Reducing Earthquake Damage
Enforcement of building code essential
Experts tell Prothom Alo discussion
Enforcement of building code, appropriate design and soil testing are vital for construction of buildings to reduce damage from earthquakes in the country, said experts at a discussion yesterday.
"The foremost task is to enforce Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) accordingly across the country to reduce the severity of disaster," said Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, an eminent civil engineer and president of Bangladesh Earthquake Society.
Bangla daily Prothom Alo and the society jointly organised the discussion “Earthquake Risk and Preparedness” at the daily's office in the city marking the earthquake in Assam on June 12, 1897.
Buildings constructed on filled-up wetlands along Dhaka's periphery are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes, said Prof Jamilur.
Referring to three major earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Fukushima in recent past, he said a total of 11 earthquakes, measuring four and above on the Richter scale, were felt in Bangladesh over the past decade.
Over 90 percent buildings in the country, including 1.40 lakh in the city, were built without any supervision of engineers and architects. Moreover, Rajuk is inadequate in terms of manpower and logistics to enforce building rules and BNBC in the city, he said.
Of the city's 3.26 lakh buildings, 72,000 may collapse during an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale triggered by Modhupur geological fault line, said Prof ASM Maksud Kamal, urban risk reduction specialist of Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme.
There are three geological active fault lines including Modhupur, Dauki and Eastern Boundary that may trigger major earthquakes with an epicentre within Bangladesh, he said.
Number of risky buildings is increasing consistently, as there is no competent supervision on design and construction except for divisional towns in the country, said Abdul Malek Shikder, superintending engineer of Public Works Department.
Brig Gen Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence; Md Abu Sadeque, director of Disaster Management Bureau; and Prof Mehedi Ahmed Ansary, director of Buet-Japan Institute of Disaster Prevention and Urban Safety; also spoke at the discussion moderated by the daily's Joint Editor Abdul Quayum.
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