National Building Code
Enforcement across country on cards
The government is planning to enforce the national building code across the country within its tenure, said Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque yesterday.
The term of this Awami League-led government ends in 2013.
Dr Razzaque was speaking at the launching ceremony of a project titled "Capacity development on natural disaster-resistant techniques of construction and retrofitting for public building" at a city hotel.
Public Works Department (PWD) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) jointly organised the programme.
Dr Razzaque said, "We are seriously thinking about implementation of building code. We have already held inter-ministerial meeting and made some progress to this effect".
The government is considering establishing an authority to implement Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) across the country, he said.
Fumio Kaneko, head of a Jica study team, cited from the Earthquakes Hazard and Risk Assessment by Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (2006-09).
Fumio said if a 7.5-magnitude earthquake happens near Dhaka, 72,000 buildings will collapse, 158,000 buildings will be damaged, and 88,000 people will be killed.
The purpose of the four-year project is to build the capacity of PWD engineers regarding construction and retrofitting technology to enhance safety of the building.
Japan Ambassador to Bangladesh Tamotsu Shinotsuka and Jica Chief Representative to Bangladesh Dr Takao Toda, among others, spoke at the launch chaired by Housing and Public Works Secretary Dr Khondaker Showkat Hossain.
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