually come to a halt, as most of the villagers are busy trying to manage food and water. No one is seen working on terraced cornfields. Everyone is busy building temporary shelters or waiting for helicopters to drop relief aid.
If anyone notices the behaviour of Nepal’s people, they can easily guess how scared they are. I was watching the BBC when they telecast Nepal’s parliament session during the second quake. Everyone from the MP to the speaker started to run, with fear etched across their faces.
Scores of people were killed in the follow-up earthquake and brought fresh terror to an already traumatised Nepal, as buildings already damaged in a monster quake a few weeks ago came tumbling down. Weeks after the country’s deadliest quake in more than 80 years, terrified residents once against fled onto the streets as houses crumbled to dust and landslides jammed up the roads, hampering the relief effort already in short supply.
Authorities in Nepal have said that at least 48 people were killed with more than 1,100 injured, while 17 people also died across the border in northern India. The 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck at 12:35pm, some 76km east of Kathmandu. The 7.8-magnitude beforehand had killed 8,000 already.
The Nepalese government has acknowledged that it was overwhelmed by the scale of the April 25 disaster which destroyed over 300,000 homes and left many more too dangerous to live in. “At an hour of a natural disaster like this, we have to face it with courage and patience,” said Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala after an emergency meeting of his cabinet on Tuesday.
This earthquake has destroyed all hand mills, water mills, and electric mills. It has made it difficult to find food grains. This has made Nepal dependent on food being dropped from helicopters. They’ll have nothing to eat once that stops. Situation in certain remote areas is even more dire, with people still trapped under debris. Three people were rescued in Sindupalchok on Monday, nine days after the quake.
But what of medical care in Nepal? Hospitals are strained from the influx of patients. Big hospitals like the 750-bed Nepal Medical College in Kathmandu are turning away patients, since it doesn’t have enough tents to treat patients outside its cracked building. The hospital is running out of stock in terms of essential medicine and surgical material. Beds and blankets are required.
Last but not least, more than 2.2 million Nepalis work overseas, most of whom are men, according to the Nepali Times. Their remittances totaled $4bn last year, accounting for more than 20% of Nepal’s GDP. Their wives, however, remain in Nepal. These women are effectively single and have to manage everything by themselves.
Bouncing back from the shock and the huge economic loss Nepal has suffered will be a great challenge for its people. And all I can offer are good wishes for the nation.
