Seminar on lessons from Nepal’s earthquake
03.09.2015
Experts from both Nepal and India stressed the need for mainstreaming disaster reduction into planning, relief operations preparedness and the importance of concerted scientific efforts. Lessons in preparedness and response from the Nepal earthquake requires strategies so that they can be applied to the Indian Himalayas and Gangetic Plains in order to reduce loss of life and livelihood should a large earthquake occur in this ‘seismic gap’ in the future. The key conclusions from Nepal's earthquake were that disaster reduction should be mainstreamed into long-term development, concerted scientific efforts should continue and a coordinated system for information collection and dissemination in the preparedness, relief and recovery stages should be developed.
These were the opinions of experts at a seminar on “Learning from Nepal’s Earthquake for Indian Himalayas and Gangetic Plains” at the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, on 20 August, 2015. The seminar was organized by Central Himalayan Environment Association (CHEA) with its knowledge partner the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development. The Tata Trusts, Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme (IHCAP) of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) supported the seminar.
Dr. David Molden, Director General, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), stated in his key address that there were 370 aftershocks which are continuing even now and that not many people know that Kathmandu itself has shifted 3 metres south. Calling the Hindu-Kush Himalayas ((HKH) a global asset, he reiterated the concept of ‘build-back better’, part of Sendai framework 2015.
The Chief Guest, Mr. B. S. Koshiyari, Hon’ble Chairman, Committee on Petitions (LS) spoke of the need to develop earthquake prediction science and early warning systems for the seismically volatile areas of the HKH. The Guest of Honour, Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal, Hon'ble Member, National Planning Commission, Nepal, pointed out that comparatively more women and girls were killed in the Nepal earthquake. Social inequalities magnify earthquakes’ impacts and she added that, in this case, it affected a poor area. Convener of the Seminar Prof S. P. Singh shared the rationale of learning process from the Nepal's earthquake while Dr. P. P. Dhyani stress the need of sharing of the learning with the earthquake prone Indian Himalayan region.
In the technical session, experts from Nepal including Prof. Madan Koirala and Dr. Ranjan Kumar Dahal, Tribhuvan University, Dr. Jagdish Lal Baidya of B&B Hospital, Ms. Dikshya Devkota, Gorkha Foundation, Mr. Ratno, Tata Trusts and Mr. Prachandra Man Shrestha, formerly CEO of Nepal Tourism Board shared the various dimensions of the Nepal earthquake. This session was chaired by Dr. A.K. Gupta, Director, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology and Prof. D. S. Ramesh, Director, Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai, while Dr. Anil Kumar Gupta, National Institute of Disaster Management moderated the presentations.
The panel was chaired by Mr. Hem Pande, Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Govt. of India) and Dr. David Molden, DG, ICIMOD with Mr. Kamal Kishore, Advisor of National Disaster Management Authority as the discussant. Dr. Bhishma Subedi, Executive Director, ASNAB, Nepal, Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal, Dr Eklabya Sharma, Director Programmes and Operations, ICIMOD, Ms. Vandana Chauhan, AIDMI, Prof C. C. Pant, Geologist at Kumaun Univeristy and Dr. Sushil Kumar of WIHG were the panelists.
Dr. Pushkin Phartiyal, Executive Director, CHEA says the participation of senior political leaders, administrators, academics, development professionals and media in the learning process underlines the importance of sharing learning outcomes from Nepal in order to better prepare the Indian Himalayas and Gangetic plains.
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