When a massive earthquake struck Nepal in April, it flattened villages and killed more than 9,000 people. It should also have sent countries across the region scrambling to improve preparedness systems; yet experts say too little is being done to get ready for the next big quake, reports Nimisha Jaiswal for IRIN.
While India struggles with crumbling infrastructure and poorly enforced building codes, Bhutan has failed to dedicate funds to disaster risk reduction. Nepal itself, surprisingly, has yet to implement programmes promoting preparedness amongst its citizens, and reconstruction efforts may not meet the standards required to withstand another large earthquake.
According to Jaiswal, recent studies underscores the need for countries to invest heavily in disaster preparedness, as it suggests the region is likely to be hit by an even larger quake.