KUNDA DIXIT

Kathmandu Valley's scenic location is also the reason for its vulnerability t o big and frequent earthquakes. The collision of two tectonic plates thrust the Himalayan mountains into the sky, and the two land masses are still squeezing into each other at 4 cm a year.

Sunday, 15 January marks the 1934 earthquake that killed about 10,000 people in Kathmandu. Today, the population has grown to 3 million and a similar 8.0 magnitude earthquake would kill 100,000-200,000 people depending on the time of day, 700,000 will be injured and up to 1.5 million will be homeless. And that quake is overdue.

The government seems to be finally waking up. A new project aims to retrofit 900 Valley schools and work has started to strengthen at least three hospitals and stock them up with emergency supplies. A lot more needs to be done, and we are racing against time.

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Shudder to think
For a glimpse of what Kathmandu will look like after a big quake, just look at the buildings torn down for road-widening and multiply that by 10,000.

Where the quake will hit hardest, RUBEENA MAHATO
Kathmandu is woefully unprepared for the next Big One