Social, Economic and Environmental Impact Due To Recent Earthquake in Jajarkot, Nepal

Abstract

The 2023 Jajarkot earthquake, which measured 6.4 on the Richter scale, caused widespread devastation in the district, and its impacts were shaped further by the difficult terrain, inaccessible and damaged roads, and the limited assessment of the affected areas. To examine the impacts of the 2080 earthquake in Jajarkot district, the study collected primary data through field observation, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and questionnaire surveys, while secondary data were gathered from published and unpublished sources such as research articles, databases, and annual reports. The questionnaire data were analyzed in Excel using the RII formula for Likert-scale questions and presented through graphs and pie charts. The findings showed that the economic impacts were severe, mainly due to collapsed houses, loss of life and property, and disruption of essential infrastructure such as transportation, communication, and energy networks; in addition, damage to farmlands and a sharp decline in local income created long-term economic hardship. The social impact was especially high among vulnerable communities in remote areas because relief and medical assistance were delayed, while the psychological impact was intensified by the loss of close relatives, damage to livelihoods, and destruction of farmland. People living in temporary shelters with poor hygiene also suffered from waterborne diseases. Moreover, the disaster exposed environmental and structural vulnerabilities, including inequality in access to resources, fatalities, displacement, disruption of children’s education, breakdown of emergency services, and losses to local businesses caused by weak disaster risk management and an ineffective early warning system. The implementation of pre- and post-disaster preparedness plans was found to be weak at the local level. Therefore, to reduce future losses, disaster education and awareness campaigns should be strengthened, sufficient funds should be allocated for relief and recovery, resilient infrastructure should be promoted, financing should be mobilized through multilateral and bilateral partnerships for immediate and long-term reconstruction, and an effective early warning system should be established in the district.