Earthquake Safety Day

Kathmandu: The government is all set to observe the 18th Earthquake Safety Day on Saturday to call to mind the mega-earthquake of January 16, 1934 by linking it to the loss of lives and property that resulted from the April 25, 2015 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.

According to the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DoUDBC), Earthquake Safety Day Main Organising Committee has been formed to mark the day.

The committee is headed by Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet.

In accordance with the decision of the committee, the government will officially announce the commencement of National Reconstruction Campaign coinciding with the National Earthquake Safety Day.

As part of the announcement, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will launch the reconstruction work of Ranipokhari amid a special function at 11:56am on Saturday.

Likewise, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will release the Reconstruction Masterplan of Bungmati Area at Karyabinayak Municipality, Lalitpur, the same day at 4:00pm.

After launching the Masterplan, Karyabinayak Municipality and Bungmati Reconstruction Committee will sign a Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of Prime Minister Oli.

The DoUDBC said, “National Reconstruction Authority will lead and carry out recovery and reconstruction work on physical infrastructure damaged or destroyed by the April 25 earthquake throughout the country after the official announcement of the commencement of National Reconstruction Campaign on Saturday.”

Earthquake Safety Day is being celebrated in Nepal since 1999 to spread awareness about earthquake safety methods after the country was crippled in the 1934 earthquake.

The 1934 earthquake of magnitude-8.1 had killed more than 9,000 people and damaged more than 200,000 buildings.

This year, the government will be linking the 1934 earthquake to the 7.6-magnitude temblor of April 25.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the biggest earthquake after 1935 killed nearly 9,000 people and left more than 23,000 others injured. The quake directly affected the lives of eight million people.

At least 605,282 private and government buildings were destroyed and 288,261 houses damaged.

Thirty-one districts have been affected, out of which 14 were declared disaster-hit by the government.

The most-affected districts share more than 90 per cent of the casualties and property damage.

thehimalayantimes.com