SciDev.Net

Neelum Hotel, northern Pakistan, 14 October 2005

USAID

The earthquake that killed more than 70,000 people in Pakistan last October was a wake-up call for the country. The country is now facing the fact that it is in one of the world's most seismically active regions.

But, as Geoff Brumfiel reports in Nature, while efforts to improve infrastructure and train scientists are vital, the pervading attitude to risk will need to change if Pakistan is to succeed.

The government will need to release data previously kept secret to protect its nuclear missile-testing programme. Also needed are a new generation of Pakistani seismologists and greater public awareness.

Progress is underway. It includes major government investment in higher education, and a new network of 100 monitoring stations. Pakistan has agreed to share data and equipment with China, Iran and the United States, among others.

The challenge, say some specialists, will be keeping up this momentum as the memory of the October catastrophe fades.

Link to article in Nature

Link to related editorial in Nature