Kathmandu, January 16:

The tenth national Earthquake Safety Day (EDS) was observed today with various programmes to create awareness among people on how to minimise risks during disasters.

They conveyed the message to people about ‘Duck, Cover and Hold’ technique to be followed within buildings if earthquake occurs. ‘Duck’ means dropping on the floor and protecting one’s head; ‘Cover’ is to take get under a sturdy desk or any furniture; ‘Hold’ is to grab any sturdy piece of furniture and be prepared to move with it until the ground stops shaking.

The great Bihar-Nepal Earthquake of 1934 was also commemorated today. Awareness rallies were taken out, while an earthquake safety exhibition was organised on the premises of Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, where 34 stalls of Nepal Red Cross Society, Armed Police Force, Nepal Army, Nepal Police, ICIMOD, OXFAM and Department of Urban Development and Building Construction were organised. The stalls provided people with preventive measures to protect oneself during earthquake and exhibited models of earthquake resistant buildings.

Inaugurating the exhibition, Ram Kumar Chaudhari, state minister for Home Affairs, said such awareness programmes were needed in every part of the country. Amod Mani Dixit, executive director of National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal said in the valley alone, 60 per cent of the houses did not follow the earthquake preventive measures.

According to a report of the United Nations Development Programme, among 200 countries of the world, Nepal is ranked 11th in relative vulnerability to earthquake.

Based on its structure Kathmandu tops list of cities vulnerable to heavy casualties and destruction in case of an earthquake.