Earthquake Damage
Enforce bldg code to cut loss
Experts tell workshop
Proper enforcement of Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) could prevent half the loss of life and properties during an earthquake, particularly in the capital, said relevant experts at a workshop yesterday.
Practicing BNBC in building construction with basic safety precautions in foundation design and construction would prevent many buildings from collapsing, said Mohammad Abu Sadeque, director of Disaster Management Bureau (DMB), in his presentation at the workshop.
Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and DMB jointly organised the training workshop on “Reduction of earthquake risk” for city ward councillors and DCC officials at Nagar Bhaban in the city.
The haphazard and rundown network of electric wiring and gas supply may bring about colossal disaster in the event of an earthquake in a city like Dhaka, he said.
It is estimated that around 60,000 to 90,000 people may die from building collapse in the capital in the event of an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale if triggered by Modhupur geological fault line, he said.
Of the total 3.26 lakh buildings in the capital, 72,000 structures, built without any supervision of an architect or engineer, are likely to collapse in the event of such a jolt, he said.
According to Sadeque, non-compliance with the building code claimed the lives of three lakh people in Haiti during a recent earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale.
But a quake measuring 8 on the Richter scale in Chile around the same time claimed only 500 lives with much lesser destruction simply because they adopted the building code, he said.
Pre-earthquake preparedness is crucial in reducing the disaster risk, said Abul Kalam Azad, chief executive officer of DCC.
A total of 25 ward councillors, representatives of Armed Forces Division and Bangladesh National Cadet Corps and Sirajul Islam, chief town planner of DCC, attended the workshop.
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