ESL Blogs

The earthquake that shook northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir in October 2005 after 10 years it has once again jolted the country in the same month October 2015.  Both the quakes were, without any doubt, a disaster of epic proportions.  With a magnitude of 7.6 and 8.1 on the Richter scale, the quake were worst natural calamity to hit Pakistan. In fact its effects have been far more devastating than those of Asian Tsunami which struck parts of Asia in December 2004. The damages caused by this earthquake are 20 times greater than the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina or flood in New Orleans.   

Earthquake can be described as sudden movement of earth’s surface due to the release of energy following volcanic eruption or movement of tectonic plates. Earthquake is one of the major natural disasters besides flood, hurricane and tornado and wind storm.

Earthquakes are normally of two types those that are caused by volcanic eruptions and those that are caused by plates or tectonic movements.  The later type is devastating. It is a fact that entire South Asian regions are highly susceptible to such catastrophes, but the worst thing is that earthquakes can almost never be predicted.

Seismic zoning in Pakistan was carried out many years ago. Usually there are four to five zones that are used all over the world. So Pakistan was divided into four categories, the first one being a very highly hazardous zone that includes Quetta, Pasni, Makran and northern Pakistan.

More than hundred thousand people have died because of this earthquake, which hit some parts of our country. Keeping in view the tragedy Pakistan is facing, lets look for the lessons we can learn from it now, so that we do not find the next earthquake teaching us the same lesson again, this includes how to deal with aftermath and ensuring that the next calamity will not be as disastrous.