Building Code
Govt plans to enforce it countrywide
Sunday's 6.9 magnitude earthquake whose epicenter was in Sikkim prompted the government to enforce the building code across the country by engaging local government bodies.
Committees comprised of the local government bodies and relevant agencies will be formed and anyone constructing buildings must have approval from such committees at district and upazila levels, said Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque.
The issue will be finalised and approved by the cabinet soon, he noted following a meeting of the national committee on earthquake preparedness and awareness at the ministry yesterday.
“Rajuk is there in Dhaka to enforce the building code, but there is none to look after the way buildings are constructed in rural areas and district towns,” said Razzaque.
It is imperative that everyone constructs buildings follow the building code, he said, adding that buildings constructed following the National Building Code are tolerant to magnitude 7 earthquakes.
“In the last two to three years, tremors were taken lightly. But now there is no scope for it. Experts are saying that a major earthquake could hit parts of India and Bangladesh anytime,” he said.
Referring to Dhaka University's geology Prof Maksud Kamal's study stating 76,000 buildings in Dhaka are in high risk to a magnitude 7 earthquake, Razzaque said luckily the magnitude in Bangladesh was 4 to 5.
If it was of 6.9 in Bangladesh, damages and casualties could be enormous, he said.
Under a contingency plan, 6,000 volunteers have already been trained for rescue operations in the case of an earthquake while this number would be raised to 62,000, he noted.
Asked if these volunteers responded to Sunday's earthquake, Disaster Management Division Secretary M Aslam Alam said they called the fire service stations but did not ask them to rush for any operation as there was no major damage.
On retrofitting important buildings like the secretariat or Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the minister said foreign consultants would be appointed soon.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) or other local engineers do not have the expertise on retrofitting, he noted.
Equipment for rescue operations worth Tk 69 crore were already purchased and distributed to the army, fire service and Dhaka City Corporation, he said.
School students in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet are also being trained on taking safety measures during earthquakes, he added.
Necessary research activities on earthquakes at Department of Geological Survey, Buet and Dhaka University are also underway, he said.
Asked if the preparations are enough, Razzaque answered in the negative, but said the government is trying its best with its limited resources.
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