No substantial and effective measures have been taken by the government that could mitigate earthquake losses
KARACHI: The collision of three crustal plates — the Arabian Plate in the southwest, the Eurasian Plate in the north and northwest, and the Indo–Pakistan Plate in the southeast — has resulted in the massive earthquake that hit the country on October 26. Many times in the past as well disturbances in these plates have caused massive earthquakes.
Earthquakes strike Pakistan at regular intervals but no substantial and effective measures have been taken by the government that could mitigate losses when such a disaster occurs. No lesson has been learnt from past events. Major causes of deaths as a result of earthquakes are poor construction patterns of buildings and the lack of guideines and safety information provided to people, including basic first-aid training. This is why, every time we are faced with such a tragedy, we have to face a massive loss of human life.
Razi Abbass
Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2015.
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