The Himalayas are young fold mountains. The young fold mountains are prone to the tectonic shifting and that means they are constantly evolving. Tectonic shifts cause earthquakes. The other regions of earth that are consistently deformed by tectonic shifts are the oceanic ridges.
Much of Indian Himalayas from the entire north east to the Kashmir including Delhi, Andamans, Kuchch fall under earthquake zones 4-5, with 5 being on the severe side. This is what we learn in geography.
The 2004 Indian ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and today's disaster are direct results of the tectonic shifts.
So now with geography and statistics, the action that is important, urgent and to be undertaken as priority is to make detailed geological study of these areas, identify fault lines, completely redesign the infrastructure so that there is minimal damage during earthquake and develop a focused disaster management system for the different regions from the mountains to the islands.
A good start will be to begin with the prime ministers ambitious housing for all program. Start that mission in these regions with the housing designs that result in minimal damage during earthquake.
A natural disaster like earthquake cannot be predicted, but we can be prepared. The 2005 Kashmir earthquake or the 2011 Sikkim earthquake should have thought us the need for preventative measures. But let this tragedy wake us up to be proactive.
We did that during the recent hudhud cyclone, we saved invaluable lives by being preventative and proactive.
Rest in peace those who lost their lives and prayers for those who lost livelihoods...
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