Himalayan News Service

Lalitpur, January 18:

There are lessons that Nepal can learn from the recent tsunami disaster pointed out participants at a programme ‘Science of Earthquake and Lessons from the recent Tsunami Disaster’ organised today by the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (RONAST).

Minister for Science and Technology Bala Ram Gharti Magar stressed that much is needed to be learnt from the disaster. “In our country, there is a tendency to do things slowly and give priority only at the eleventh hour.” He admitted the government should prioritise creating awareness about earthquake preparedness.

Dr Prof Bishal Nath Upreti, general secretary of Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, explained the science of earthquake with a documentary on the disaster in Sri Lanka and Thailand, citing examples of a few buildings, which were not damaged much.

He said a lesson is to be learnt from the disaster. “Ason is a congested area but developing residential areas outside Ring Road show similar characteristics. Strict building codes should be enforced and awareness about consequences is necessary to prevent future disaster.”

The Vice Chancellor of RONAST Dr Dayananda Bajracharya said experts have forever been issuing warnings on Kathmandu’s vulnerability to earthquakes, estimating thousands of deaths with thousands of buildings collapsing if a large scale earthquake were to strike.