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Kashmir earthquake case study

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The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred in the disputed Kashmir region located along the border of India and Pakistan. The 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the cities of Muzaffarabad and Balakot, killing over 74,000 people in Pakistan and 1,307 in India. The earthquake destroyed homes and infrastructure, leaving over 3 million people homeless. A lack of evacuation plans and poorly constructed buildings exacerbated the death and destruction from the powerful earthquake.

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Case study: Kashmir Earthquake 2005 Where did it happen? Kashmir is the north-western area of the Indian subcontinent. The country to which Kashmir belongs has been widely disputed in the past and it is currently owned by India, Pakistan and China. The earthquake occurred in the border between the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and the Indian-controlled Kasmir, near the cities of Muzaffarabad and Balakot. Kashmir is found on the destructive boundary between the Eurasian plate and the Indian plate. What happened? At 8:50am on the 8th October 2005 a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the Pakistan controlled region of Kashmir. The epicentre struck 19km north north-east of Muzaffarabad, 60kmfrom Islamabad (the capital), at a depth of 26km below the surface. E c o n o m i c S o c i a l E n v i r o n m e n t Primary effects Cities like Balakot, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, and all small villages being razed to the ground, all roads were destroyed.Towns in Indian held Kashmir were also affected. Of the 564 hospitals in the affected area, 291 are destroyed, 74 partially damaged and only 199 are functioning. Large amounts of farmland destroyed 74,689 people were killed in Pakistan, 1,307 in India Over 79,000 injured in Pakistani side; 4,500 in Indian side. Over 3 million homeless in Pakistani side; 1 million in Indian side. 472,383 houses destroyed total. 3.2 to 3.5 million people require medical care It devastated an area of more the 30,000 square miles. Whole mountain sides fell into rivers, villages disappeared. Large landslides along the fault. Parts of the mountains around the epicentre have risen by a few metres. Large cracks appeared in the surface. Secondary effects Because of lack of medical treatment, people are dying from treatable illnesses such as malnutrition, pneumonia, diarrhea, tetanus. Without immunizations, children are particularly at risk. After 1 year 400,000 people spent a second winter without a permanent shelter Less people have access to education due to fewer schools being rebuilt.
a l Immediate responses $62 billion of aid was pledged Locals tried to help people who were trapped in buildings. Military hospitals opened for civilian casualties Long term responses Indian government has not requested international assistance. Re-establishing water supplies Rebuilding homes How was the hazard managed?There was no evacuation procedure in place in case of an earthquake and the buildings were poorly built and prone to collapse in the event of an earthquake. The hazard was not managed. Why was the death toll so high?Happened on a Saturday morning when children were in school so children were trapped by the school buildings collapsing. The earthquake occurred in the month of Ramadan so many people were napping after having a pre-dawn meal which meant that they were killed in their beds when their houses collapsed.

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Kashmir earthquake case study

  • 1. Case study: Kashmir Earthquake 2005 Where did it happen? Kashmir is the north-western area of the Indian subcontinent. The country to which Kashmir belongs has been widely disputed in the past and it is currently owned by India, Pakistan and China. The earthquake occurred in the border between the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and the Indian-controlled Kasmir, near the cities of Muzaffarabad and Balakot. Kashmir is found on the destructive boundary between the Eurasian plate and the Indian plate. What happened? At 8:50am on the 8th October 2005 a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the Pakistan controlled region of Kashmir. The epicentre struck 19km north north-east of Muzaffarabad, 60kmfrom Islamabad (the capital), at a depth of 26km below the surface. E c o n o m i c S o c i a l E n v i r o n m e n t Primary effects Cities like Balakot, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, and all small villages being razed to the ground, all roads were destroyed.Towns in Indian held Kashmir were also affected. Of the 564 hospitals in the affected area, 291 are destroyed, 74 partially damaged and only 199 are functioning. Large amounts of farmland destroyed 74,689 people were killed in Pakistan, 1,307 in India Over 79,000 injured in Pakistani side; 4,500 in Indian side. Over 3 million homeless in Pakistani side; 1 million in Indian side. 472,383 houses destroyed total. 3.2 to 3.5 million people require medical care It devastated an area of more the 30,000 square miles. Whole mountain sides fell into rivers, villages disappeared. Large landslides along the fault. Parts of the mountains around the epicentre have risen by a few metres. Large cracks appeared in the surface. Secondary effects Because of lack of medical treatment, people are dying from treatable illnesses such as malnutrition, pneumonia, diarrhea, tetanus. Without immunizations, children are particularly at risk. After 1 year 400,000 people spent a second winter without a permanent shelter Less people have access to education due to fewer schools being rebuilt.
  • 2. a l Immediate responses $62 billion of aid was pledged Locals tried to help people who were trapped in buildings. Military hospitals opened for civilian casualties Long term responses Indian government has not requested international assistance. Re-establishing water supplies Rebuilding homes How was the hazard managed?There was no evacuation procedure in place in case of an earthquake and the buildings were poorly built and prone to collapse in the event of an earthquake. The hazard was not managed. Why was the death toll so high?Happened on a Saturday morning when children were in school so children were trapped by the school buildings collapsing. The earthquake occurred in the month of Ramadan so many people were napping after having a pre-dawn meal which meant that they were killed in their beds when their houses collapsed.