Editorial
Continuing equipment inadequacy dreadful
A serious impediment to rescue and recovery operations
A city fraught with earthquake risks is precariously short of modern equipment to handle even an individual building collapse, let alone any multiple disaster. The 9-storied Rana Plaza collapse has brought to a bold relief our poor inventory of equipment and appliances to meet a bigger tragedy.
It is estimated that as many as 70,000 buildings are likely to fall like house of cards should an earthquake measuring 7-8 on the Richter scale take place. So shoddy has been the construction of high-rise buildings generally through non-compliance with the national building code that there is no knowing the extent of damage that would be wreaked by a tectonic event of a powerful magnitude. We have already had some minor ones; the smaller tremors are said to be a precursor of a bigger earthquake. Thus, we are in a race with time to be fully equipped to rescue human lives trapped in collapsed buildings or fissures of land that accompany any big earthquake.
Because we have long been identified as an earthquake-prone country and have had bigger ones at almost regular, if long, intervals the need for civil defense preparedness to save lives can hardly be over-emphasised.
It is a sad commentary though on low prioritisation of the equipment agenda which receives a lot of verbal emphasis with no tangible improvement in the inventory by way of updating and modernisation of equipment. It is disconcerting to learn that despite experts' recommendations some eight years ago for having ground penetrating radars (GPR) fibre optic cameras and remote visual inspection devices these remain unavailable to-date. These equipment and instrument are crucial to saving lives of people trapped in rubble.
It took the government five years to approve a Tk 69 crore scheme to procure and hand over some basic equipment to fire service and civil defense authority. This measly minded attitude to earthquake preparedness is unacceptable.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments