Earthquake in South Asia

There's something really strange about the ecology lately. There seems to be environmental disasters just about everywhere. Unfortunately, it's often the poorest countries that are situated in the most geographically unstable regions. It is sad.

In the capital, Islamabad, rescuers worked through the night in the ruins of the upmarket Margala Towers residential complex. Heavy diggers tugged huge chunks of rubble off a mound of collapsed, compacted apartment floors.

A British team of specialists joined Pakistani rescue workers overnight, bringing out alive a man and a woman to cheers and applause on Sunday morning.

More than 20 bodies have been found and about 90 people have been pulled alive from the rubble.

British officials say other voices have been heard from within the rubble, and they are focusing on an area where it is thought two children may still be alive.

The tower blocks were the only buildings to collapse in Islamabad.

Yeah, I know it's not a very practical idea. Even if countries signed up for it, corruption would undoubtedly make its enforcement impossible.

But there must be something that can be done.

from nytimes.com:
Estimates of the quake's magnitude varied from 6.8 to 7.8, with the United States Geological Survey putting the number at 7.6. Its epicenter was roughly 60 miles north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, where 20 "significant aftershocks" measuring between 5 and 6.2 magnitude were felt throughout the day on Saturday, Dr. Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, director general of the Meteorological Department in Islamabad, said by telephone on Saturday evening. Officials warned that serious aftershocks could continue for two days.

The earthquake, which sent tremors as far east as New Delhi, the Indian capital, and west to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, was the biggest to strike the country in a century, Dr. Chaudhry said.

How you figure?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_tolls#Deaths_caused_by_natural_disasters

1)there are more people living today, so that populations are much denser than in the past - especially in South Asia - and

2)very large numbers of those people live in urban poverty with marginal shelter, food and water and

3)the prevalence and prestige of Western building techniques has led to the construction of many multi-storey, outwardly 'modern' buildings, but with poor design and materials (e.g. schools and apartments that collapse).

Since natural disasters cannot be prevented, the solution will require better population control and raised living standards. This isn't going to happen anytime soon by purely human efforts. If Nature steps in and controls population (as in these disasters) it is going to be a painful, ugly process every time. Be prepared for more of this, but worsening over the next few decades.

Besides having (and enforcing) California or Japanese style building codes. I think another reason things seem worse lately is the presence good mobile broadcasting technology and the cable news channels that can devote long periods to reporting these events, and the "if it bleeds, it leads" mindset of some news organizations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_tolls#Deaths_caused_by_natural_disasters

What a list! Makes Katrina look like a walk in the park. Sheesh, the Thuggees sure were bad-ass killing machines.