The tragedy in Nepal is of a Himalayan nature literally as well as figuratively. The number of people who died in the earthquake that rocked the country over the last weekend and the destruction caused keeps growing. The death toll keeps rising – it exceeded 7000 at last count and is expected to more than double that figure – and the UN estimates that 8 million people have been affected, that is more than a quarter of the population of the country. A large number of those affected by the earthquake are children, the UN estimates this number could be a million.
Though relief pours in, the tragedy continues and is now of an even greater magnitude as the tremors following the first quake have affected water and power supply in the country and there is an abject shortage of medicines. People have been living in tents and under the open skies, scared as they are to enter their homes fearing another quake that could bury them under the falling debris of the building.
Nepal is a poor country, depending mainly on tourism to keep its economic wheels turning. The Himalayas – Mount Everest in particular – is what draws tourists to this country. There is little industry in the country and this quake could have far reaching consequences on the country’s economy. With mountaineering and casinos being the country’s biggest draws, this quake could reduce the number of people travelling to that country to scale up the Himalayan ranges or gamble away their money, at least this could be so in the near future. In the months and years to come, Nepal would need financial assistance to recover from this tragedy.
Nepal needs help, not just economic, and India, acting as the good neighbour, immediately sent in relief material to the country becoming the first nation to react to the tragedy. India’s quick reaction has turned into a public relations coup for the country, drawing praise from the US ambassador to India for demonstrating its ‘global leadership’. The US, the ambassador said, was grateful, impressed and inspired by India’s act. This pat on the back may act as a balm after the sting that the remarks made by US President Barrack Obama on the last day of his visit to India in January this year.
If US praised India’s role, then China was more than a little miffed as its efforts in Nepal saw it draw censure at home with even questions being raised why China could not send in military planes to rescue its citizens stranded in Nepal, as was done by India. Playing down the competition, China offered to work ‘positively’ with India to help Nepal in its moment of crisis. China even spoke of working together and coordinating positively with India in the rescue efforts and in rebuilding the Himalayan kingdom.
Public relations aside, what happened in Nepal is a catastrophe that was further compounded by the lack of proper disaster management and rescue efforts. Disasters cannot be foreseen, but their impact can definitely be contained if there is a proper disaster management plan on hand and the resources and the staff to make it work.
This aspect of the quake could also act as a lesson to Goa that needs to build up a disaster management plan and service that can act promptly and efficiently. Last year in January, the Ruby Residency building collapse in Canacona exposed the State government’s inability to tackle a disaster. Clearing the debris took days and involved bringing in a crane from Pune. It is not just the equipment that the government needs to have in place, but also the manpower that can handle this equipment and the situation. The swiftness of the response team in tackling the situation is what can make the difference between life and death in a disaster.
The Nepal tragedy affects Goa as well, for a number of Nepalese live in Goa, many of them working as security guards in building societies or office blocks. They often remain unseen and may even be overlooked but many have lost their homes and some even family members. Their tragedy is, in a manner of speaking, also Goa’s and the State cannot afford to forget those who have lost their lives in the quake.
