Submit your Article

India's capital New Delhi was jolted awake Monday by powerful tremors from a magnitude 4.0 earthquake, with its epicentre on the edge of the sprawling megacity an hour before dawn.

There were no immediate reports of major damage, but terrified residents rushed outside as buildings shook.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to follow "safety precautions" and stay alert to "possible aftershocks".

"Tremors were felt in Delhi and nearby areas. Urging everyone to stay calm and follow safety precautions, staying alert for possible aftershocks. Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation," Modi said in a post on social media platform X.

Police issued an emergency number to call for help, saying: "We hope you all are safe, Delhi".

Northern India lies on a major geological faultline where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up into the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas, and earthquakes are a regular occurrence. AFP

On Jan 7, a sleepy nation woke up at 6.50am to a magnitude-7 quake epicentered at Tingri County (Tibet), China as eastern districts of Nepal, including Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur, shook vigorously along with the federal capital of Kathmandu. Much to the relief of the nation, there was no loss of life and no major property loss in the jolt, though some private houses and the office building of Thame Post of the Sagarmatha National Park at Thametyang suffered damage.

The quake comes close on the heels of a season of disasters that just passed us by. Last monsoon, more than 230 people died, at least 169 people suffered injuries and many went missing as floods and landslides further destabilized a country where political instability has become the norm rather than the exception. The rescue of around 17,000 people during the monsoon season gives an indication of the scale of the disaster. 

Against this backdrop, a polity with a very short memory and a weak institutional capacity to deal with disasters would do well to learn some humble lessons from the disasters old and new. 

Monsoon floods, landslides, wildfires and quakes claim lives every year, render thousands homeless and cause infrastructural losses worth billions of rupees. 

For example, around 80 people died, several others suffered injuries, thousands became shelterless and the nation suffered infrastructural losses worth billions when a magnitude-6.4 temblor epicentered at Ramidanda (Jajarkot district) shook districts of western Nepal, including Jajarkot and Rukum West, at 11.47 pm on 3 Nov 2023. More than a year after the disaster, humanitarian assistance continues to ‘elude’ many shelterless survivors of the Ramidanda jolt. 

It’s time the government realized that disasters don’t kill, lack of preparedness does. Anyway, a government tasked with protecting the life and property of its people cannot get away by blaming death, devastation and displacement on ‘natural’ disasters.       

Let the recent jolt and other disasters wake up all three tiers of our government and prompt them to step up preparedness that can go a long way in protecting life and properties during such disasters.

A house each at Thulung Dudhkoshi Rural Municipality and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu have been damaged due to the earthquake that occurred this morning.

The two-storey stone-and-mud-walled house of 50-year-old Harka Bahadur Khattri at Deusa Luruwa, Thulung Dudhkoshi-7, suffered damage due to the tremor, police said. The house roof was made of slate.

Similarly, the two-storey stone-and-mud-walled house of Aangima Sherpa at Helajung, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-5 was also damaged due to the earthquake. The house had a tin roof, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dwarika Prasad Ghimire, said.

According to him, a police team has been dispatched to those places for assessing the damage.

Chief District Officer Anoj Kumar Ghimire said all the apparatus, including the police, have been kept on standby for possible rescue and relief works.

Sagarmatha National Park building develops cracks

Similarly, the office building of Thame Post of the Sagarmatha National Park at Thametyang, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-5 has developed cracks due to the tremor.

Park Chief Conservation Officer Sushma Rana said the one-storey block made of stone has cracked. Two people had been staying in the house.

Meanwhile, a house has collapsed due to the earthquake this morning at Kimathanka, Bhotkhola Rural Municipality-1 of Sankhuwasabha district. The two-storey mud-and-stone house belonged to Tenchhebi Sherpa. It had a tin roof, said Chief District Officer Binod Kumar Khadka.

The earthquake with its epicenter at Dinggye County of Xizang Autonomous Region, China jolted the eastern region of Nepal as well as the federal capital, Kathmandu. The 7 magnitude-earthquake occurred at 6.50 am today.

An earthquake measuring 7.0 in Richter scale with its epicenter at Dinggye County of Tibet, China shook the federal capital of Nepal, Kathmandu.

Lok Bijay Adhikari, a senior Divisional Seismologist at Department of Minerals and Geology said.

The tremor occurred at 6:50 am panicked people mostly in the eastern hilly districts including Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur and even in Tarai.

A local from Salleri, headquarters of Solukhumbu district, said that although the earthquake occurred for a long moment, there was not any damage at Salleri Bazaar.

Solukhumbu district borders Tibet, China.

The tremor was felt in the Kathmandu Valley and vicinity, forcing people to rush to streets.

An earthquake measuring 4.6 in the Richter scale struck Taplejung district on Sunday.

The epicenter of the quake that jolted the district at 12. 08 am today was near Lhonak in Taplejung, according to the National Earthquake Measurement and Research Center.

Earlier on September 3, an earthquake measuring 4.2 in the Richter scale had occurred with its epicenter around Shikharpur in Sindhupalchok district.

The preliminary estimate for the reconstruction of structures damaged due to the three earthquakes that occurred at various times is Rs 63.58 billion.

The preliminary damage assessment conducted by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) determined the damage worth approximately Rs 58 billion and the reconstruction is estimated to cost over Rs 63.5 billion.

Chief of NDRRMA, Policy, Planning and Monitoring Division, Bharat Mani Pandey said the required process for the reconstruction has been moved ahead after carrying out the preliminary study.

An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck Jajarkot on November 3, 2023. One hundred and fifty-four people were killed and 366 others injured in this disaster. A temblor measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale hit Bajhang on October 3, 2023, killing one person and injuring 30. Before this, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale occurred in Doti on November 8, 2022, resulting in the death of six people and injuries to eight others.

These three earthquakes damaged 95,787 houses, as per the NDRRMA data. The damage to this many houses is estimated to be worth Rs 43.39 billion. Apart from this, 204 school buildings, 70 government and public buildings, 11 cultural heritages, nearly 200 kilometers of road and 121 irrigation projects were damaged due to the earthquakes.

The Jajarkot earthquake caused the largest extent of human and property damage. More than 86, 000 houses were damaged in this disaster alone.

The NDRRMA preliminary assessment estimated the total cost of Rs 63.58 billion for the reconstruction of different sectors- Rs 52.46 billion for the reconstruction of private houses, government buildings, and health, education and cultural buildings, Rs 7.18 billion for the reconstruction of other infrastructure sectors and Rs 1.73 billion for the enterprises sector. 

Necessary process for the reconstruction is being forwarded on this basis. A decision was already taken to ask for consent of the Finance Ministry for necessary budget for this purpose after approving the concept of detailed damage assessment to carry out retrofitting, reconstruction and resettlement of quake-damaged private and public building and other physical infrastructures in Jajarkot, Bajhang and Doti. 

NDRRMA Executive Chef Anil Pokharel shared that reconstruction activities would be forwarded as the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Executive Committee chaired by Home Minister had already approved the 'Retrofitting, Reconstruction and Resettlement Grant Procedure for Private Houses of Disaster Affected, 2081'.

This time, the beneficiaries would be categorized as 'A', 'B' and 'C' and housing reconstruction activities would be forwarded.

Much responsibility has been given to the local levels in the procedure. The local-level would keep a preliminary record of the losses. The Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee would identify the beneficiaries by reviewing the details received from local levels. Thereafter, an agreement would be reached between beneficiaries and ward chairperson.

A procedure has been prepared to complete reconstruction within two years after signing the agreement.

The National Seismological Centre recorded a tremor of local magnitude 4.0 in Rasuwa district on Sunday.

The tremor was recorded at 9: 44 am. Its epicenter was around Juredhunga of the district.  

Two more survivors of the Nov 3 earthquake have succumbed to health complications resulting from harsh weather conditions in Jajarkot, taking the number of survivors killed in the quake to 37. 

The deceased, Karna Bahadur Bishwakarma (58) of Rautgaun in Bheri Municipality-1 and Lal Bahadur Raut (68) of Jiri in Barekot Rural Municipality-4, had been living under tarpaulin tents after the destruction of their homes in the 6.4-magnitude quake with Ramidanda as its epicenter. 

Karna Bahadur, living in a makeshift tarpaulin tent with his five family members, had been bedridden for the past week. “He was running a fever and we thought it was seasonal flu. When we took him to the hospital, his condition had already worsened,” shared Rup Lal, son of Karna Bahadur.

Initially admitted to Jajarkot district hospital, Karna Bahadur was referred to Karnali provincial hospital in Surkhet after his condition deteriorated. He passed away in the course of treatment on Saturday morning. Bir Bahadur Giri, chairperson of Barekot Rural Municipality (Jajarkot), confirmed that Karna Bahadur, an asthma patient living under tarpaulin sheets, passed away as his condition worsened due to harsh weather conditions.

Asthma patients constitute a majority of the 37 deceased. Three children and a new mother are also among the dead. Although the government had announced plans for the relocation of earthquake survivors from tarpaulin tents to temporary shelters within a month, only 9,169 families have been relocated so far. Additionally, only 1800 families have received the Rs 50,000 grant (meant for each family) for building temporary shelters.

Of the 35,140 earthquake survivors eligible for the grant in Jajarkot, more than 26,000 of them have not built temporary shelters yet, according to Harish Chandra Sharma, assistant chief district officer of Jajarkot. Due to delays in releasing the grant, earthquake survivors have been unable to construct temporary shelters, so they have no option but to brave chilly winter nights under tarpaulin tents.

Humanitarian workers say that cumbersome administrative processes involved in opening bank accounts and submitting proof of homelessness after police investigations make it quite difficult for the survivors to get government grants. Raj Bahadur Shahi of Junichande-5 in Jajarkot says a lackadaisical attitude of the local government is the reason why the survivors are not getting government grants.

In the far-flung districts of Jajarkot and West Rukum, the Nepali state is virtually non-existent. 

What used to be houses and sheds have turned into rubble, thanks to the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck at midnight on Nov 3, killing around 160 people (more than half of them children) in the immediate aftermath, leaving thousands injured and destroying vital physical infrastructure like school buildings and local government facilities.

Three weeks into the disaster, more deaths have occurred even as the survivors, with foodstucks, warm clothing, utensils and medicine buried under the rubble, continue to brave a cruel winter without vital supplies.

What is the ruling elite in Kathmandu doing for the survivors other than providing token relief? Rather than rushing supplies essential for sustaining life after an early ‘completion’ of the search and rescue operation, the VIPs and the VVIPs seemed interested in chopper flights to the affected areas where they made generous promises to the survivors. 

Despite those lofty promises, aid is barely trickling among the survivors. Media reports, including those published in this daily, suggest that various factors continue to affect relief distribution, particularly in far-flung areas of the affected districts. Worryingly, dirty politics is playing spoilsport, together with unwillingness on the part of representatives of relevant organizations to visit remote areas and local authorities’ undeclared policy of distributing relief only to house-owners and not to the renters.

While the post-quake scenarios at Jajarkot and West Rukum deepen fears of an evolving humanitarian disaster, a divided Center continues to act as if nothing has happened. Its immediate priority is on reining in the anarchy reigning supreme on the streets of a more or less curfewed Kathmandu where rival political forces continue to ‘display’ their strength, throwing life out of gears.  

Even in a crisis situation like this, our top political leaders continue to act like warlords instead of working together to deal with fresh crises facing a country already reeling under malgovernance, corruption, nepotism, inflation, instability and the breakdown of law and order. 

Sooner than later, the top brass should mend ways and act together to bring stability back to this trembling republic instead of fighting like the kilkenny cats if they want history to be merciful to them. 

India handed over the fourth tranche of earthquake relief support of essential medical supplies to the Government of Nepal.

The support comprising vital medicines and equipment is based on the requirement shared by the Nepal Medical Association,

Till now India has provided over 34 tons of emergency relief materials to the earthquake affected families of Jajarkot and surrounding areas, reads a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.  

India’s humanitarian response to the Jajarkot earthquake affirms its commitment to support Nepal under the Neighborhood First Policy.

India will continue to support the relief efforts in Nepal based on the assessment and priorities outlined by the Government of Nepal.

Ramita Thapa of Nalgad municipality-3 got hold of her two kids and ran out of the house when the quake struck on the night of Nov 3. While rushing out, she sustained leg injuries.

She has been living under a tent on the side of the road at Nayabasti in Khalanga, the district headquarters, after her house collapsed in the quake. Traumatized, Thapa now feels “her body and the ground shaking all the time” and does not dare go beyond the road. Deeply traumatized, her 14-year-old daughter cries even in her sleep, with the nightmare of the quake still haunting her.  

Rendered homeless, most of the inhabitants of the district headquarters have been spending their days and nights without basic amenities like food, shelter and medicine.

Those people, who were living on rent before the quake struck, complain that their problems are far worse than their landlords’. 

“Government authorities distribute tarpaulin and other relief materials to house-owners only, effectively depriving outsiders like us of relief,” laments Milan Chadara of Thaple, Bheri Municipality-3. 

Chadara narrated how officials at the local ward office turned him away when he visited the office asking for a tarp. “The tarps are for house-owners only,” he quoted the officials, lamenting that people from outside the district headquarters do not even get relief materials like the tarpaulin.

Milan has been living in the open with his family after multiple requests for relief went in vain. Ganesh Thapa, also from the backwaters of Jajarkot, is faring a bit better after getting a tarp upon approaching Suresh Sunar, the Chief District Officer of Jajarkot.

 Like Milan, Jhalak Malla of Thaple has been living in the open with his family. He says, “Initially, authorities collected the details of people like us, stating that those living in rented rooms at the district HQ were also eligible for relief. Now, however, they are saying that we are not eligible for relief. This has really, really saddened us.” 

Many survivors in Barekot aren’t faring any better. Prem Bohara of Barekot rural municipality-4 says he no longer feels like going for work, with the aftershocks rattling Jajarkot every now and then.

According to Bohara, the quake and aftershocks have terrorized children and senior citizens the most. 

With the quake and the aftershocks destroying their homes and schools, children are deeply worried about their studies and their future. The 6.4 magnitude quake has brought Jajarkot's development to a halt.

The government has urged the bodies concerned to carry out works for the prevention of possible disease outbreak, malnutrition and psycho-social problems following the earthquake and for their proper management.

Ministry spokesman Dr Prakash Budhathoki said the Ministry has urged all the concerned agencies for the same.

He said the Ministry has today mobilized a three-member team from the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division to the earthquake-hit areas for assessing in coordination with the provinces the likelihood of disease outbreak. 

The Ministry stated that the people injured due to the earthquake and its aftershocks are being provided medical treatment at the health post and hospitals at the respective local level wards or at the provincial hospital in the district.

Among those injured persons referred for treatment, 19 are receiving treatment at the Provincial Hospital Surkhet, 46 at the Bheri Hospital Nepalgunj, eight at the TU Teaching Hospital Kathmandu and one at the National Trauma Centre.

The Karnali Province government has handed over Rs 24.5 million to the earthquake survivors of Jajarkot, Rukum Paschim and Salyan districts.

A total of 16 local levels from these districts were provided monetary support.

Bheri and Nalgadh Municipalities and Barekot Rural Municipality of Jajarkot were provided Rs 2.5 million each, while Kushe Rural Municipality Rs 2 million, Chhedgad Municipality and Junichande Rural Municipality Rs 1 million each.

Government spokesperson and Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Krishna Bahadur GC, shared this information. He added that Shivalaya Rural Municipality was provided half million rupees.

Similarly, in Rukum Paschim district, Athbiskot and Sanibheri Municipalities got Rs 2.5 million each, while Chaurajahari and Triveni Rural Municipality got Rs 2 million each. Musikot Municipality got Rs 1 million and Banphikot Rural Municipality received half million rupees.

Darma Rural Municipality of Salyan was provided Rs 1.5 million and Bagchaur and Bangad Kupinde Municipality each got half million rupees.

Jajarkot and Rukum Paschim suffered worst in the November 3 earthquake.

Children comprise more than half of the human casualties in the 6.4 magnitude quake that struck Jagarkot and Rukum West last Friday, police data show, putting the number of children succumbing to the disaster at over 80. 

The disaster has rendered about 10000 people shelterless, said government officials, while initial estimates put the number of school buildings destroyed in the quake at 300.

 Heather Campbell, Country Director for Save the Children in Nepal, said, “Children are scared. Many have lost relatives; thousands have lost their homes. The constant aftershocks and terror of another quake means they have been forced into the open. With temperatures dropping, they need shelter, warmth and nutritious food.   

 “We are worried that the longer the children live outside, the greater the chances of contracting pneumonia. They are also at risk of contracting waterborne diseases, as safe drinking water is scarce. There is an urgent need for toilets and washing facilities,” Campbell said. 

“Children are vulnerable and need spaces where they are safe and can continue to learn. We need to ensure their safety and protection as disasters like this can lead to severe mental distress. Recovery from the trauma of losing loved ones and homes will not be a quick process. They need stability.”  

 14 schools destroyed in Bheri 

In Bheri municipality, the jolt has destroyed 14 school buildings, whereas 78 school buildings have suffered damage, the municipality’s data show. The tremor has killed 11 students and three teachers in the municipality, while 31 students have sustained injuries. 

Forty-seven classrooms, nine toilets and four compound walls have turned into rubble in the quake, whereas 122 school buildings, 476 classrooms, 38 toilets, nine fences, one science lab, nine ICT labs and two solar systems have suffered damage.

In Rukum West, the quake has claimed 14 students, destroyed 15 school buildings and caused damage to 20 schools. 

President reaching out

President Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday reached out to the survivors of the quake and assured them of all possible help from the state in rebuilding their lives. He visited Sitali Kami of Bheri municipality-1, who is undergoing treatment at Jajarkot district hospital for injuries sustained in the quake. 

He assured Sitali that the state would provide assistance for the reconstruction of her house damaged in the quake. Paudel also stressed that the survivors need temporary shelters. 

While interacting with the survivors at Thaple of Bheri-3 after visiting the spot where Nalagadh municipality’s deputy mayor Sarita Singh had lost her life in a house collapse, President Paudel pledged that the government will expedite reconstruction works and address other concerns of the survivors in a gradual manner. 

No relief for survivors 

Five days into the quake, government agencies have still not been able to provide for most of the survivors facing a grim winter with almost all of their possessions lost, as if bereavement were not enough. Local levels have not been able to provide blankets and bedding in required numbers to people like Ganesh Thapa of Bheri-3, who said he has not yet received warm clothing. 

Relief materials have not yet reached most of the remote places outside the district headquarters, with representatives of various organizations distributing these materials in the villages as per their convenience instead of giving due priority to the most affected ones. 

Local communities do not know how to remain safe even as frequent aftershocks have been occurring here.

Meanwhile, relief materials reached Barekot rural municipality on Monday, two days after the earthquake. Chair of the municipality Chair Bir Bahadur Giri said,  “As people in the rural municipality have been living out in the open, protecting them from cold is a major challenge.”

NC, CPN (US) donate to relief fund

Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (Unified Socialist) have made contributions to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.

A delegation of NC office-bearers, including President Sher Bahadur Deuba, visited Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the PM’s official residence in Baluwatar to hand over a cheque bearing Rs 5m, meant for the survivors of the quake. A delegation under CPN(Unified Socialist) Chair and former PM, Madhav Kumar Nepal, presented a cheque bearing Rs 2.5m to PM Dahal.  

CPN(US) also submitted a nine-point proposal to the government regarding post-earthquake relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts. The party lauded government measures in response to the earthquake, particularly the search and rescue operations, recommending that the federal government oversee and facilitate the implementation of a one-door policy for rescue and rehabilitation efforts by ensuring the leading roles of provinces and local governments toward that end. 

During the meeting, PM Dahal assured that the best practices in post-disaster management will be followed. He said, “With the search and rescue operations completed, the focus has now shifted to the second-phase response, including relief and rehabilitation.”

Dahal said he held separate meetings with the ambassadors from the neighboring countries regarding disaster relief. 

The meetings with the ambassadors focused on the management of storage facilities at the local level and development of integrated settlements based on geographical features of the affected areas. 

The United Nations has said that around 1.3m people might have been exposed, and about 0.25m may need humanitarian assistance within 72 hours of the earthquake. 

Days after 153 people were killed and several hundred injured, another strong earthquake with 5.6 magnitude struck  on Nov 6. On Nov 3, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck in the Jajarkot and Rukum Districts of Karnali Province, causing widespread damage.

With the completion of the government’s search and rescue operation, the number of deaths stands at 153 (Male: 70, Female: 83) and 338 (Male: 138, Female: 200) injured. The initial findings of the Government’s Initial Rapid Assessment (IRA) launched on Nov 5 say over 4,000 homes were damaged in the hardest hit districts, UN said in a press statement.

Following the initial assessment of the remote damage assessment of available secondary data satellite images USGS data and earthquake risk model, around 1.3m people might have been exposed and about 0.25m people may need humanitarian assistance within 72 hours of the earthquake, the UN said in a press statement. 

In response to the earthquake—the largest to impact Nepal since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015—United Nations agencies have been providing temporary shelter, food, and non-food items as part of a comprehensive and urgent response to the pressing needs of the affected communities.

UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said, “The government has immediately responded very effectively with search and rescue operations. Despite geographical remoteness and a difficult operating environment.

The UN agencies and humanitarian partners are on the ground supporting the government’s efforts by reaching out to around 3000 households with food, shelter, WASH, protection, and health support. More than 382 aftershocks were reported forcing people to spend nights in the open or makeshift shelters in freezing overnight temperatures.  “The impact of this latest earthquake is compounding the difficulties and vulnerabilities of communities with low socio-economic indicators and stretched coping mechanisms.”

President Ram Chandra Paudel is leaving for earthquake hit districts, Jajarkot and Rukum Paschim, today.

President's press advisor Kiran Pokharel informed that President Paudel would visit the quake affected districts to take stock of the situation of disaster survivors.

In the wake of the earthquake that occurred last Friday, President Paudel also postponed his scheduled visit to Europe from November 8.