Staff Reporter :
More than two lakh buildings in the city are in dangerous state and too vulnerable to withstand an earthquake of magnitude seven on Richter scale. The government should take adequate preparation to face the possible destruction of earthquake and demolish the dilapidated buildings to save the people’s lives, Architect Iqbal Habib said at a rally on Wednesday.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) organized the programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club to create people’s awareness about the destruction of the earthquake.
Habib, the Joint Secretary of BAPA, presented the keynote paper in the rally.
“There is a discrepancy about the number of seriously vulnerable buildings in the capital. Rajuk (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha) said, the number is 326, Fire Service estimated it for five thousand, while disaster management ministry said, 72 thousand buildings are at sever risk. But a study conducted by the BUET (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology) showed at least two lakh buildings are too vulnerable to withstand the earthquake of seven magnitude,” Habib said.
Laying emphasis on the need for taking lessons from the incidents of Nepal, he said the countries that had enough preparations to face natural disasters suffered the least damage in earthquakes.
“We urged Rajuk to identify the vulnerable buildings and demolish the structures to avoid loss of lives. Rajuk should rebuild the houses following proper building codes as it was responsible for the construction of faulty structures,” he said.
The General Secretary of BAPA Dr Abdul Matin said, Bangladesh stands on the four major faults, which can cause strong earthquake in the country. “As per the seismologists’ opinion, an earthquake measuring eight on Rickter scale can hit Bangladesh any time. In case of any serious tremor, Bangladesh will suffer much more than that of Nepal,” he said.
Rajuk should identify the vulnerable building and inform the building owners about the vulnerabilities so that they can repair the houses for their own interest before any causality, Matin said.
Rajuk must follow the existing rules while giving permission to construct buildings, Dr. Abdur Rahman, the President of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, said.
Regarding the prior preparations for the earthquake, he said, “We cannot prevent earthquake, even if we have enough preparation for the disasters, but we can minimize the extent of damage,” he said.
Among others, Ruhin Hossain Prince, Mihir Biswas, Professor Akhter Mahmud and Humayuin Kabir Sumon also spoke on the occasion.
