Nepal Quake Causes Bigger Psychological Than Collateral Damage

By Yuba Nath Lamsal KATHMANDU, May 12 (Bernama) -- Despite the devastation by the massive earthquake, the Nepalese people are trying to overcome the damage and fear the natural calamity caused to their property and, more seriously, to their psyche. The other name of life is hope and the desire to survive. This instinct makes everyone to struggle despite their pain and plight. This is exactly what the Nepalese people are facing at the moment. The massive earthquake that struck on April 25 shattered the confidence of everyone in Nepal more than the physical damage it caused. The 7.9-magnitude earthquake killed more than 8,050, injured over 17,000 and damaged property worth billions of dollars. The people’s confidence was shaken as aftershocks continued to jolt Kathmandu and its vicinity for up to two weeks after the powerful quake devastated Nepal. Nepal is still in mourning and grief, although the government announced only three days of national morning. Everyone has lost something. Some have lost their family members and loved ones. Some have lost relatives and friends. Many have lost their houses. The devastation was greater in the villages. Barpak Village of Gorkha, about 250 kilometres west of Kathmandu, was completely flattened, with almost 95 per cent of the houses in this village of the Gurungs (Gurkha communities) totally damaged and the rest unfit to live. Several villages in Sindhupalchock, too, met a similar fate. Tents are still standing in several open places in Kathmandu. Many houses have been damaged in the city, too. Although more than 95 per cent of the houses are standing, many of them may not be fit to live in. Those who lost their houses are living in tents while those whose houses have been partially damaged are not willing to return to their houses as the fear of more earthquakes continues to haunt them because tremors keep occurring daily. Life has not yet totally returned to normal but is limping back slowly as there is no other alternative. This does not mean that the people have totally overcome the fear. Schools are closed until May 15 but it is not sure whether they will open soon after that as more than 5,000 school buildings have been damaged. Small shops are open but malls and supermarkets remain closed as most of them are damaged. Kathmandu is a cultural city with thousands of monuments, some of which are listed as Unesco’s world heritage sites. The saying that ‘Kathmandu has more deities (idols) than its human population and more temples than houses is no longer valid today as the earthquake has devastated most of the places of cultural heritage as well as temples. We can never imagine Kathmandu without Dharahara, a 61.88-metre-tall tower built in 1832, just as we cannot imagine Nepal without Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. Dharahara and Kathmandu are so closely identified together that one conjures up Kathmandu with Dharahara and vice versa. But Dharahara no longer exists as the cruel earthquake shattered it right from its foundation on that fateful day of April 25. Several other cultural and heritage sites have also collapsed. The famous Basantapur Durbar Square, listed as a Unesco world heritage site, has collapsed. I was hurt badly as both of my houses (one in my hometown and the other in Kathmandu) were damaged. But I was hurt more when I heard that Dharahara had crumbled. I have seen Dharahara throughout my life. Now, I will not see it any more and, perhaps, my grandchildren will not ever know Dharahara once existed in Kathmandu. It upset me more than anything else. I could do nothing except cry at the ruins of this landmark of Kathmandu when I visited the place on April 26. The collateral damage is huge but much bigger is the psychological damage in the minds of the Nepalese people. The Nepal government has promised to rebuild earthquake-ravaged buildings and infrastructure within two years. But it remains to be seen whether it will be able to instill optimism and confidence in the mentally and psychologically ravaged people. -- BERNAMA