The earthquake impact on telecommunications infrastructure in Nepal: a preliminary spatial assessment

Abstract

This paper examines the spatial clustering and correlation of epicentres of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake and its spatial relationship to the telecommunications infrastructure of Nepal. Ripley's K function analysis suggests that epicentres of the main earthquake shock and aftershocks and base stations of worldwide Interoperability for microwave access are generally clustered. However, the cluster patterns decline over distance. Moran's I statistics further suggested that the epicentres and base stations at the district level are spatially significant and positively correlated. As Nepal is one of the most earthquake‐prone countries in the world, this paper recommends that the Government of Nepal, operators, and other concerned parties should identify the importance of telecommunications infrastructure and develop a critical infrastructure plan including location and redundancy options to mitigate and minimize the detrimental impacts of earthquakes and other disasters on telecommunications services in the country.

The effects of natural disasters on international tourism: A global analysis

“…Depending on the type and extent of the disaster, critical infrastructure could be compromised or dysfunctional. Prominent examples include airports and ports, land transport infrastructure, and electricity and telecommunication networks (Ghobarah, Saatcioglu, & Nistor, 2006;Parajuli & Haynes, 2006). In addition, core tourism assets could be damaged and not ready for business, such as accommodation establishments and key attractions.…”

The impact of hurricane strikes on cruise ship and airplane tourist arrivals in the Caribbean

“…The exposure of tourism to natural disasters may be linked to the attractiveness of many high-risk exotic locations, where natural disasters such as hurricanes, avalanches, and volcanic activity are likely to occur (Murphy and Bayley, 1989). Natural disasters pose significant physical damage to infrastructure including airports, sea ports, roads, hotels, attractions, and environmental amenities, which reduces the country’s ability to cater to tourist needs and its attractiveness, at least in the short term (Ghobarah et al, 2006; Parajuli and Haynes 2016).…”