From the 1988 Udaypur to the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal and beyond

Abstract

The 1988 Udaypur earthquake in eastern Nepal and the resulting deaths and damage to housing, schools and other infrastructure drew attention to the need for changes and improvement in the prevailing seismic safety practices in Nepal. This need triggered the initiation of many activities including developing and implementing building codes, policy intervention and addressing the safety of school and hospital buildings through various improvements. Many innovative and down-to-earth initiatives were implemented for raising earthquake risk awareness amongst the general public, and capacity building of engineers and craftsperson through trainings and demonstration programs. The global impetus for disaster risk reduction (DRR) played a crucial role for the improved understanding of earthquake disasters, and investment and knowledge sharing by international agencies have helped Nepal’s earthquake disaster risk reduction (EDRR) efforts. This progression of EDRR efforts was evident in response and recovery following the 2015 Nepal earthquake, which resulted in approximately 9,000 deaths and direct economic loss of more than US$7 billion, which is 1/3rd of Nepal’s 2013 GDP. Presented herein is Nepal’s journey on seismic safety practices from the 1988 Udaypur earthquake to the 2015 Gorkha earthquake and beyond. Successful EDRR initiatives that were developed and adopted in this period are reported and a critique is presented. The challenges associated with EDRR funding and implementation, plus an assessment of gaps and recommendations for further improvement are also included.