1Tribhuvan University, Nepal
2United Nations Centre for Regional Development, Japan
3Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Nepal
4Tribhuvan University, Nepal
5Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Geo-hazards are directly associated with road safety and sustainability and, thus, have been attracting attention from the academia, policy makers and other stakeholders globally. This study aims to assess the geo-hazards and their associated implications and highlights the approaches for the sustainable transport system in Nepal. The study was carried out by reviewing literatures on contemporary geo-hazards and accompanying transport safety measures including policy interventions and achievements. It further covers current practices related to road safety assessment through various peer reviewed scientific journals, handbooks, manuals and government policies, key informantsʼ opinions regarding risk reduction and management from sustainable perspectives. Variation is noticed in terms of frequency, magnitude and severity of geo-hazards in different geological regions of the country. For instance, the low-land area (the terai region) is at a high risk of inundation, whereas the hilly regions (Siwalik and Mahabharata) remains mostly at the risk of intense soil erosion, rock fall, landslides and floods. On the other hand, the Himalayan region is at constant risk of glacial lake outburst flood which is one of the unique and presumably the most devastating.Noticeably, most of the geo-hazards are likely to occur during the monsoon season (June to September) impacting huge loss of lives and properties. For instance, more than 60% of the road accidents occur in the earthen roads during the monsoon season. Approximately 31% of all these fatalities and serious injuries are associated with long-distance route accidents mainly in hilly areas. Annually, an average of ten thousand accidents related to public transportation occur where, around 2100 people lose their lives and thousands get injured. Sadly, most of the victims involve productive age in between 15-49 years. The road traffic injuries ratio for fatal, major and minor is found 1:2:2. Long-distance driving in the mountain terrain, lack of knowledge of sharp angle turnings, narrow earthen roads without proper drainage, intense rainfall, poor visibility, inadequate safety barriers, insufficient road signs, poor road design and maintenance along with inappropriate construction, natural stress relief and weakening of rocks through progressive weathering are closely related to the road accidents and fatalities. After restructuring of the nation in the year 2015, the constitution of Nepal has given ample rights to the local governments and they are speeding up road construction without following the principle of sustainability which seems to be one of the major risk concerns for road safety. A few interventions such as crash and wire barriers, slope stabilizing and bioengineering, strip and divider in multilane highways, jute netting and retaining structure are under practice in Nepal. However, these interventions have limited impact on risk reduction in road transport sector. Therefore, strong legal provisions and will power at federal, provincial and local levels of governments and their effective implementations will play pivotal role for the sustainable and resilient transport system in Nepal.
Keywords: Geo-hazard, Road safety, Public transport, Sustainability, Nepal.
1ExoConsulting, Norman, USA
2University of Houston, USA
Saturnʼs great white storms play an important role in its atmosphere. In 2010, such a storm occurred in the northern hemisphere and encircled the whole planet with its clouds (Fischer et al., 2011; Sanchez-Lavega et al., 2011; Fletcher et al., 2011). An interesting phenomenon is that the storm-related bright clouds expanded to the south but not to the north. so that the bright clouds passed over the storm head on the northern side when it encountered the storm tail (Sanchez-Lavega et al., 2011, 2012; Sayanagi et al., 2013; Garcia-Melendo et al., 2013). Based on the wind and temperature fields retrieved from the Cassini ISS and CIRS observations (Sayanagi et al., 2013; Achterberg et al., 2014), we explore the mechanism behind this unsymmetrical expansion of bright clouds. Our analyses suggest that the large meridional gradient of the quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity, which can serve as a barrier of cloud mixing, can help explain the unsymmetrical expansion.
Biography:
Aaron Studwell completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Houston. His research focused on planetary atmospheres, specifically Saturnʼs global-scale dynamics and long-term patterns. After completing his doctoral work, Dr. Studwell founded an atmospheric science consulting company, ExoConsulting, in Norman, Oklahoma, USA. Their work is currently focused on business development with their partner companies, along with conducting atmospheric science research.
He has over twenty years of experience in energy weather and marine forecasting, along with air quality meteorology. Aaron was one of the first meteorologists in the energy trading sector, working in senior research and forecasting roles. He was also the Vice President of Air Quality at a leading environmental firm, providing leadership and technical guidance to a team of atmospheric scientists. Before returning to academia full-time, he was the Marine Team Lead for DTN-Wilkens Weather, where he oversaw the companyʼs marine forecasting operations.
Aaron graduated from Texas A&M University with a Master of Science in Meteorology and from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. He holds active memberships in the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society.
University of Texas at Dallas, USA
Medical Geology is a relatively new discipline gradually establishing itself in the geoscience curriculum. Medical Geology has been defined as the study of the impacts of geologic materials and geologic processes on animal and human health. Geoscientists and others have addressed these issues for centuries but modern analytical tools and computing capabilities have created significant opportunities for geoscientists to contribute to these important societal issues. Medical Geology issues include, but are not limited to: health consequences of natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes; water quality issues such as exposure to arsenic and organic compounds; the health issues caused by ambient dust; the health impacts of energy resource use; occupational health issues; veterinary geology; and the health benefits of rocks and minerals. These and other Medical Geology issues impacts the health and well-being of billions of people in virtually every corner of the Earth. The unique skills and insights into the operation of the natural environment provide geoscientists with the potential to help the medical/public health communities to minimize or eliminate these widespread and serious health problems. Hopefully, the value of Medical Geology will be recognized.
Biography:
Robert B. Finkelman retired in 2005 from the U.S. Geological Survey. He is currently a Research Professor in the Dept. of Geosciences, University of Texas at Dallas and a Distinguished Professor at the China University of Mining and Technology,Beijing. He is internationally recognized for his work on coal chemistry and as a leader of the emerging field of Medical Geology. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America; former Chairman of the GSAʼs Coal Geology Division; founding member and past Chair of the International Medical Geology Association; and Past-Chair of the GSAʼs Geology and Health Division; currently a Steering Committeemember of AGUʼsGeoHealth Section.
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