Although four years have elapsed since the High Court direction to procure necessary rescue equipment, the government is yet to comply with it, leaving the country largely unprepared to carry out any search and rescue operation in case of any serious disaster-natural or manmade ones.
Responding to a public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), the High Court in a verdict in July 2009 directed the government to procure necessary rescue equipment as recommended by an expert committee in this regard.
The HRPB filed the PIL writ petition for seeking remedy after publication of an alarming report of the UNDP-funded Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme that said: “Some 72,000 buildings may collapse in Dhaka city in an earthquake of VII to VIII intensity scale (extent of jolt), as happened in 1897.”
Though the committee finalised long ago a list of rescue and searching equipment in light of the HC directives, but those are yet to be procured for lack of fund allocations.
The HRPB also submitted before the HC a list of 22 specific items of rescue equipment badly needed for conducting rescue operations. The items include six 170-foot turntable ladders, six 88-foot snorkels (tubes used for breathing), 20 high hydraulic-power breakdown vans, eight emergency tenders with lighting units, six chemical tender for putting out fire, six bulldozers, six crush tenders, two foam tenders (to put out fire from oil) and six 11,000-litre water tenders.
The enormity of rescue efforts in the aftermath of Rana Plaza disasters and other natural and manmade disasters raises serious questions about the country’s disaster response preparedness as there are acute shortages of heavy rescue equipment and protective gears.
A top official at the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry told UNB that the government has already taken a Tk 159 crore project titled ‘Procurement of Equipment for Search and Rescue Operation for Earthquake and Other Disaster’ in last year. The project is scheduled to complete in June 2015, he added. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project on June 18 last year.
Another senior official at the ministry told UNB that there was a delay in the initial fund release due to political turmoil in 2013.
He, however, said an amount of Tk 85 lakh has been allocated for the project. “We can start procuring rescue equipment in 2015 when funds will be available for the project.”
According to the sources, the project might have an allocation of Tk 62 crore in the next fiscal. “So, the full compliance with the HC directions will not be possible unless we get the remaining amount in the next national budget,” said an official wishing anonymity.
Talking to UNB, Director General of Disaster Management Department Mohammad Abdul Wazed claimed that the department is sincere to comply with the HC order. “It took time to complete the necessary formalities, including approval of the project from Planning Ministry and Ecnec. Besides, the present Disaster Management department was formed only in 2012 abolishing the then Disaster Management Bureau, he added.
Contacted, director of ‘Procurement of Equipment for Search and Rescue Operation for Earthquake and Other Disaster’ project Ahmed Murshed said a committee on tender document preparation Committee has been formed and the tender will be floated within this month.
