Gujarat Earthquake Recovery Program - Assessment Report

This report is an assessment of damages and needs resulting from the earthquake that struck the state of Gujarat, India on January 26, 2001. The report provides a preliminary assessment of the damages, identifies the needs for reconstruction and recovery, and outlines a strategy for implementing a recovery program.

India suffered a devastating earthquake on January 26, 2001. The loss of life and nearly all of the destruction of physical assets took place in western and central Gujarat, where around 20 million people live and work. At the time of finalizing this report, the death toll stands at over 20,000, and about 167,000 people have been injured. Nearly one million homes were damaged or destroyed. Small enterprises–especially single family artisans, shopkeepers and rural industries were also affected. Health and education infrastructure was severely damaged, with two district hospitals destroyed, and over 1,200 health clinics (mostly in rural areas), and over 11,600 schools destroyed or damaged. There was similar destruction of both rural and urban water supply schemes. Over 240 earthen dams for small reservoirs providing water for irrigation, rural and urban domestic needs, and industry were also damaged. Other infrastructure services like electricity and telecommunications, were extensively damaged.