Accident victims’ haven

By Surendra

Nine-year-old Januka Magar walks all morning to reach her school in the hills of northern Udaypur in eastern Nepal. But on a recent morning she stumbled along a rugged trail so badly that she ended up breaking her arms. One of her elbow bones had twisted terribly. It was clearly visible from outside. But for her poor father, Prithivi Bahadur Magar, who works as a construction labour, it was a miner injury. In fact, in a remote Nepali village like Dumre—where few are literate and have access to health services— little do people care when one falls sick or gets injured.

“Dumre is very very far,” says Magar who is nursing his daughters’ broken hand at Orthopedic Hospital in Katmandu. “One has to walk for four consecutive days to see a motorable road—that too a seasonal one.” As there was no health post in sight, some of Magar’s friends advised him to rush little Januka to Kathmandu for medical treatment. Accordingly, he brought her along to Kathmandu and took her to Nepal Orthopedic Hospital (NOH), where he had once worked as a construction labour. Doctors immediately diagnosed the injured hand— and warned that the same could cost Januka her right hand. They also said that the operation cost could amount in thousands of rupees.

“Poor Magar was about to take her away on hearing the high operation charge,” says Dr Saju Singh who is busy attending, operating and nurshing many like Januka at the hospital. “But we stopped him, and assured him of free-of-cost services. Things are looking much brighter now. She might recover completely after we very soon conduct physiotherapy on her.” The same slim hand whose numerous fractures had once been tightly tied up by a tourniquet is now recuperating —thanks largely to two different operations that the hospital’s medical staff  conducted on her.

Januka is not the only one who’s recovering at the orthopedic hospital. There are dozens like her. Hem KC, 54, whose left leg was badly injured in a motor accident recently, will very soon have his bandages opened. Likewise, Surya Bahadur Karki, 33, of northern Dolakha, is pinning his hopes on the doctors to make one of his legs well again. He has already lost one of his hands, though, in an accident in a road construction site in Dolakha, recently. While little more than a dozen are undergoing treatment currently, dozens and dozens of others have already recovered and subsequently joined their works.

Nearly 5,000 patients have already visited the orthopedic hospital since the hospital was formally opened on August 23, 1998. And needless to say many, if not most, of them enjoyed charity service of a kind or the other. “We are proud to say that this hospital is Nepal’s first and only such hospital dedicated exclusively for orthopedic medical care,” says Medical Director, Dr Anil Shrestha, who founded the hospital. “And our motto is orthopedic service to the poor.”

Located inside Nepal Disabled Association - Khagendra Nawajiwan Kendra premises, NOH was established with the help of both local and foreign donors, most of whom being Rotarians. And things are continuing to look up. The 20-bed hospital was upgraded to 30-bed last year. It is now gearing up for a new building. Most recently, the government too extended financial and other supports to the hospital. “This is not enough,” says Karki as he tries to recall how many people break their bones while working in road construction sites each year. “Our country is made up of steep mountains and deep gorges, so orthopedic hospitals should be set up in every districts,” he insists.

Conservation of Krishna Temple

Kumar Lal Joshi and Om Prakash Yadav

Patan City is considered to be the oldest of the three cities of Kathmandu valley. It is known by different names; Yupagram, Yala, Lalitpattan, Lalitpuri, Manigala etc.

Patan which was once an independent Newar kingdom, is best known for its traditional fine crafts and rich artistic heritage.

Lalitpur, in fact is the only city in Nepal that has produced the highest number of talented artists’ and   craftsmen ever-recorded  in  Nepalese art history. Famous Newar artists and master craftsmen like Arniko, Abhayaraj and Sidhhiraj were all born in Lalitpur.

During the medieval period, mostly in the 17th century, Patan City got an opportunity to produce many beautiful and artistic monuments all around Patan Durbar Square. Among them, Krishna temple is the best contribution of the Malla dynasty. For tourists and Hindu pilgrims from all over the world, Krishna temple is an important and famous temple. It was built in 1637 AD by King Siddhi Narasingh Malla and took six and a half years to complete. According to local chronicles, the king had a dream of Krishna and Radha who appeared in front of the palace. The king built the temple on that spot. The pillar with gold-guilded Garudas was constructed 10 years after the completion of Krishna temple. During the construction of the temple, it is said that King Pratap Malla of Kantipur attacked the kingdom of Lalitpur but the attack was a big failure. King Siddhinarasingh Malla accepted the victory as a blessing of Lord Krishna.

That is why king Siddhinarasingh Malla built a miniature form of the original Krishna temple in Sundari Chowk, the then residential palace of the king, so that he could have a glimse of the of Lord Krishna early in the morning. This clearly indicates the strong faith that King Siddhinarasingh Malla had on Lord Krishna.

The temple situated in the western side of  Patan Durbar Square has been constructed over three plinths (platforms). The temple has been built in a Shikhar style and has twenty-one beautiful gold-gilded pinnacles. In fact, this temple is one of the greatest attractions of Patan Durbar Square. It is one of the finest stone structures within the kingdom of Nepal. It has column arcades circumferencing the ground floor and on the first floor under the row of mini-shikhars. The main shrine is located in the first floor. It is said that in the second floor, the image of Shiva has been enshrined. Similarly, in the third floor, the image of Lokeshwor has been enshrined. On the lintel below the cornices, there are sequential descriptive miniatures depicting scenes from the Ramayan in the first floor and the Mahabharat on the second floor. These stories have been narrated in the Newari script and language.

The priests of the temple are local Brahmins. On the full-moon of Jestha (beginning of June), religious paintings and a golden throne donated to king Sriniwas Malla by the Shakya from Ukubaha in 1667 AD are put on display. The main festival, Krishna Janmasthami (the celebration of Lord Krishna birthday) is celebrated in the second half of August and devotees from the capital and even from India come to celebrate. The beautiful temple was in a very bad condition,x a couple of years ago. About 11 to 12 years ago, a project for the conservation of this temple was formulated, but due to the lack of financial support and various technical difficulties, the proposed project could not be implemented. Dr. Agrawal visited this temple some two and half years ago and with the advice of Dr. Agrawal, a proper action plan was formulated to implement the conservation procedure.

There are many problems looming around Krishna temple. Growth of plants in and around the vicinity of the area is of major concern and this present condition could be due to the widening of the joints due to wear and tear of the mortar and also plant growth.Water seepage from the joints as well as from the splits and cracks in the surface stone blocks in the temple is another factor that has been contributing towards the deterioration. Blockage of water-drainage has resulted in the growth of lichen, algae on the outer surface of the stone-blocks. Corrosion on the metal portion, loss of gold-gliding from the pinnacles and damage of the stone carvings due to salt efflorescence screamed for attention and repair.

The growth of plants like Peepal, Bhimsenpati and others have led to the widening of gaps in between the joints. Besides, the acidic nature of the root-sap had started to destroy the substrate of the mortar as well as the stone-blocks itself. Due to the loss of joint mortary (due to plant growth as well as due to exposure to the environment), water seepage from these areas was prominent.

Water intake from the gaps as well as from blocked drainage, dissolved salts during the dry season, which completely destroyed the carved structure Ramayan and Mahabharat inside the ground floor and first floor of the temple. In order to over-come these problems an action plan was formulated according to which it was decided that the work should be completed in the following steps:-

All the plants were killed by using a 20% solution of Glyphosate in water. After that, a 3 to 5% solution of Sodium Arsenate in water was injected specially in the Peepal (Fichus vulgaris) plants. These chemicals have been found to be very effective in eradicating plants from different bricks and stone monuments where the growth of plants is significant.

In the next phase, general cleaning of the metal Gajurs were done using a 3% solution of Ammonium Hydroxide and non-ionic detergent, Laboline and distilled water. During the cleaning process it was observed that some portion of the gold gilding had already been lost due to exposure to the environment. A preservative coating containing 2 to 3% solution of Paraloid B72 in Sulfur-free toluene was then applied.

A general cleaning of the stone-blocks of the outer as well as inner surface of the temple using a paste of Ammonium bicarbonate, Sodium bicarbonate, EDTA Sodium salt, Non-ionic liquid detergent, Sodium salt of Carboxy Methyl Cellulose, Chlorine-free water, Ammonium Hydroxide was used to remove the greasy matter.

Inside the ground floor, where the action salt had severely damaged the carved structure of Ramayan and Mahabharat, the stone-blocks was cleaned by using a paper-pulp method. Pulp of paper was applied 3 to 4 times in some areas till the surface was completely free from salt. A 1% solution of silver nitrate was used to test for the presence of salt.

All the gaps and even the displaced stone-blocks were re-fixed. For filling the gaps and joining the displaced stone blocks a special type of mortar was prepared.

The blocked drainage on the first and second floor was corrected by the taking out all the stone slabs of the floors and then refitted. New stone slabs of similar stones replaced the missing slabs and broken slabs. In order to join the floor slabs a mortar containing lime and surkhi was applied.

In order to protect the outer surface of the temple from lower plant growth a 3% solution of Zinc-DDC in water was applied.  Solution of Potassium Methyl Silicate in water was applied as a protective coating.Repair of the staircase, fixing of Silapatra, etc. was done.

The conversation of Krishna temple without disturbing its original structure has proved to be a major achievement in the field of stone monument conservation.c

By Elwin Yesca

In the event of earthquake or fire, flash flood or cyclone, would you run helter-skelter? Shout and pray to god constantly? Evacuate your vowels? Or smash the window with a chair and swing out? That would turn out to be totally disastrous than the disaster itself. On whatever event, keeping your cool, thinking fast and figuring out what exactly is happening: would be the smartest thing to do.

In Nepal, the scientific community researching on seismology are getting skeptical and rife with speculations.   But no one can say whether it will be next Saturday, Sunday or next year. And when it comes to predicting earthquakes, seismologists are more uncertain than weather forecasters. So right now, (instead of predictions) the best thing they have to say is, “ There is not much to panic about or suffer from gyolophobia (unexplained fear of thundering vibration). Even if it comes, it is likely to be of mild intensity with the epicenter somewhere in the far Western of Nepal”. They further went on to confess that, “what cannot be guaranteed is the prevention of mass casualties to lives and properties. Not because as a consequence of a high magnitude tremor but because of weak foundations and age-old structures”.

Indeed, it is terrible to think that the risk does not lie on the earthquake itself, which is quite remote a   threat. The danger could be within us. It could be the loose wall, the concrete roof, the beams or the chandeliers on the ceiling; or most probably it could be dangerous not to prepare for earthquake or ignore safety tips specially looking at the condition of the structures here in Kathmandu.

How much time do we need to spare for earthquake preparation? “ It is sheer wastage of time to worry about earthquake all the time but it is very important to get prepared and be aware of the weak spots. Just like we learn to avoid road accidents from moving vehicles, the dangers of earthquakes can be also avoided”, explain experts.

Ms. Nicole Thakuri, director of NIN Academy, is one person who makes sure the children of her boarding school in Boudha are given emergency-drill, fire-drill or earthquake-drill regularly once in a month as a part of education. She is glad to say, “ I’m ready to help and I’ll be very glad for the sake of children if all the boarding schools follow this emergency drills. Otherwise, just imagine the number of casualties going to take place just in one place when disasters do strike”.

From the department of seismology here is some latest earthquake updates as learnt from Fredirick Perrier,   a Geophysist from France. He is involved since 1993 in the Nepal-France collaboration in seismology, working on the physics of earthquake precursory phenomenon. Excerpts:

Q. when did Nepal - France collaboration in seismology start?

FP: This collaboration started in 1978. Technically and scientifically, it is aimed at operating the seismic network and at developing the fundamental scientific knowledge necessary to understand the generation of earthquakes. The 20 years of collaboration was celebrated in September 1999 during an international symposium held in Kathmandu. Madhav Raj Pandey, a senior seismologist of Nepal, was presented with tremors. The only well documented case of   prediction is the magnitude 7. the Honorary Membership of the Nepal Geological Society by His Majesty the King. Currently Nepal has developed a very high level of expertise, which is recognized worldwide.      

Q. In the history of earthquakes, was there any extraordinary person or scientist who could accurately prophesize or predict quakes?

F.P: There is no prophet or scientist who could predict 3 earthquake that occurred near the city of Haicheng, China in 1975. With the involvement of everybody: scientist, school teachers and children, local and city officials, the city was successfully evacuated a few hours before the earthquake could strike disaster.

Q. What about the recent earthquake in Turkey and Taiwan, was it foretold by any modern scientist or pre-calculated and computed?

F.P: The recent earthquakes in Turkey and Taiwan were zones where scientist were saying that earthquakes do and will again occur. This is similar to the situation of Nepal today. The message for Nepal is clear: do not play deaf like Turkey, take science seriously. The aim of science is to acknowledge its limits and an approximate scientific statement is more useful than a very precise junk prediction, because it is rock solid.

Q. People say that animals are great portenders of earthquakes. Is it mythology or fact?

F.P: Yes many cases have been reported that animals like snakes, cattle can give premonitory warning of earthquakes. Unfortunately, no serious scientific study could support this claim. As one of my friends put it in California, “Yes my dog did bark before the earthquake but he barks all the time anyway”. The problem with animals is that they are complex sensors, and that is already hard enough to study precursory earthquake phenomena with machines that we understand well.

Q. People are really fed up with earthquake business as it has become customary for prediction which brings no events. Is there any finding which is slowly developing and cooking up down under our feet?

F.P: People seem to be fed up with earthquakes because of so many ill-cases. But that is their own fault. They listen to prophets, religious leaders or even crazy nuts eager to be in the news. The media is also responsible for the spread of such ill predictions. In Nepal, the scientific community is unable to give  a precise prediction now because it is not possible. The progress is slow with few clues that we have.

Q. It is widely speculated that the epicentre of the impending tremor in the Himalayan belt will be somewhere in Assam, India. How much it will effect Nepal?

F.P: If there is a place where the big Himalayan earthquake is expected, it is rather western Nepal. Predicting the effect of this earthquake in Kathmandu is not easy, however we are still working on it.

Q. Is it also true that the unlimited  numbers of dams in India and the big floods have caused the tectonic plates to move towards the Tibetan plateau?

F.P: No. The  effect of the water  reservoirs in India is extremely small compared with the huge  energy of tectonic plates. Water reservoirs can produce local small earthquakes, rarely felt.

Q. What is the minimum intensity that can collapse the buildings in Kathmandu?

 Do not confuse magnitude and intensity. Magnitude  ( Richter scale ) characterizes the size of the earthquake, while intensity characterizes the effect that you feel. So, a small nearby earthquake can produce the same intensity of motion in your house as a distant huge earthquake. The intensity associated with the magnitude 4.3 recent earthquake was probably around I in Kathmandu in a scale called  the Mercalli scale ( intensity scale ). To collapse the majority of houses, an intensity above VII-IX would probably be  needed in Kathmandu, although many houses would collapse with much smaller motion because of the poor and irresponsible constructions.

The action of National Society for Earthquake Technology is based on the belief that the common people can take the earthquake problem in their own hands, that it does not depend on large amount of money but on the involvement on all. Small seeds have been planted by NSET, but these seeds will bloom! Everybody has to take part in the earthquake safety. Don’t wait for someone to do it for you, just do what you can, now.