By Khen Lim
Image Source: theguardian.com
Days after we all first heard
of the earthquake that brought Nepal to its knees, a second one arrived, which
although was less deadly, was nonetheless a very threatening reality for those
who lived and survived the first one. The Internet is full of stories of what
had taken place in Nepal in the last number of days. There are many images
available as well. A few videos are also streaming.
It wasn't just the locals.
There are many from abroad who were victims. Some were visiting but quite a few
were actually working in Nepal. We're informed that the death toll has gone
pass 3,200 as of today but then we're also told that this figure was
essentially around Kathmandu. Since information from the more remote areas is
hard to come by, we don't exactly know the full extent of the quake's
deadliness. India and China have their death tolls as well although those are
nowhere near the hundreds let alone thousands.
It is much feared that waves of
the quake will continue for some time, leaving Nepal a restless country
awaiting more tragedy to come even as we sit grimly by in our countries,
dreading fresh news that carry even harder realities for all of us to face.
Images of a devastated Nepal brings back memories of the tsunami that destroyed
much of Acheh and surrounding areas including Penang, Malaysia. Many thousands
died as well and like today, that tragedy took many weeks to months to weather
through not just for the locals but for everyone throughout the world who, in one
way or another, was touched by the shocking event.
Image Source: nydailynews.com
I was in Kathmandu as well as
Bhaktapur. I was also in remote Nagarkot also with a splendid view of the
Everest in the distance. I had streamed through Kathmandu's infamous little
meandering streets where shoulders rub with one another, ridden in buses where
you could reach out your hand through the window and touch the shops. The
dust-filled city streets mixed in with the colourful cultural riches that one
can easily find walking any street in Kathmandu are fresh in my mind and so was
the friendliness of the people.
I was there last year at
roughly the same time as the quake hit in recent days. I was with a group of
140 students on a field study trip. We stayed in a hotel off the main street in
Thamel and we saw a country unlike most others that we've been to. To see the
same country in ruins today is very hard to take. As I looked at the images of
ruin in news sites like CNN and others, I am reminded vividly of the very same
places I was at. Incredibly we had a great time there, posed for pictures and
shopped around. These same places are now simply just rubble with dead people
buried inside, waiting to be dug up. I can't help but just stare at these
images, wondering and wondering.
Image Source: time.com
Durbar Square was one stopover
for us that brought back floods of memories. The ancient Dharahara tower wasn't
the only striking structure; there were many others. Many of the ancient
buildings within the Square were made from carved wood. One can imagine how
easily these would just fall into ruins. Like a deck of cards, it wouldn't take
much of a quake to topple them, which brings me to the sad revelation that
throughout much of Nepal, construction quality of many of its buildings ensured
that they wouldn't be capable of standing to the shocks that came from the
quake. We know that the first one registered Richter 8.1 and the second one was
about 6.7 but I believe that even a 5.0 would do significant damage to the
country.
I was there to see how they
actually construct buildings. By comparison, Malaysia appears to have a far
more stringent building code. In Nepal, buildings can come from any awkward
corner and built in a similarly awkward fashion. But this is not a criticism.
Amidst a national tragedy in Nepal, I make this comment to try to understand
the devastation. So many died and largely because they were in the wrong place
at the wrong time but also because these buildings were in themselves, deadly
because they weren't sufficiently safe in the first place. And so they didn't
take much to come tumbling down.
Image Source: newindianexpress.com
No doubt, Nepal is a very poor
country with a significant revenue source coming from tourism. With so many of
its temples and historical sites in complete irreparable ruin, there now comes
big question marks about its future survivability. Quite apart from getting
past this painful episode in the history of the nation, what lies beyond is
very difficult to envision. However there is no doubting the desperate need for
the international hand of not just rescue efforts but also humanitarian,
financial and rebuilding aid to which it is extremely encouraging to see that
the Israelis were amongst the earliest to respond. We hope other countries will
see Israel as an inspiration to move quickly and respond to Nepal in her hour
of need.
In the meantime, we must do our
Christian duty and pray for the nation and her stricken peoples. May we pray
that all disaffected families will remain united and that they can seek and
find comfort in one another. May her neighbouring countries - like India - come
together in love and care to help in all possible ways. May countries around
the world set aside their differences and do everything in their powers to
restore a broken nation and to do so with charity and generosity. And most importantly
may we pray that God will bring forth His hand of love and set this nation on
the right path of salvation.
May all of this come quickly
for Nepal.
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