The earthquake that hit Pakistan is being called the worst earthquake to have hit the country in 10 years. Almost precisely 10 years after a devastating earthquake in 2005 killed 72,000 people in Kashmir and adjacent areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the earthquake again shook the land. The death toll at the time of writing the editorial had reached nearly 300. But with many areas inaccessible due to landslides which have blocked off mountain roads, it is feared the toll may rise. For now, estimates suggest the Bajaur Agency in the tribal belt may be the worst hit. The lack of medical facilities and rescue apparatus in these parts makes it more likely that more people will lose their lives. This is much too similar to the 2005 disaster. It does not seem we have done too much to remedy this reality. All military hospitals have been put on high alert and the Pakistan Army has assembled a rescue team to conduct an early damage assessment. The TV channels — one of which remained on air during the quake and the anchor continued to broadcast from a very shaky set — carried pictures of people evacuated from offices and other workplaces in Islamabad and Lahore and early indications are that emergency services are mobilised, have not been significantly damaged and are going to be able to respond to the calamity. Although it is too early to say with certainty, there does not appear to have been the kind of widespread catastrophic damage that was seen during the 2005 earthquake. Even so, many millions of people have had a very severe fright in Pakistan and there will be a rise in casualties here, as well as in Afghanistan and India. Remote areas such as the Kaghan valley are reporting that houses have collapsed but it is going to be at least 24 hours before a preliminary assessment is made. This was the largest quake to hit the country since the aforementioned quake of 2005, and the early impressions are that the country is both better prepared and more capable in terms of response. Pakistan is always going to be vulnerable to earthquake and the best that can be done is to be prepared — always. The jolt of 2015 is an unambiguous reminder that an earthquake can strike again at any moment, and that little can be done to prevent this in a zone of heightened seismic hazard. An earthquake can strike at almost any place in the country. And if its epicentre should be any nearer, or its depth any shallower — factors that are entirely up to nature — then the consequences could be far more devastating than they were this time. Let this episode jolt us into the awareness that it is high time we woke up and took disaster preparedness and response more seriously.
pk.shafaqna.com
