Earthquakes in Haiti

Why in news?

A powerful earthquake (magnitude 7.2) killed hundreds and injured thousands more in Haiti (which faces frequent earthquakes).

Where is Haiti?

An island country located in the Caribbean Sea,on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago.
Bordered in land by the Dominican Republic in east.
Maritime borders with the Bahamas, Colombia, Cuba, and Jamaica.

What causes frequent quakes in Haiti?

Haits’sunique geology makes it seismically active and prone to devastating earthquakes.
Located near the intersection of two tectonic plates–the North American plate and the Caribbean plate.
Multiple fault lines between those plates cut through or near the island of Hispaniola.
Not all of those fault lines behave the same way; here, plates transition from smashing together to sliding past one another.

Plates move - Friction builds up - Resultant strain - Fault moves suddenly - Earthquake occurs

The recent earthquake likely occurred along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone:

Other reasons
High population density of 11 million people.
Typical concrete and cinder block buildings designed to withstand hurricanes but are vulnerable to collapse when the ground shakes.

Given the factors, it is much a natural hazard that overlaps with a vulnerable design and system, and not really a natural disaster.

What are the challenges?

Lack of political will, centralized effort and funding to build earthquake-resistant structures, despite the availability of technical knowledge, trained architects and city planners.
Political instability following recent assassination of Haiti’s President JovenelMoïse.
NGOs focus on their own compartmentalized projects; no coordination.
More quakes may be ahead as 2010 earthquake was said to mark the beginning of a new cycle of large earthquakes on the Enriquillo fault system after 240 years of seismic dormancy.

Source: The Indian Express, NPR