Sikkim earthquake by ActionAid
30 Sep 2011 14:28
A massive earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale jolted Sikkim in India at 6.10 p.m. on 18th Sept, 2011. With its epicentre in the north of the Himalayan state, it left a trail of destruction, killing close to a 100 people and wiping one hundred thousand crore rupees worth of infrastructure. Over 90 percent homes have been damaged in the north area and about 10 percent have been destroyed completely.
ActionAid India’s assessment team, which was one of the first to reach the worst affected parts, captured these images, revealing the massive damage to homes and infrastructure.
While the relief support for immediate needs is underway, the larger question of rebuilding Sikkim remains.
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Houses were uprooted from their foundations because of the quake. This one was seen near Meyong.
Rampant commercialisation and lack of observance of building norms has led to mushrooming of unsafe structures. Like this five-storey building in Chungthang, which now stands dangerously and would have to be brought down.
A group of locals at a church on the way to Mangan.
The quake was followed by landslides and rains which further cut-off communication to the affected areas. The team came across many collapsed homes with families attempting to salvage whatever they could, braving the fear of aftershocks.
The main road from Mangan to Chungthang covered in debris from landslides, a lifeline to the state which came into being over three decades back, was blocked for over a week delaying response.
For several nights after the quake families were in camps at Chnungthang due to fear of homes collapsing. But eventually the homes will have to rebuilt and made safe. For now that aspect of rehabilitation is not under serious discussion.
People in the town Dikchu taking shelter in makeshift camps, shop verandas by the roadside and under puja pandals. The town is located between two hydro power projects. Buildings had already become weak from continuous blasts from the project construction. The change of the course of river due to the barrage has also put pressure on the bank by which the town is situated. Massive cracks have developed during the Sept 18th quake between the road and the buildings on the side of the river and they look like they could collapse any moment.
Chungthang was impossible to access via road soon after the quake. The 26 km long tunnel dug through the mountains supposed to divert the river Teesta to the power projects when the project is completed worked as an approach road.
source: http://www.trust.org/
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