Citation

Pokharel T, Goldsworthy HM. Aust. J. Struct. Eng. 2017; 18(1): 11-23.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Engineers Australia, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13287982.2017.1309818

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Nepal is one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the world as it lies at the boundary of the actively converging Indo-Australian plate and Eurasian Plate. Most of the infrastructures in Nepal were constructed by individuals based on their own needs and budget without consulting engineers, and several studies have shown that many of these structures are likely to be inadequate in resisting earthquake forces. Though an earthquake design code is present in Nepal, it is not mandatory in every part of the country and people do not follow it properly even where it is mandatory. This paper presents a summary of the reconnaissance survey of a major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 (on 25th of April 2015) with epicentre in Gorkha District in Nepal, followed by a series of aftershocks including magnitude of 7.3 on the 12th of May 2015. This has resulted in 8969 casualties to date and about 900,000 houses and temples were damaged (partially and completely) leaving thousands of people homeless. Problems associated with the current practices in Nepal are discussed in detail and some suggestions are made for improvements in design and construction. Some of the major problems highlighted in the paper include code compliance, quality control in construction, and lack of preparedness.

Language: en

Keywords

lesson learned; Nepal; Nepal earthquake; Reconnaissance; reinforced concrete; structural engineering; unreinforced masonry