Latur Earthquake Vs. Ladakh Flash Floods

In the early hours on the fateful 30th September of 1993 Latur, more particularly Killari experienced an earthquake in the magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter Scale which took nearly 30,000 lives besides flattening many houses (though official figures hinge between 9,000 to 10,000 lost lives).

Though the earthquake cannot be said to be severe it left India to cope with a huge loss of life and property.

Lives were lost due to poor construction of houses.
What makes construction poor or safe/good?
There was so much news about it in the papers and what I could read between the lines was poor lives were saved and the rich or affluent died! One would think God acted unkindly towards the rich in Latur.
The difference lay in the materials used to secure their houses.
The poor who could not afford lived in mud houses whereas the rich who could spend money had solid roofs, where big stones were used.

When the earth shook, all that fell on the sleeping poor was mud. Big stones fell on the sleeping rich who paid with their lives.

After Latur India had to revise its seismic zones drastically.

We talk about vernacular houses which is Appropriate Technology using indigenous or locally available materials. Such houses are simple, cost-effective, with self-help labour, green and eco-friendly. So mud, wood, ash, local soil compressed into bricks, recycled items go into such homes. Though not maintenance-free it can still offer a roof over the heads of many poor. Laurie Baker popularised this trend further on a global stage among the urbans too.

This is one side of the coin.
Let us see the other side of it too.

The flash floods, landslides of Ladakh in August, 2010 swept away many villages in the hilly region. Many went missing.
Ladakh which never experiences rain, is cool due to its proximity to the Himalayas. Its people grow mountain produce due to the moisture content in the air and dew drops. Their agri-produce is not dependent on rainfall meaning Ladakh has no history of rainfall all these years.
Global climate change was witnessed by Ladakh more prominantly than anywhere in India in recent times. Storms and rains caused flash floods which demolished the mud houses along the hills. If you have seen the photos, you would see nothing except brown mud all over with only 3 or 4 concrete structures holding ground. My guess is those 3 storey structures must be hotels or lodges built for the many foreign tourists who visit Ladakh during the July-August season to enjoy nature's beauty there.
Here it is mostly the poor who died in this calamity and not the rich who could afford a cement and steel structure.

Latur and Ladakh come to mind as a contrast about buildings, housing, mud huts, RCC structures, of the affluent and of the poor.

Mother nature has her own way. She is very unpredictable.

Just after the early morning quake of December, 2004 and the tsunami in Chennai, builders would advertise that their upcoming buildings as quake-proof, unshakeable, etc.
Mother nature will not spare the strongest of buildings if it stands in the way of the fault line. That is the ground reality.

How vulnerable are we humans against the mighty mother nature.
That is the reason why ancient people revered nature in its many forms.

Whether vernacular or solid structures, all are prone to the vagaries of nature.

My two cents!
Mahalakshmi.