Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossen Chowdhury Maya said it is essential to take coordinated steps and preparations involving all concerned organizations to face any possible earthquake.
“Regular mock exercises for facing earthquakes will have to be made ….Initiative for increasing consciousness of the people will also be taken,” the minister said this on Sunday while inaugurating a two-day long earthquake exercise programme held at Army Multipurpose Complex at Dhaka Cantonment here.
Acting Army Chief Lieutenant General Nazim Uddin, senior military officials and representatives from Disaster Management and Relief Ministry, Police, RAB, Fire Service and Civil Defense, RAJUK, WASA, DESA, City Corporation, Local Government Division and Road and Highways were present.
Army War Game Center of the Bangladesh Army organized the exercise event.
Referring to the exercise as time-befitting, the disaster management minister said Bangladesh didn’t face any major earthquake in recent past, so the exercise will play an effective role in assessing and meeting prevailing shortcomings as regard organizational capacity.
The seismic zone mapping exposed that a large area of the country is now under the risk of high and medium range of earthquake, the minister noted.
Unplanned urbanization, high density of population and construction of buildings bypassing the proper building code have made the country more vulnerable to earthquakes, he added.
About the government preparations to cope with the earthquake-like situation, Maya said risk maps of cities and districts have been prepared while 33,000 city volunteers have been kept standby for facing disasters.
The army-led five day special earthquake exercise ‘ushar duarey’ began at multi-purpose hall of the army headquarters here on Sunday.
