NATIONAL 6 -(Spotlight Weekly)]

Tremors Of Concern

The country observes Earthquake Day without formulating plans to deal with the disaster

By A CORRESPONDENT

When a major earthquake hit the Central American nation of El Salvador last week, it sent shivers down the spines of Kathmanduites, who were busy celebrating Earthquake Day to remember the tragic tremor of 1934 that took more than 4,000 lives. They knew a similar fate could be waiting for them.

So when the people took to the streets in a rally on January 15, 2001 to mark Earthquake Day, the concerns on their face were real.

Thanks to the geological vulnerability of Nepal, there is a strong possibility of quakes occurring in this region. As the plate of the Indian subcontinent is still pushing the Tibetan plate, thereby giving rise to high hills and mountains, tectonic disturbances are always likely here.

Kathmandu City : Valnerable

Experts predict that if the tremor of the 1934 magnitude --estimated to be 8.4 on Richter scale -- were to occur today, 70 percent of the houses in Kathmandu valley would be destroyed.

Amod Mani Dixit, an expert on earthquakes, says that since 67 years have passed since the last major earthquake hit the country, there is every likelihood of a destructive quake occurring anytime.

If a major quake (above 7 Richter scale) were to hit the capital, the loss of life and property would be unimaginable. According to a survey by the Earthquake Technology National Society, more than 700,000 people would be rendered homeless and widespread destruction of physical infrastructure would occur if a major tremor shook the capital.

As the buildings in the valley are built haphazardly without following any norms, most of them are unable to withstand the pressures of the quakes. The Building Code formulated by the Department of Building two years ago is not enforced at all.

With rows of houses crammed together in an unplanned manner, even a moderate tremor can prove highly destructive in terms of loss of life and property.

Worse, there is no disaster management plan. The hospitals and fire brigades are anything but prepared to take charge in times of crisis.

The officials at the municipality lament the absence of a central plan to tackle manage disasters like earthquakes. Even down to the grass-roots level, people have highly inadequate information on the ways of preventing heavy losses from such disasters.

Like the proverbial ostrich that buries its head in the ground, hoping that the problem would disappear itself, the country's planners and officials are turning a blind eye to the impending disaster situation. Do they need a terrible tremor to actually shake them out of their slumber?

BIRTHDAY CUP
RCT Is The Winner

The Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) emerged victorious in the recently concluded Birthday Cup Football Tournament, which was shrouded in controversy thanks to the existence of two national football associations -- one supported by the government and the another by FIFA.

Organized by the government-approved All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), this year's Birthday Cup was participated by eighteen teams including three from India.

The RCT and the Belgaria Sports Club, Calcutta reached the final of the tournament held in January 15 where the former beat the latter 1-0 to seal its victory in the tournament after 27 years.

It was the spirited attempt by Ramesh Gyawali of RCT that helped the club win the game. He scored the sole goal that won the match for the domestic side.

In a stadium filled to capacity crowd, Gyawali's remarkable goal incited thunderous applause from the audience.

Nirajan Rayamajhi of the RCT club was judged the outstanding player for his 12 goals in the tournament. Mahendra Police Club and Manang Marsyangdi Club were the other two teams to reach the semi-finals. While the police were beaten by Calcuttans, Manang Marsyangdi relented before RCT.

Birthday Cup tournament is held every year in January to mark the auspicious birthday of His Majesty the King.