It is not a surprise that the authorities swing into action after every disaster and form probe committees apparently to pacify public outcry. Then begins the blame game. Seminars and symposiums are organised to highlight do's and don'ts. Public wrath over the accident eventually dies down. Hardly any lesson is learnt and compliance issues are not attended. This is the reason why more devastating accidents take place in the future. Remember the enormity of the tragedy caused by the Rana Plaza collapse which now appears to have faded into a distant memory. Months of serious debates and media focus that followed the murderous incident have now seemingly ended up in a whimper. Although international retailers have compelled the readymade garment exporters to improve the safety of factory buildings, there is no such drive in case of construction of thousands of public or private buildings in the capital.
A FE report published last Saturday reflected how pathetic the situation regarding enforcement of the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) is today. Even the chief engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) is not aware about the government's standing order to execute the BNBC. One shudders to think what might befall the country as the directive is gathering dust in the relevant department while hundreds of buildings are being built in the city and all over the country. There is a provision in the BNBC to set up a separate authority to oversee its enforcement but until now there is no such institution to take up the arduous task. On the other hand, thousands of ready flats are awaiting sale but none really knows whether these were built following the building code.
Building codes, rules and plans have already been framed but the country lacks in institutional capacity to implement these. Plans, codes, and rules are all intents of the government, recorded in reports. Effectiveness depends on institutions and procedures. This is no small task and is not to be taken lightly. Clearly the current system needs to be drastically reformed.
It is not understandable why the government is dragging its feet on empowering the Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha (RAJUK) with adequate and skilled manpower to oversee construction of buildings in the capital. After all, the RAJUK is the lone body to approve all building plans and overseeing the enforcement of construction rules and laws by a separate authority may cause bureaucratic tangles.
Dhaka has already been found by experts as one of the cities most vulnerable to earthquakes due to its proximity to the seismically active zone. A UNDP study noted, if a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hits Dhaka, more than 88,000 buildings will crumble. Bangladesh would be more vulnerable if the building code is not followed. Reinforced-concrete buildings in the country are three to five times more vulnerable than those in Japan.
Enforcement of building code
FE Team | Published: September 23, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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