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Radio Stations Not Prepared For Earthquakes
By KTM Metro Reporter
October 26, 2012: buildings hosting radio stations in Nepal are not earthquake proof; consequently, in the case of devastating earthquake, radios would not able to operate and provide the people with information they required at the critical time, experts warn.
Currently, Nepal has 350 radio stations, 36 of them in Kathmandu alone, a city located in one of the most seismically active zones in the world according to the Association of the Community Radio Broadcasters Nepal (ACORAB). Majority of the buildings hosting radio stations are not earthquake resistant. “There are lots of possibilities, but nothing has been initiated by most radio stations, especially on how to keep their equipment secure and [how to ensure] the safety of their own reporters,” said ACORAB executive director Rabindra Bhattarai. “Very few radio stations will perhaps withstand an earthquake of a large scale. We are worried about them as most don’t even have back-up plans in case of damage to their own infrastructure,” Ujyaalo head Gopal Guragain noted.
“The role of radio becomes crucial because during an earthquake, people want information first more than anything, and they look to the radio as the best means of communication,” said Ganesh Kumar Jimee, program manager of disaster preparedness and response for the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET), a local NGO, according to IRIN News.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96639/NEPAL-Radio-stations-ill-prepared-for-earthquakes
