The earthquake that hit Nepal this weekend has given rise to human tragedies of the most deeply disturbing nature. Reports emerging from India's northern neighbour suggest that the current official death toll - touching 2,400 - will continue to rise. Relief efforts, even medical aid, have been hampered by serious and dangerous aftershocks. In some places, according to journalists on the spot, basic medicines are running out - and, of course, there may not be enough hospital beds or operating theatres. Nepal needs all the help it can get. There are no bright sides to such tragedies, but it is worth noting how speedy India's effort to mobilise aid has been. Not only has aid been flown in, but Indian citizens have been quickly flown out. And the government has been communicative at the highest level, with the secretaries concerned keeping the public and the media informed, and the prime minister himself on Twitter and Facebook letting people know how India was responding. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was also active - even responding to queries about individual Indian citizens at risk. The government's active efforts deserve unqualified praise. It is to be hoped that these efforts will only continue through the rebuilding and rehabilitation phase. Private-sector and non-governmental efforts from India, too, must be encouraged, and their intervention in relief efforts incentivised and made smooth.
The quake, which had its epicentre near the capital city of Kathmandu, measured 7.9 on the Richter scale. It was relatively close to the surface - between 15 and 20 km below ground - which may have made it more destructive. Nepal is, like much of the southern Himalayas, an earthquake-prone zone. The Indian tectonic plate, which has been moving northwards since the earth was young, continues to grind its way under the Eurasian landmass at the speed of five cm a year. This is the geological conflict that gives rise to the awesome Himalayas - but also means that earthquakes are a threat. When the pressure gets too much, then tremors will happen, like clockwork. While this earthquake was a great tragedy, the fear must continue to be what Californians, residents of another geological hot-spot, call "the Big One" - an earthquake that releases the potential energy that has been stored up for millennia along this fault line. An earthquake that registers nine on the (logarithmic) Richter scale could do it - and be an unparalleled disaster.
This tragedy must serve as a reminder that India and its neighbours are living on borrowed time. Haphazard urban planning, poor quality construction and a lack of standards and regulation cannot last forever. Disasters such as this cannot be predicted to the hour. But they can be prepared for. Countries such as Japan have adapted to this fear; but northern India has instead adopted the lax construction techniques of much safer lands. This must change, with focused government action if necessary.
