Government College University, Lahore

Summary

BSc (Hons.) Geography

Research Methodology

Muhammad Raffay Subhani

Roll No. 0903
Evening Session 2020-2024

February 12, 2023

 RECOGNITION AND ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS IN MITIGATION OF
EARTHQUAKE DISASTER

SUMMARY

Earthquake is a natural disaster. It is different from other disasters because earthquake

occurs without any warning or alarm. It is of short time, but has massive impact on nature and
human lives. It have been observed that about one million earthquake occurs in a single year.
Majority of them are of low in magnitude. Thus, do not cause any destruction. But some few are
of huge magnitude which causes massive destruction. Measuring earthquake’s magnitude on
scales is a scientific activity and constructing earthquake resistant structures is engineering. But
these both are not enough to tackle with the destructiveness of earthquake. Stakeholders mainly
related with the management and urban planning plays an important role in reducing the risk of
the disaster. But, it is important to verify that the stakeholders should be directly linked with the
management and urban planning. Though, scientists, disaster management authorities, news
publishers or media, health centers, engineers, stakeholders, all have to work together if an
earthquake occur which may reduce or mitigate the destruction of the structures and loss of lives.
Earthquakes have been often faced by our Earth. They can occur naturally or by some man made
reasons like, bombing, landslides during the construction of roads etc. Earthquakes not only have
its impacts on human lives, but also on the financial and economic condition/factors of that
country. Developing countries like Pakistan, having poor economy and infrastructures can be
more exposed to the impacts produced by the earthquakes, especially in the urban area where
majority of the country’s population lives and have big business hubs. However, the research is
about how the different stakeholders can be helpful to mitigate the disaster like earthquake.
As science, technology and engineering are not enough to reduce the resistance of
earthquake in any region, an area or a country itself. So, here the stakeholders contribute. To
review, how a stakeholder can be helpful in the critical situation when the earthquake hit the
earth and how often or will they will be helpful to mitigate the earthquake disaster; research
methodology is applied to it. The methodology is applied to carry out the outcomes for the
stakeholders, who may include scientists, engineers, urban planners, health care centers, media
or news publishers, defense officials like army or police etc. being directly related to the
management and urban planning. The data is acquired from the specialists, the literary books
related with the mitigation of the earthquake disaster. Also, the questionnaire was generated with
the concerned of professionals, so the research may be acquired easily and accurately.
Questionnaire was filled by the concerned stakeholders who were aiming and were applicable to
mitigate the earthquake disaster. The stakeholders were the clients of the public section, urban
planners, management, news publishers or media spokesperson, government and public NGO’s,
health centers, professionals etc.
The roles of stakeholders to mitigate the earthquake disaster are as follow:
1. Scientists and Engineering plays an important role to mitigate the earthquake disaster,
both at pre and post disaster stage. At pre disaster stage, scientists can mark or identify the
regions which are exposed or vulnerable to the earthquake or in past, earthquake had hit them.
They can also identify the regions, beneath where the two tectonic plates are meeting. At post
disaster stage, scientists can collect the readings on the scales used to detect the magnitude of the
earthquake or its aftershocks. It can also be used for the research work. Engineering also play an
important role in the pre and post disaster stage of earthquake. At pre disaster stage, earthquake
resistant buildings, bridges, tunnels or other structure should be constructed or the existing
structures should be transformed to resistance. So, the earthquake would be less vulnerable and
cause less damage to them. At post disaster stage, the techniques are used to fortify or the
methods are applied to repair the damaged structures.
2. Federal and Provincial Disaster Management authorities plays an important role to
mitigate the earthquake disaster in terms of loss of lives and financial loss to the country by
forming and implementing the plan of action for the destructive earthquake at both pre and post
disaster stage. At pre disaster stage, they may set up a program to counter the destruction of
earthquake. At post disaster stage, they may work according to the set of plans to protect the
lives and country from the financial crises.
3. International Scientific Organizations can help the countries by providing them with the
basic aid and technologies at time of risk of earthquake in order to mitigate the earthquake.
Technology can be helpful for the removal of debris, transporting harmed to the hospitals etc.
4. Health Care Centers can play a crucial role in protecting and saving the lives of the
people affected by the earthquake, by a management and measures taken at the hospitals and in
the field by rescuing the harmed to the hospitals quickly.
5. Media or News Publishers also plays an important role in the mitigation of earthquake
disasters. Media can notify the people with the disaster occurrence, alerting them for the
upcoming situation, suggesting people to migrate from the threatened region and nor to travel to
that region. Media gathers information about the disaster and different journalisms and media
spokesperson debates on it for further what is better to do by alerting the government or first aid
organizations etc. Media also works at pre and post disaster stage. At pre disaster stage,
information can be delivered to the public sector and different programs can be held for the
awareness for the disaster. At post disaster stage, news can be cast hourly and regularly from the
regions being hit by the earthquake.
The research was of about recognizing or identifying the stakeholders which can take part
to mitigate the earthquake disaster. These are recognized as scientists, engineers, news
publishers, urban planners, management authorities and health care centers. This research has
shown us that stakeholders can play an important role in mitigating the earthquake disaster which
will help in the decrease of every kind of losses.