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Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Earthquakes don't kill...
... Shoddy buildings do, according to RK Chadha, an expert on Geophysics, who is quoted in a piece on Sify.com. The article says:
Even a natural disaster, thus, is a man-enabled disaster.
He [Chadha] noted that 10,000 Indians died in 1993 when an earthquake measuring 6.3 Richter struck Latur in Maharashtra state. Just one person died in a tremor of greater magnitude that rattled California at roughly the same time.
"The average natural disaster kills more people in India than the developed world because environmentally sound building codes are routinely violated in India. Most builders baulk at putting up earthquake-friendly buildings as they increase construction costs by 10 percent," said Chadha.
Even a natural disaster, thus, is a man-enabled disaster.
