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First Earthquake
Safety Day in Nepal...
An annual Earthquake Safety Day in Nepal was established and held
for the first time on 16 January 1999, the anniversary of the Great Bihar-Nepal
Earthquake of 1934. The Earthquake Safety Day National Committee instituted
by His Majesty's Government endorsed the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk
Management Program (KVERMP) activities as part of the first Earthquake
Safety Day. KVERMP is a part of ADPC's Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation
Program (AUDMP) managed by National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET-Nepal)
with assistance from GeoHazards International, a non-profit foundation
based in Stanford, California.
First Earthquake Safety Day Procession
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On this occasion the Prime Minister of Nepal released the
Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Action Plan and the Earthquake
Scenario of Kathmandu Valley, both produced under KVERMP. A large procession
of school children, scouts, professors, bureaucrats, Nepal police, and
native as well as foreign earthquake engineers, passed by a mostly unknown
monument marking the 1934 Earthquake. NSET-Nepal organized an Earthquake
Awareness Exhibition in cooperation with private, public and non-government
sectors of Nepalese society. In addition, NSET-Nepal organized a number
of interactive activities. These included discussions on radio and television,
a technical seminar for professionals of the building industry, earthquake-theme
essay writing and painting contests for school children, and a street performance
depicting what to do in case of an earthquake, in cooperation with Lutheran
World Federation of Nepal. |
Shake testing of seismic strength of building models
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The establishment of an annual Earthquake Safety Day in
Nepal was a result of the joint efforts of NSET-Nepal, senior officials
of His Majesty's Government, politicians and people from different sectors
of Nepalese society. The Earthquake Safety Day activities had an overwhelming
impact in raising awareness of seismic disaster risk among Kathmandu residents.
Most impressive was the exhibition, which represented the efforts of the
private, public, and non-government sectors of Nepalese society. |
1934 Earthquake Monument in Kathmandu
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At the inaugural ceremony the Prime Minister gave a particularly
moving address, recounting his memory of the 1934 Earthquake, and suggesting
new policies which the Nepalese government should undertake in order to
reduce vulnerability to seismic hazards. Among these the Prime Minister
mentioned increasing awareness of the people about earthquakes and enforcing
construction rules at the municipal level so as to strengthen vulnerable
buildings. In addition, the Minister for Science and Technology vowed to
work towards implementing the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management
Action Plan, and publicly recognized that "support from the non-governmental
sector is vital." The Minister told Kathmandu residents that the ministry
will work towards minimizing the magnitude of risk through preparedness,
and in this light will celebrate Earthquake Safety Day for years to come.
The President of NSET-Nepal Mr. Shiva bahadur Pradhanang says that establishing
an Earthquake Safety Day would not have been possible without the support
of the AUDMP programme managed by ADPC and funded by USAID's Office of
Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). Since ownership of the Earthquake Safety
Day now lies within the Ministry of Scienceand Technology, NSET-Nepal and
other organizations involved with seismic risk management in Kathmandu
Valley can be assured that an annual tradition has been established.
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