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South Asia: From Kutch to Kashmir - Lessons for use

Since, October 11, 2005 early hours AIDMI team is in Kashmir assessing losses and needs. The biggest gap found is of understanding earthquake. Five key gaps are addressed here.

Understanding India's vulnerability: Using earthquake science to enhance disaster preparedness

Every year, thousands flock to Kashmir, in India and Pakistan to marvel at her spectacular scenery and majestic mountain ranges. However, the reality of our location and mountainous surroundings is an inherent threat of devastating earthquakes. In addition to accepting earthquakes as a South Asian reality, we as humanitarian respondents as well as risk reduction specialists must now look to science to enhance disaster risk mitigation and preparedness.The humanitarian communalities know little about what scientific communities have discovered and what could be used to mitigate risk of earthquakes. Similarly, scientific communities need to know how to put scientific knowledge in mitigation perspective from the point of view of non-scientific communities. How do we bridge this gap? We at AIDMI acknowledged this gap, and from the overlapping questions, we selected four key areas relevant to Kashmir and South Asia and discussed them in this issue.

How do we use scientific knowledge on earthquakes?

Certain regions of South Asia are more vulnerable to earthquakes than others. Kashmir ranks high on this list. Fortunately, geologists know which regions are more vulnerable and why. When this information is disseminated to NGOs, relief agencies and governments, they can quickly understand where investments, attention and disaster preparedness measures should be focussed. Not everyone can, or needs to be targeted, and relief and recovery money should be invested wisely, based on informed decisions. Earthquake risk maps reveal which States need to pay more attention to the earthquake risk.

What are the scientific lessons from Kutch to Kashmir?

Kutch in Gujarat has had several destructive earthquakes over the last 200 years. Each has left a legacy not only of destruction but also of lessons that should have been learned. Sadly, most rebuilding measures have repeated the mistakes of the past.Earthquake history is full of information, which can be used by town planners, NGOs and communities rebuilding their structures. Town planners working in the aftermath of an earthquake can use the unique opportunity to rebuild the town in a safer manner: may it be Anjar, Islamabad, or Sri Nagar. For example, earthquake science informs us that not all locations within the vicinity of an earthquake experience the same magnitude of tremors. Thick sediments amplify these destructive effects, and thin sediments do not. Therefore, important buildings should not be built on thick sediments. Science also says that we should strengthen buildings against earthquakes. This can be done in the inexpensive ways, which have been researched by structural geologists and put to use in Kutch now for over three years.

Is earthquake all about the ground shaking?

Earthquake is not just about the ground shaking. There are many effects of an earthquake, which are not immediately apparent: 'surface rupture' (where the earthquake breaks the surface), liquefaction (ground loses strength to support buildings) and landslides are also part of the earthquake's destruction. Rehabilitation measures so often ignore this fact. Education is the key to mitigating the effects of an earthquake. Teaching people about these effects can help them in many ways: to construct buildings more safely, to protect themselves during and after the earthquake by being aware of dangerous areas.

Is earthquake forecasting a reliable science?

Many scientists are able to give detailed forecasts about earthquake risks in certain regions, which can help governments, NGOs and local communities focus resources at the correct time and in the correct locations. Gujarat has claimed to set up such a centre, now for over four years.

This issue of southasiadisasters.net tries to draw attention of humanitarian sector on scientific perspective of earthquake and bring them closer to scientific communities and their work in Kashmir.

Mihir R. Bhatt