Earthquake and disaster in Nepal

A strong earthquake shook the subcontinent severely on 25 April, 2015 and wrought havoc in Nepal. Parts of India and Bangladesh were also affected. The earthquake which measured 7.9 (revised reading 7.8) on the Richter scale was one of the worst in Nepal in the past 80 years. The death toll has already exceeded 1800 and according to reports, it may rise further.

The earthquake has reminded us of our helplessness against natural disasters like cyclone, earthquake etc. There is no way we can prevent these from happening. But we can minimise the number of causalities and extent of damages by taking adequate precautions and prompt action afterwards. Dhaka is a densely populated city and an earthquake of such magnitude can prove catastrophic. We have numerous high-rise buildings in our city and are not sure how safe we are against earthquakes. Already one building tilted due to the recent earthquake. I think we should have a strong regulation to ensure earthquake resistance for high-rise structures and an appropriate authority should be installed to maintain proper records and ensure monitoring on regular basis. Our heartfelt sympathies for the Nepalese people and we hope the Bangladesh government will do everything within its means to help the Nepalese people to overcome the shock and lessen the sufferings of the survivors.

Mohammed Sohel Hara

Bonoshree, Dhaka.

sohelhara@hotmail.com