In early November, west rural Nepal faced a devastating earthquake that killed over 150 people. Strong tremors from the quake were felt in the Nepalese capital and cities in neighboring India. The event was the deadliest in Nepal since the earthquake in 2015, leading scientists and engineers to claim that Nepal hasn’t done enough to prepare for earthquake risks.

On the night of Nov. 3, the western area of Jajarkot was struck by a powerful earthquake, collapsing houses and buildings. The recent quake left about 150 people dead and 375 people injured as of Nov. 4. Security forces were deployed to aid the rescue efforts in the affected area of Nepal. The hospital in Jajarkot was filled with wounded, and some people were airlifted to Kathmandu to get help. Houses and buildings were reduced to rubble, with people seen digging to find the survivors.
Geethakumari Bista, a survivor trapped in rubble with her family, spoke with the BBC about her experience during this earthquake.

Geethakumari Bista, a survivor trapped in rubble with her family, spoke with the BBC about her experience during this earthquake.

“We three were in the same room on the top floor. Everything happened so suddenly. We couldn’t understand what was happening. People shouted around. The armed police came and I shouted: ‘I am alive, too’… First, they rescued my elder daughter by carrying her out and taking her downstairs. Unfortunately, they couldn’t save my younger one. She was 14 years old,” Bista said.

Officials estimated that at least 5,000 homes had been damaged or destroyed. Many residents of Jajarkot and Rukum West were forced to sleep outside due to their homes being obliterated. 

Residents in these villages claimed that they were not receiving help quickly. Many affected areas are challenging to reach, and Nepal has claimed that aid organizations and the government coordinate their efforts in advance to prevent any additional delay. A major obstacle was these villages were only accessible by foot. In addition, roads were blocked by landslides due to the earthquake. 

After the earthquake, scientists warned that the Himalayan nation must do more to survive these disasters and prepare for the risk of a bigger quake, especially since the country is on top of the fault lines of two major tectonic plates. After the 2015 earthquake, Nepal instructed local and provincial governments to enforce building codes and prepare action plans. This code was enforced in some new buildings, but the existing mud and stone houses were not dealt with. According to Madhav Katwal, an engineer at the government’s Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, most local governments have had not enforced the building codes.

Amod Mani Dixit, director of the National Society for Earthquake Technology in Kathmandu, expressed how Nepal could improve building conditions to reduce risks.

“You cannot move the population; the entire country is seismic, the entire Nepal is seismic. But can we improve the building stock? The answer is yes, we can, and we have demonstrated in many parts of the world, including in Nepal, that we can,” Dixit said.