“What were you doing then?” It is perhaps the most quintessential Nepali icebreaker since the devastating 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck the nation on Saturday, April 25, 2015, at 11:56 am, Nepal Standard Time.
Chhaya Mahato, 55, a resident of Gorkha, the epicentre district, chuckled reminiscing about how “everything was shaking” – and began to lament not having access to the government fund because of being a tenant and not a homeowner.
The government provided nearly 2,231 USD to each family who lost their homes, but people like Chhaya, who lost almost everything, didn’t qualify for the same.
Although the government did offer assistance in helping rebuild, her family’s sole source of income, a food cooperative business, collapsed during the earthquake.
Anish Tiwari, a correspondent of the Kantipur Media Group – the largest circulating vernacular daily – for the Sindhupalchowk district, vividly recalls his experience at the earthquake’s epicenter. As a regional reporter, he engaged in publishing his poems, stories, and news online.
When the tremors struck, he was assisting his father in their stationery shop. Tiwari describes the chaos: “Everyone was running – tears and screams – everywhere.” But the intense rattling did not stop his passion. So he continued reporting with the only device left with him, his cell phone.
The earthquake took 3,570 lives and destroyed 90,242 houses in the Sindhupalchok district alone.
Meme pages became vibrant hubs where humour united people to reduce the collective anxiety.
Arya Mainali, 23, recalls an incident of sleepwalking triggered by the earthquake’s trauma. She was watching a movie with her brother while the ground started shaking. Initially, she mistook it for their usual playful antics, as they often pranked each other, shaking their beds, but soon realised the severity as screams echoed through the neighbourhood and walls collapsed nearby.
Fortunately, her family managed to evacuate safely. Arya and her brother distracted themselves on social media, where people shared memes and jokes to cope with their trauma; only then could they find some respite.
The earthquake aftermath witnessed a remarkable surge in memes, serving as a coping mechanism for many. Meme pages became vibrant hubs where humour united people to reduce the collective anxiety.
The internet emerged as a lifeline for quake updates and communal support, with individuals forming virtual communities to navigate through the trauma together. This digital solidarity lessened fear as well as created a sense of bonding during the time of crisis.
The immediate internet and connection repair from frontline workers enabled people to call their family and friends and mark themselves safe on Facebook.
Crisis Response and Relief
According to a United Nations report, the earthquake displaced 2.8 million people, affecting over eight million individuals.
In the aftermath, initial casualty reports indicated hundreds of deaths, but as the day progressed, fatalities surged past 1,000, nearing 1,900 by nightfall. Within two weeks, rescue teams that had reached all remote villages in the affected area confirmed the death toll, approximating 9,000, along with nearly 16,800 injuries. The number intensified and reached 22,000 injured, rendering 3.5 million homeless.
According to a United Nations report, the earthquake displaced 2.8 million people, affecting over eight million individuals. Landslides caused initial damage of $5 billion to $10 billion in rural communities and parts of Kathmandu.
In Kathmandu, collapsed buildings, including iconic structures like the Taleju Temple and the nine-storey Dharahara Tower, littered the streets with debris.
An avalanche struck Everest, claiming at least 19 lives and stranding many climbers, whom rescuers later airlifted to safety.
The government promptly declared a state of emergency, mobilising its national army for rescue and recovery operations.
Then Nepal sought international assistance, leading to the UN launching the “Nepal Earthquake 2015 Flash Appeal” to raise $415 million for relief. Within two weeks, donors provided or pledged over $330 million, ultimately contributing to a global total of $4.4 billion in relief aid.
Despite aid efforts from countries like India and China, delivering assistance faced challenges due to remote areas, airport congestion, and vehicle shortages; earthquake debris and makeshift “tent cities” in Kathmandu further complicated rescue efforts, requiring additional efforts to clear the debris and improve accessibility for rescuers.
Rebuilding Nepal: Progress and Challenges
The lives lost and injuries sustained highlight the scale of the catastrophe. The earthquake claimed over 8,000 lives and injured more than 20,000 people. It also caused an estimated NPR 350,379 million worth of damage to housing and settlements.
In the following months, the most vulnerable continued bearing the brunt of the catastrophe. Undernutrition, already a longstanding issue, deepened in the quake-hit districts. Centuries-old heritage sites in Kathmandu and its surroundings stood damaged, barely holding their ground. And it disrupted education and health services in the impacted zones for a long time.
To spearhead recovery efforts, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) was set up, but the delay in appointing a leader for this body led to local communities’ needs being unmet.
At the same time, the absence of regional elections in some areas over the past 16 years left communities without the democratic mechanisms to voice their needs or oversee the rebuilding efforts.
Disappointed by the slow progress, many donors turned to various NGOs to circumvent government bureaucracy. Yet this move brought complications. The glaring disconnect between aid providers and local needs resulted in communities receiving aid through religious materials or unusable helicopters.
Despite the chaos, slowly over time, the NRA has made significant progress; reconstruction efforts for homes, schools, healthcare facilities, and heritage sites have seen fruition. Likewise, a sense of normalcy and security has bounced back in the affected communities.
The Ministry of Urban Planning introduced the Nepal National Building Code, which focuses on earthquake-resistant building construction to prevent future losses. In 2017, the government launched the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, a comprehensive framework for disaster response, recovery, and risk reduction.
The National Reconstruction Authority began providing daily updates on reconstruction progress to ensure transparency and accountability. As of May 1, 2024, major milestones had been reached.
While much of the structural and physical damage has been repaired, the collective trauma continues to haunt communities a decade later.
A shared heart-wrenching experience for all Nepalis now lingers in fragments as vivid memories, residing permanently in our minds, accompanied by chuckles and the humorous refrain, “अ….. सबै हल्लेको थियो!” (Yes, everything was shaking!).
Sudipa is a junior editor at Nepal Connect.
Kelly is a renowned photographer. He discovered rural Nepal as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1980s.