Surya Narayan Shrestha, the Deputy Executive Director and Senior Structural Engineer at the National Society for Earthquake Technology, on the effects on the Nepal earthquake and importance of earthquake-resistant buildings
It was a regular day in office in Nepal for Surya Narayan Shrestha. He was preparing for a workshop when suddenly, the ground beneath him shook violently, as if it had a life of its own. For someone who lived on an earthquake fault line, Surya Narayan realised immediately that he was experiencing an earthquake — “I knew that this was going to be massive,” he says, over phone from Nepal.
The Deputy Executive Director and Senior Structural Engineer at the National Society for Earthquake Technology, he will be talking about the Nepal experience and highlight community and risk reduction programmes he was part of in the Discovery Channel’s show Earthquake: Disaster in Nepal, that will be aired at 8 p.m. today and on June 15.
The first thing that Surya Narayan did after the quake was call friends and family to ensure that they were safe. He has been involved in work related to earthquake response in Nepal, Indonesia, and Pakistan for over two decades. After the April 25 disaster that killed thousands, Surya Narayan knew he had a mammoth task at hand. He set out to help those affected by mobilising teams to work with security agencies and helped institutions and individuals assess the damage caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
Although life has returned to normalcy in Kathmandu, Surya Narayan says that surrounding villages that were “severely affected” are still trying to come to terms with the loss. “People are trying to build shelters using the remains of their damaged houses with support from outside agencies,” he says. And given the topography of the landscape, it was “difficult” for the relief material reach people in remote locations. More challenges await the people with the arrival of the monsoon, he observes. “It’s a critical period,” he adds.
As part of his work, Surya Narayan develops curriculum and holds training programmes for “various stake holders such as architects, masons, contractors and communities on earthquake resistant buildings.” But is it possible for developing countries to invest in such infrastructure? Surya Narayan believes so.
“The additional cost comes just up to five to 10 percent,” he says. And raw materials such as stone, bricks and timber can be sourced locally for the purpose. Despite the efforts of people such as him, Nepal has less than 20 percent of earthquake safe buildings. He feels that there’s a lack of awareness on such infrastructure amidst developing nations. “There’s also a lack of capable engineers, masons and systems,” he says.
Earthquake: Disaster in Nepal is a one-hour programme that will feature Surya Narayan’s experiences and personal stories of the victims, exploring the devastating quake that shook Nepal.
