I am really sorry for all those people who have been severely affected from the very recent 6.8 quake that hit in the capital, as well as in northern Nepal- India border. As, we are all aware from the world news that natural disaster (for example, tsunami in Japan, volcanoes in Iceland, tornadoes in America and whatnot) is happening all over the world. Millions of people all over the world have been affected with the natural disaster. The bad news is that we cannot do anything about them. But, the good news is that we can take steps to reduce the casualties and injuries caused by them.
Earthquake does not necessarily cause damages. It is just a shifting of plates beneath the surface of the earth. What causes damage are the objects that are build on the top of it, and the ways in which, they are designed or build. The damage is more severe when people start to feel fear and lose their night’s sleep.
In Kathmandu, we have build houses like stray dogs. There are no empty places even for pedestrians. The scattered arrangement of houses and buildings can be best seen from the window of a domestic airliner. Anywhere you go, you can find just materialistic buildings, ranging from small hut to big bungalows. There are old, traditional houses that are not repaired for several hundred years.
One thing that worries me little is the influx of people from different parts of remote villages to the capital, is rapidly growing daily. We have started to live more, with the less, and there can be great debate on this topic on our expectations from the city, or from Kathmandu-ties living morality.
Another thing that worries me little is about the recent news on “the end of the world” in 2012. But the NASA scientists based on their scientific facts and understanding has clearly reported that earth will not end in 2012 so we can firmly believe them. However, scientific knowledge is always limited and we cannot make righteous prediction on the Nature or, the happenings caused by the mother earth.
To minimize casualties of natural disaster is not easy. Since we have limited scientific instruments, and we are lot busy in our own political quagmire—a change in political leaders, an indecisive meetings, providing zero outcome, war of various ideologies, ethnicity and dogmas among different political leaders and pundits. If only we have knowledge prior to natural disaster (e.g. earthquake prediction system) then we can minimize casualties and moreover, we can prepare for it, well-in-advance.
Some wise man has rightly said that “prevention is better than a cure”. Therefore, being a cyberpunk and reporting a casualty in social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, and Google+) is important, what is more important is, to take measures to reduce casualties by making appropriate decision while designing or building your sweet homes.
