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Warkworth engineer Paul Jacquin is one of 15 Kiwi engineers in Nepal, helping the country recover after the earthquake killed more than 9000 people in April.
Paul has been using his expertise in mud-brick buildings and drawing on the experience of the Christchurch earthquakes to help the country rebuild. The contingent left for Nepal for two months on August 16. Paul spoke with Mahurangi Matters journalist George Driver about his experience so far.
How is the recovery coming along?
Kathmandu city wasn’t so affected by the earthquake, but the rural areas to the north were severely impacted.
Kathmandu is built on a large old lakebed and the lakebed sediments appear to have reduced the impact of the quake. There is still damage to buildings in Kathmandu, but it could have been a lot worse if the earthquake was a slightly higher intensity, or struck closer to Kathmandu. However, in the rural areas, the earthquake was amplified. Many of the villages are in the mountains, and the peaks and the ridgelines are far more affected (imagine a shaking a jelly pyramid – the top wobbles around more than the base), so there is significantly more damage to buildings and loss of life.
The aid agency response has been great, and the main agencies are pulling out now. Most people have shelter and the water supply and roads are open. The monsoon season finished last month, which has delayed the rebuild. The country is hoping tourists will return in this post-monsoon season.
What work are you doing in Nepal?
We are taking the lessons we learned from the Christchurch earthquakes and teaching local engineers. In New Zealand, we have developed the best expertise in un-reinforced masonry buildings (normal brick buildings) which were built in NZ between about 1890 and 1940. Nepal has many buildings like this, so it is incredibly relevant here. We are also sharing our expertise on reinforced concrete buildings, and strengthening and repair methods.
We are assessing large government buildings to determine how they might withstand a future earthquake. One building is a 100-year-old former palace which is now a university administration building. In NZ we have gained expertise in analysing these types of large, reasonably complicated buildings.
I am also giving lectures to train about 160 Nepali engineers.
Why were you chosen for this project?
The NZ engineering community is relatively small and a former colleague suggested my name to the team leader of this project. My background is in mud brick buildings – I did a PhD on that topic, and I’ve published books and academic papers on the subject. As a result, I’ve been asked to provide assistance in a number of situations For example, I was a member of a team that visited Bhutan after an earthquake in 2010. Some of my PhD research was also carried out in northern India, and I’ve visited Nepal before, so I know the region pretty well.
How long have you been based in Warkworth?
I’ve been based in Warkworth for just over a year now. Before that I worked as an engineer in the UK. The beauty of engineering projects is that I can work all over the country, or the world, and still be based in Warkworth. It’s a lovely place, and although I’m an expert in mud bricks and have expertise in earthquakes, I really enjoy working as a ‘normal’ civil engineer, designing people’s houses, retaining walls and solving problems. I don’t really want to chase earthquakes around the world!
