Mahendranagar, 5 October

In the recent past, the earthquakes that have been happening continuously in various places in the hilly districts of the far west have frightened the residents of this region. According to the records of the National Earthquake Measurement and Research Center, there have been 36 earthquakes in the hilly districts of the Far West from October 2079 to 2080 Asoj 17. There have been 14 earthquakes in Bajhang, 15 in Bajura, 3 in Doti, 2 each in Achham and Darchula.

The last time there was a continuous earthquake in Bajhang from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning. The 5.3 magnitude earthquake that struck at 2:40 PM on Tuesday caused damage, but it didn't stop there. After 21 minutes, at 3:06 p.m., an even bigger 6.3 magnitude earthquake occurred. As a result of that earthquake, one person died, at least eleven were injured, more than 350 houses were damaged and highways and roads were blocked. Even on Wednesday night, the residents of Bajhang stayed under tents in the open. The situation in the district is still tragic. The National Earthquake Measurement and Research Center records that there were 14 earthquakes in this district alone in one year.

Bajura has been the epicenter of most earthquakes in a year. The Center has recorded 15 earthquakes in Bajura. During this period, the largest 5.9 magnitude earthquake occurred in Bajura on 079 Magh 10th and 080 Baisakh 15th. Both times the Bicchyaa was the center point. Jamuna Rokaya of Gaumul Rural Municipality 2 died in the earthquake that happened on the 10th of Magh. At that time, 21 houses were completely damaged, 44 houses were partially damaged and 40 houses were moderately damaged.

During this period, the biggest earthquake occurred in Doti. An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 occurred in Doti on the night of 23rd Kartik 2079. From that, 50-year-old Prem Bohra, 40-year-old Bhagwati Bohra, 13-year-old Sita Bohra, 8-year-old Hark Bohra, 14-year-old Dhansari Bohra, 14-year-old Tulchi Bohra of Garagaon, East Chowki Village were killed and 5 people were injured. The previous night, an earthquake of magnitude 5.7 and 4.1 occurred in Khaptad National Park.

According to Lok Bahadur Bista, Associate Professor of Geography at Kailali Multipurpose Campus, the earthquakes currently occurring in the far western hills may be early indications of the possibility of a major earthquake. "Various studies have shown that there is a lot of power stored in the ground of this region," he said. "A devastating earthquake can occur at any time."

Seismologist Lokvijay Adhikari mentioned that the earthquakes that occurred on January 10 in Doti and Bajura are related to each other. According to him, the power to cause a large earthquake in the western region is stored underground. He said that earthquakes will continue to occur in areas where power is stored. A place where earthquakes occur continuously is a place of risk. He mentioned that an earthquake can occur at any time in that place.

Keshav Bhatt, who has been working to reduce the risk of earthquakes, says that non-enforcement of the building code by the local authorities is causing more risks. He said, 'The houses in the mountains are weak. There is too much load on the roof. There is no necessary vigilance," said Bhatt. "It is also necessary to retrofit old buildings."