- Have you read the Wikipedia article about the causes of earthquakes and the article about the geography of Nepal which describes how the Indian tectonic plate is pushing under the Eurasian plate, which has been going on for millions of years and will continue for millions more- so the earthquakes are going to keep reoccurring. Injuries can be reduced by better building design, disaster drill & disaster relief. As Rev Eric Delv said in the show it is partly about finance to rebuild / replace existing buildings.
See "Earthquake country alliance" which recommends the best way to reduce injuries is to follow the "Drop, cover, hold on" routine. It says most injuries from Earthquakes are from flying debris rather than from collapsing buildings so dropping to the floor and crawling under a table for protection is the best you can do. Trying to run out into the open leaves you more vulnerable.
What if science & technology could give a 24 hour warning of an earthquake, what sort of response strategy could be drawn up ? Kathmandu has over 1 million people, could you really evacuate a whole city in 24 hours, where would they go ? Would it just cause panic and looting if there was an attempt to evacuate ? Could people in the most dodgy buildings be moved away from them ? Is it even possible to communicate a warning to 1 million people in a few hours?
Is it about having durable structures - heavy duty furniture frames that people can dive under for protection.