Nepal is in one of the most active earthquake regions in the world. Nepal's current non-earthquake-resistant infrastructure, lack of sufficient modern communication networks, and limited facilities and manpower in the medical sector are the major threats to life and property during a major earthquake. On March 31, 2010, under the auspices of three leading Nepali diaspora professional organizations in the United States of America--American Society of Nepalese Engineers (ASNEngr), America Nepal Medical Foundation (ANMF), and Computer Association of Nepal-USA (CAN-USA)--a joint initiative on Earthquake Preparedness and Disaster Relief in Nepal, of which this position/concept paper is a product, was launched to help understand the current status of earthquake preparedness in Nepal. This position paper describes the challenges that Nepal will face if and when another large-magnitude earthquake strikes like the devastating January 16, 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake. The paper also provides a list of recommendations to be considered to minimize the loss of life and property, especially in the densely populated Kathmandu valley. The document is peer-reviewed by a group of individuals having expertise in the related areas.

This book is one out of 8 IAEG XII Congress volumes, and deals with Landslide processes, including: field data and monitoring techniques, prediction and forecasting of landslide occurrence, regional landslide inventories and dating studies, modeling of slope instabilities and secondary hazards (e.g. impulse waves and landslide-induced tsunamis, landslide dam failures and breaching), hazard and risk assessment, earthquake and rainfall induced landslides, instabilities of volcanic edifices, remedial works and mitigation measures, development of innovative stabilization techniques and applicability to specific engineering geological conditions, use of geophysical techniques for landslide characterization and investigation of triggering mechanisms. Focuses is given to innovative techniques, well documented case studies in different environments, critical components of engineering geological and geotechnical investigations, hydrological and hydrogeological investigations, remote sensing and geophysical techniques, modeling of triggering, collapse, run out and landslide reactivation, geotechnical design and construction procedures in landslide zones, interaction of landslides with structures and infrastructures and possibility of domino effects. The Engineering Geology for Society and Territory volumes of the IAEG XII Congress held in Torino from September 15-19, 2014, analyze the dynamic role of engineering geology in our changing world and build on the four main themes of the congress: environment, processes, issues, and approaches. The congress topics and subject areas of the 8 IAEG XII Congress volumes are: Climate Change and Engineering Geology. Landslide Processes. River Basins, Reservoir Sedimentation and Water Resources. Marine and Coastal Processes. Urban Geology, Sustainable Planning and Landscape Exploitation. Applied Geology for Major Engineering Projects. Education, Professional Ethics and Public Recognition of Engineering Geology. Preservation of Cultural Heritage.