Nepal still prone to earthquake: NSC

RAM SARAN TAMANG

KATHMANDU, April 22

The National Seismological Center (NSC) has said that the country may still not be safe from earthquake. The organization claimed that two massive tectonic plates that provide foundation to Nepal are yet to settle properly and therefore the nation continues to be under threat.

Before the April 25 magnitude 7.8-earthquake, the nation used to receive about 10 to 15 tremors in a day, Lok Bijay Adhikari, chief of NSC, under the Department of Mines and Geology (DGM), said adding that these daily shocks spiked in the aftermath of the Gorkha earthquake.

“We recorded up to 1,500 aftershocks across the country within the 24 hours of the catastrophic quake. At present, the numbers of daily shocks have receded to about 30 to 40 per day,” he informed. He claimed that country would continue to be at risk of earthquakes until the numbers of these daily shocks get back to the 10-15 per day normal shocks range.

“Unless the number of aftershocks recedes to 10-15 per day as recorded in days before the Gorkha earthquake, we have to assume that the tectonic plates haven’t settled properly. And unless these plates get back to their places, our country continues to be at risk of earthquakes,” said Adhikari.

Although we have reached the one-year mark of the quake that killed almost 10,000 people, NSC hinted that it is yet to conclude its research into the Gorkha earthquake. Seismologists at the department continue observation and collection of data.

Elaborating on the potential destructive capacities of the Gorkha earthquake, the NSC chief said that Kathmandu received lesser damages as the earthquake had four times weaker wave frequencies. “If we consider the Gorkha earthquake in light of the 1934 quake, Kathmandu should have experienced stronger frequency waves. This did not happen and due to which impact of the quake in the valley was four times less than it could have been,” informed Adhikari.

“We still have lots of such unanswered questions. We are seeking to unravel many mysteries surrounding the quake,” said Adhikari, adding that his department has prioritized studying the patterns of the aftershocks.

Various international organizations have joined hand with NSC in an effort to discover more facts related to the last year’s quake. American firm California Institute of Technology (CALTECH) has helped NSC to set up 29 GPS stations across the country, while France’s Department Analysis and Surveillance of Environment (DASE) has contributed for establishing 29 main stations. Likewise, around 100 temporary monitoring stations has been set up with help from various international organizations, the NSC informed.

Since the earthquake, many international agencies and researchers have researched into the earthquake either by collaborating with their own national agencies or with the NSC.

“Though many researchers have collaborated with us for researching the earthquake, some have conducted the research independently using data provided by their own country’s stations,” said NSC chief Adhikari. “Such reports are less reliable compared to those prepared in collaboration with us,” he said while doubting authenticity of some researches on the topic.

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SLC examinees demand blind-friendly exams

RAM SARAN TAMANG

KATHMANDU, Dec 25: When students across the country are preparing for the upcoming School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations, visually-impaired students have once again demanded that the exams be made blind-friendly.

Stating that the current examination grading system fails to properly evaluate visually-impaired students, Ramchandra Gaihre, general secretary of Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) urged the relevant authorities to make necessary arrangements for making the exams blind-friendly.

“Many questions in mathematics, science and even social studies contain graphs and figures and these cannot be written in braille,” said Kaladhar Bhandari, chairman of BYAN at an interaction in the capital on Thursday. 

Bharat Chaulagain, a visually-impaired student who passed his SLC exams three years ago said he became frustrated after failing the SLC just because of the problem with mathematics. “Out of 100 marks, we have to give up 24 marks from geometry because we cannot see the figures. This makes it difficult for us to score even pass marks,” he said.

“Although I'm very interested in science, I couldn't pursue science due to my physical condition and related challenges. Teachers and the study environment aren't friendly to us. Let there be an environment where our disabilities would not hinder us from becoming what we want to be,” added Chaulagain.

Visually-impaired students sitting for the SLC exams are entitled to a ninth grader assistant writer. However, lack of remuneration for the assistants and clashing exam calendars make it difficult to find assistants. Additionally, inability of some assistants to understand the visually-impaired examinees has been causing them to lose marks unnecessarily.

Lhakpa Sherpa, principal of Laboratory High School stressed that alternative to figure-based questions should be created for the visually-impaired students. “In the long-term, the government should aim to make examinations technology based for visually-impaired. This will eliminate the need for assistant writer and alternative questions for them,” he added.

Chief guest at the interaction, Khagendra Prasad Nepal, who is also the head of the Office of the Controller of Examinations (OCE), assured that the exam environment would be fully blind-friendly from the next session. “Although we cannot do much to make the questions of the upcoming SLC visually-impaired friendly, we will leave no stone unturned to resolve the problem next year. We will also try to give some incentives to assistant writers so that they feel motivated and willing to help the visually-impaired,” he added.

Over 500,000 students are preparing to appear in the upcoming SLC examinations which will begin on March 31. Around 100 visually-impaired students appear in the for SLC examinations from across the country every year, according to BYAN.

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Finding right college a stepping stone to success

RAM SARAN TAMANG AND SHRADDHA AMATYA

KATHMANDU, June 22

Completing a level of education is a milestone while finding the right college to pursue further studies is another challenge for students who have successfully completed their School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations this year. Putting a little bit of effort to look for the right college can save students from lifetime of regrets, say experts.

“Students will be unable to find the right college for their field of interest unless they put some effort on researching about colleges,” says Kedar Bhakta Mathema, former Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University (TU). “Meanwhile, if parents and guardians play a vital role to guide their wards, they will feel determined to pursue their dreams.”

Experts say eventually everything comes down to knowing what to research and how to do it. Republica has gathered some guidelines that can help students evaluate potential colleges through exploration before applying for it.

Eligibility: Students should first consider their own eligibility, says education expert Biddhya Nath Koirala. Students should meet requirements of college and must find out whether or not they are eligible to take particular subjects of their choice in that college. Short-listing potential colleges on the basis of eligibility could save lots of time and efforts.

Affordability: “Since parents will be paying for the college bills, consulting with them is a must,” says Koirala. Students should step up their efforts of finding suitable college by keeping their budget in mind.

One of the most common delusions students have is the belief that expensive tuition fees means marvelous education practice. “Many students shortlist their potential college solely on the basis of the college’s prestige and extravagant tuition fees only to realize that the college of their choice does not offer them the right environment to grow,” Koirala added. 

Prevent window shopping: Many students fall for attractive advertisements of newspapers and television. “Students need to be aware about not falling into false or exaggerated advertisements,” warned Koirala. “Just because the school is prestigious, competitive or looks huge and beautiful from outside doesn’t necessarily mean it has a suitable environment for learning. So visit the short-listed colleges if possible and collect first-hand information. Talk with college students and ask them whether the college has been living up to its promises or not.”

Koirala also suggested asking friends, families and acquaintances if they know any students studying in the short-listed colleges. Students can then make the trim down the list.

Knowing the teaching faculties: Those contacts can also tell a lot about faculty members of the short-listed colleges, Koirala further added. “Ask your new contacts and see how supportive, determined and encouraging the faculty members of the college are and how satisfied they are with the faculties.”

Education expert Mathema also suggested students to explore the background of teaching staff if possible. “At the end, good learning environment and healthy relationship with teaching staff matters the most for growth and learning of students,” he said.
College location and environment: Some colleges are located in busy and noisy main streets while others are in quiet locality away from traffic disturbances. “Make sure you are okay with the place you study at because it all depends on whether you can endure unnecessary disturbances or not” said Mathema.

Likewise, students also must consider the means of transportation to reach their college. College in quieter location may not have good access to public vehicles, which creates difficulties if students do not have their own means of transportation or the college does not have transportation facilities.

Other facilities: Mathema suggests students to research about the must-have college facilities, including proper library, computer lab, canteen and sanitation. 
Students can then sieve out their college list after considering all these important aspects. 

Compared to the previous years, the potential candidates to study higher education have obviously increased due to evaluation based on letter grading system. Among the students who appeared for SLC exams this year, 481,986 are eligible for higher studies. A total of 3,669 schools across the country offer further studies for those eligible students, according to the Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB). 

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Fuel blockade revives interest in derelict trolleybus

Ram Saran Tamang

KATHMANDU, Dec 10: Passengers commuting atop the roofs of public transport buses is a common sight in Kathmandu Valley these days. Over two months of the ongoing fuel crisis created by the undeclared Indian blockade has led to this dire situation.

Against this background, it feels ironic to see an old trolleybus with the slogan "I am the future" printed on it lying derelict at Minbhawan in the heart of the capital. The slogan has now become most relevant. Around 4,000 passengers would have been commuting and reducing fossil fuel consumption by 4,200 liters on a daily basis were the trolleybuses still plying.

Denizens of the capital are now reminiscing the times when the trolleybus system was still operational and could be relied upon. "The trolley buses did not need fossil fuel. They were completely environment-friendly," said Mukunda Raj Satyal, a public transport research scholar.

The trolleybus system was a gift from China. It was started in 1975 with Chinese technical expertise and a grant of Rs 40 million. At first, 22 standard trolleybuses were provided and an additional 20 were gifted a few years later, according to Satyal.

Each trolleybus had a seat capacity of 35 but could accommodate up to 90 passengers. The 13 kilometers trolleybus line extended from Tripureshwor to Suryabinayak. However, the service was discontinued in 2009 due to various problems and mismanagement.

The fuel crisis has finally opened the eyes of the public to the importance of electric vehicles, especially in public transport. But despite the fuel crisis, the government has no concrete plan to encourage electronic vehicles and reduce fossil fuel dependency.

Satyal, a former official at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT), claimed that the trolleybuses saved 4,200 liters of petrol per day. That volume would have saved over Rs 400,000 in fuel expenses at current prices.

Although the government said it is working on a plan to introduce environment-friendly mass transportation buses, it is yet to make any concrete strides. None of the previous plans to make the transportation sector environment-friendly has been implemented effectively either.

"We will soon be reviewing our options for an environment friendly transportation system. We are working on plans to operate trams, battery-run buses and electric vehicles," said Chandra Man Shrestha, director general of the Department of Transport Management (DoTM). He, however, dismissed the chances of reviving the trolleybuses and stressed that trams were a better option. He said trams are more modern but did not elaborate.

While addressing the nation a few weeks ago, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had pledged to promote mass transit and electric vehicles.

Failure to formulate an effective policy is leading to the proliferation of fossil fuel-dependent vehicles. Stating that Nepal has great potential in alternative energy, Satyal stressed the need to harness it.

"Other countries will willingly help us if we are sincere in our efforts to reduce fuel dependency. We just have to make sure not to repeat the same mistake we made over the Chinese-gifted trolleybuses," added Satyal.

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Fuel crisis delays Bagmati Bridge maintenance

Ram Saran Tamang

KATHMANDU, Jan 20: Snail-paced maintenance of the Bagmati Bridge at Kupandole has been creating traffic snarls on a daily basis. The bridge, which connects Lalitpur with the capital city, has been undergoing repair and maintenance for over a month. However, acute fuel crisis and lax of the concerned authorities has been delaying its speedy completion.

“We are currently performing expansion joint repair and maintenance in its metal structure. However, we are unable to speed up our work due to severe fuel crisis,” said Aatma Ram Sapkota, consulting engineer of Gauri Parwati Himalayan JB, the firm that has been assigned the task to.

Sapkota informed written applications to concerned authorities for availing fuel yielded no results. “I have written to Department of Roads (DoR) numerous times for availing fuel. Yet, I received no response from them,” he said adding that in lack of fuel the firm has not able to transport necessary construction materials from India.

“Additionally, we are not able to run compressor machine for sand basking. The machine requires 16 liters of diesel per hour,” he informed. The technicians have to perform sand basking first and then cleanse iron and metal structures under the bridge before coating irons with epoxy paint to prevent it from rust and corrosion, which cannot be performed unless the fuel supply eases, he added.

Although minor and major repairs should be performed at set-intervals to maintain conditions of bridges, Sapkota informed that most of the bridges in the valley not maintained.

“It is a serious negligence of the concerned authorities. Minor repairs like railing cleansing and painting should be performed in every three years. Likewise, major repairing including sand basking and iron cleansing should be performed every 10 years,” he said adding other bridges including Bishnumati Bridge of Teku and Balkhu Bridge are in critically weak condition and need immediate attention.

Despite the visible delays, information officer at DoR Umesh Jha, claimed that repairing of Bagmati Bridge would be completed within two months. “We are working to resolve all issues related to the maintenance of the bridge. We expect the work to complete within two months,” he said.

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Snail-paced road construction irritate locals

Ram Saran Tamang

KATHMANDU, July 24: For 68-year-old Durga Devi Khadka, treading in extremely muddy road of Old Baneshwar is a great torment. The exasperation in her face was clearly visible as she carefully treaded along the boggy road trying not to get slipped. After all, a lapse of concentration can result in earning highly unpleasant memory.

"I whole-heartedly support the government's road expansion drive. But the snail pace development is unacceptable," said Durga, a local of Gaushala who has to frequently tread along the Old Baneshwar - Sinamangal road stretch for buying vegetables and other purposes. Like her, many students, commuters, and passerby have to go through great ordeal because of the poor road condition.

The Old Baneshwar-Sinamangal road construction falls under the Kathmandu Valley Road Improvement Project (KVRIP) of the Department of Roads (DoR), which includes roads of Sinamangal, Old Baneshor, Maitidevi, Dilli Bazzar, and Baag Bazzar, among others.

Construction of the Old Baneshor road had resumed two weeks ago following severe protest from locals. They had vented their anger on tardy road construction by planting paddy saplings on the muddy street to draw attention of the concerned authorities through mockery. The contractor had then agreed to finish gravelling and blacktopping the road at the earliest. Excavators and labors could still be seen working on the road section.

The condition of the Old Baneshwar - Maitidevi road stretch is also same. Bidya Man Bajracharya, a local of Sinamangal, said that riding on the road section is a nightmare. "Thick dust clouds our vision while traveling to Maitidevi from Old Baneshwar. As soon as the dust trails out, you are greeted with waterlogged and boggy road," he said expressing utter disgust with the condition of the road.

The condition of the road is so worse at the Maitidevi Bridge that vehicles are not even able to fill fuel at the adjoining Maitidevi petrol pump. "I don't even like to stop at the petrol pump to fill fuel. It's simply not navigable. The government neither gives us good constitution, nor proper roads," said Bajracharya.

Inability of the government to complete the construction of the road has seriously dwindled business in the area. Rajeshowri Shah, boutique store owner in Old Baneshor, complained that her business was being tremendously affected due to the poor road condition. She urged stakeholders for completing the construction at the earliest, without any further delays. "I'm still hopeful. The government would not let us down."

While the public and businesses along the Sinamangal - Bag Bazar area are facing troubles on a daily basis, spokesperson at DOR, Umesh Jha said that the construction cannot be completed within a few days by using a magic wand. "We can't just wave a magic wand and construct the road within a few days," Jha said adding that the "public should understand that we also have procedures to follow."

He said that the construction will be completed in three months. "If the contractors fail to complete the construction within the three months time frame, we'll take legal action against them," he claimed.

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Tardy road construction leaves passerby fuming

Ram Saran Tamang

KATHMANDU, June 10: At the age of 53, Makkhan KC of Budanilkantha-3 of the capital looks older than her age. Long abandoned by her family members and victimized by the recent earthquake, she has been living with her friend who has been kind enough to provide KC accomodation after her house collapsed in the earthquake.

She had hoped that the government would help her rebuild the house, but the help came from a group of people she had least expected -- a team of 'all women volunteers'.

Challenging the stereotypical view that women are not physically strong enough to engage in work requiring extensive labor, the central committee of the Akhil Nepal Mahila Sangh (ANMS), women's wing of the CPN-UML, has demolished 32 quake-damaged houses, cleared the debris and rebuilt temporary shelters for 12 quake-affected needy families who cannot afford to build shelters themselves, at Budanilkantha 3 and 9 of Kathmandu district.

Speaking at a function organized at Chapali Bhadrakali-3 on Tuesday, Jaya Ghimire, vice-chairperson of ANMS said, "More than 100 women volunteers from local-level and various districts were mobilized for the project. Although some of them had their own houses damaged in the quake, they showed up to help the community with selfless aid".

According to her, the volunteers group was further divided into 10 teams with 10 members each and they conducted field observation and assessed the damages in the area on May 24. "The very next day after the observation, we demolished quake-damaged structures and managed necessary building materials such as bricks, mud and timber. Our team then cleared the rubble of the demolished houses and started the construction process the next day," added Ghimire.

Chief Guest at the function, Bidya Devi Bhandari, who is also Vice-Chairperson of CPN-UML, said the team's work has proved that women can also work like men and can even outperform them if given opportunity.

"Their work is praiseworthy and should be taken as an example," she added.

Team leaders said they have given priority to building shelters for helpless squatters, the impoverished, single women, and backward groups including Dalits who cannot afford to build shelter on their own.

ANMS also distributed each of the 12 quake-victim families with relief materials including 20kg of rice and a mattress among other things.

After collecting her relief materials, Makkhan expressed gratitude for the help she received from the team. She, however, doubts whether the shelter can withstand the upcoming monsoon rains. "Rubble of the collapsed houses around will obstruct the flow of rainwater and it will seep into my house," she said.

Her husband had remarried long time back and had left her. She has not seen the faces of her two daughters since their marriage. Her son also left the house long ago and has never come back. Even after the quake, none of the family members have visited her. She carried the 20 kg rice sack provided by ANMS on her back despite her weakened state.

ANMS leaders said the volunteers will now go back to their own areas and aid their communities in the rebuilding process.

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'All women volunteers' build shelters for quake-displaced

Ram Saran Tamang

KATHMANDU, June 10: At the age of 53, Makkhan KC of Budanilkantha-3 of the capital looks older than her age. Long abandoned by her family members and victimized by the recent earthquake, she has been living with her friend who has been kind enough to provide KC accomodation after her house collapsed in the earthquake.

She had hoped that the government would help her rebuild the house, but the help came from a group of people she had least expected -- a team of 'all women volunteers'.

Challenging the stereotypical view that women are not physically strong enough to engage in work requiring extensive labor, the central committee of the Akhil Nepal Mahila Sangh (ANMS), women's wing of the CPN-UML, has demolished 32 quake-damaged houses, cleared the debris and rebuilt temporary shelters for 12 quake-affected needy families who cannot afford to build shelters themselves, at Budanilkantha 3 and 9 of Kathmandu district.

Speaking at a function organized at Chapali Bhadrakali-3 on Tuesday, Jaya Ghimire, vice-chairperson of ANMS said, "More than 100 women volunteers from local-level and various districts were mobilized for the project. Although some of them had their own houses damaged in the quake, they showed up to help the community with selfless aid".

According to her, the volunteers group was further divided into 10 teams with 10 members each and they conducted field observation and assessed the damages in the area on May 24. "The very next day after the observation, we demolished quake-damaged structures and managed necessary building materials such as bricks, mud and timber. Our team then cleared the rubble of the demolished houses and started the construction process the next day," added Ghimire.

Chief Guest at the function, Bidya Devi Bhandari, who is also Vice-Chairperson of CPN-UML, said the team's work has proved that women can also work like men and can even outperform them if given opportunity.

"Their work is praiseworthy and should be taken as an example," she added.

Team leaders said they have given priority to building shelters for helpless squatters, the impoverished, single women, and backward groups including Dalits who cannot afford to build shelter on their own.

ANMS also distributed each of the 12 quake-victim families with relief materials including 20kg of rice and a mattress among other things.

After collecting her relief materials, Makkhan expressed gratitude for the help she received from the team. She, however, doubts whether the shelter can withstand the upcoming monsoon rains. "Rubble of the collapsed houses around will obstruct the flow of rainwater and it will seep into my house," she said.

Her husband had remarried long time back and had left her. She has not seen the faces of her two daughters since their marriage. Her son also left the house long ago and has never come back. Even after the quake, none of the family members have visited her. She carried the 20 kg rice sack provided by ANMS on her back despite her weakened state.

ANMS leaders said the volunteers will now go back to their own areas and aid their communities in the rebuilding process.

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Group building 100 zinc-sheet homes for quake victims

Ram Saran Tamang

NUWAKOT, June 2: With the monsoon drawing closer, earthquake victims are in desperate need of immediate shelters to protect themselves from the upcoming storms and rains. Many cannot even afford to construct makeshift sheds, let alone permanent houses.

In a bid to lower their sufferings, a team of Nepali film workers - "We For All", has initiated "Project Roof" campaign, under which they are constructing temporary zinc-sheet houses for the quake victims.

"Of the 100 houses planned, construction of 70 has been completed," said Suresh Darpan Pokharel, the project coordinator, who is also actor/director. The team has constructed 40 such houses at Rampurdanda of Kavrepalanchowk, 15 in Sangla of Kathmandu and another 15 at Thansingh VDC of Nuwakot.

While the campaign was initiated by the Nepali youth film workers, it was later supported by Non-Resident Nepalese (NRN) Hong Kong Nepalese Rescue and Volunteer Team that has been collecting funds from Hong Kong and distributing relief materials in various quake-hit areas, and Ratan Thapa, a UAE-based NRN.

Thapa had contributed Rs 225,000 for building houses in Sangla while the Hong Kong team supported the construction work in Thansingh VDC.

The organizers on Sunday evening handed over the zinc-sheet houses and ownership certificates to the locals at Jhor of Sangla and Thansingh VDC-3.

Artists including Keki Adhikari, Benisha Hamal, Jeevan Luitel, and Barsha Shivakoti among others were present at the certificates handover functions.

"The houses are okay, we are happy to have them," said Purushottam Risal, 65, a local of Thansingh-3. It costs around Rs 12,000-15,000 to build one zinc-sheet house, informed Pokharel.

The catastrophic magnitude 7.8 earthquake and recurring aftershocks destroyed almost 90% of around 1,700 houses in Thansingh and killed 18 people, according to Ujjwal Adhikari, a local. Adhikari, who lost his parents in the quake, said the zinc-sheet houses are a huge relief to the locals, especially the impoverished ones.

Speaking at the function, Pokharel said they have built houses for only those who cannot afford to build one. "We want these houses to be model in the village, so that others who can afford can build such houses on their own". More than 10,000 such houses have been built across the country with our reference, added Pokharel.

"Initially we started relief distribution campaigns in Kavre, Gorkha, Nuwakot, Kathmandu, and Bhaktapur among other districts," said Prasamsha Bhattarai, one of the eleven board members of the campaign. "Later we realized that tents and tarpaulins wouldn't withstand the storms and monsoon rains. So we decided to build temporary zinc-sheet houses instead".

After constructing houses in Sangla, the team had hired the locals for constructing similar houses in Thansingh of Nuwakot thus helping the locals in income generation. "We are even ready to work for free, if needed," said Bibek Kumar Shrestha, a local of Thansingh-3.

The team has reached Gorkha district on Monday evening and plans to construct a health post after conducting field observation. It will also construct 30 zinc-sheet houses there, according to Pokharel.

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