The Psychological Impact Of The Earthquake Remains Urging Restraint The earthquake on Tuesday morning woke up most of them from their sleep. People filled the streets even in cold weather. Some were holding children in their arms, and some were carrying elderly people and gathering in the streets and alleys.
Due to the earthquake, the first-year examination of the undergraduate level at Tribhuvan University was affected. Because of this, 15 minutes had to be added to Tuesday’s exam. At 6:50 in the morning, an earthquake of seven magnitudes was felt in various districts of Kosi, Madhes, and Bagmati provinces of Nepal with its epicentre at Dingi village in Sigatse, Sijang province, China.
Rikesh Thapa of Kathmandu Nagarjuna-10, who was shocked by the earthquake, jumped from the roof of his house. According to Nepal Police, he was treated at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences and was injured in the incident. According to the police, 11 students studying in classes 7 and 8 of Trichandra Mavi, located in Ward No. 1 Devkota of Kalaiya sub-metropolitan city of Bara, fainted after the earthquake.
Many people still have the experience of the Gorkha earthquake in 2072 and the fear of the Jajarkot earthquake a year ago. These two big earthquakes have weakened the morale of people,” he said. “Due to the earthquake of 2072, many people had mental problems. Mental diseases appear from such calamities. How to manage the stress caused by the disaster? It should be taken care of.”
Disasters like this do not affect everyone in the same way; some may have a lot of impact on mental health, and some may not be affected,” he said. “Government needs to increase public awareness about positive thinking and measures to manage the risk of earthquakes.”
Request not to spread unnecessary panic
Dr. Lokvijay Adhikari, senior seismologist of the National Earthquake Measurement and Research Center under the Department of Mines and Geosciences, has requested that misleading messages not spread unnecessary panic about earthquakes. “After an earthquake, people run away in panic and jump, which can be unpleasant. Earthquake moderation should be adopted,” he said. “Fake news, like a big earthquake coming on social media, also creates more panic in people; such messages should not be spread by anyone.
The need for preparedness and awareness
Center’s senior seismologist, Dr. Adhikari, what to do in case of an earthquake? How to adopt moderation? What are the ways to be safe? He said that awareness should be increased and preparations should be made to reduce the loss of property due to earthquakes. He said that early warning system development should be prioritized.
National Risk Reduction and Management Authority spokesperson Dr Dijon Bhattarai also asked to be prepared to consider the possible risks as the aftershocks of the earthquake are continuously coming and more aftershocks may occur. He emphasized the need to manage disasters with restraint.
Why do earthquakes occur?
Earthquakes are usually felt when the Earth’s surface vibrates. When the earth’s surface is disturbed, the tension in the interior of the earth increases greatly, and due to that imbalance, the ground shakes when energy is released. This vibration causes a shock on the earth’s surface and is called an earthquake. The outer surface of the earth (lithosphere) is divided into different large pieces called seismic plates. These plates collide with each other, which causes earthquakes.
About 800 km (one-third) of the central part of the active ice chain, which is about 2,500 km long from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar (Burma) in the east, is occupied by the Nepal Himalayas. According to the Center, the Nepal Himalayas are in a very sensitive area in terms of seismic risk due to the collision between the tectonic plates and the energy storage and discharge through destructive earthquakes from time to time.
