The writing has long been on the wall that a powerful earthquake is quite likely any time. Friday's 5.7-magnitude tremor, with its epicentre in Narsingdi, sent a powerful jolt through Dhaka and surrounding areas. Many described the frightening shock as unprecedented in their memory, as buildings swayed like trees.
Although moderate on the Richter scale, still the quake serves as stark warning of what a potentially devastating impact a magnitude-6 or stronger earthquake might be. Analysing seismic records, experts see a strong likelihood of a more powerful earthquake and suggest that Friday's tremor may even have been a "foreshock."
They say that the fact that this country has not experienced any major tremor during the last two hundred years is all the more reason why a disastrous seismic calamity should be expected. And a series of small quakes that have already rocked Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittgong can be seen as precursors of a massive tragedy. If that proves true, a human catastrophe looms, as the majority of buildings in Dhaka have not been constructed in compliance with the building code.
Dhaka has about 2.1 million buildings, including around six lakh buildings which are over six storeys high. Experts warn that a magnitude-7 earthquake within 100 kilometres of the capital could lead to the collapse of nearly 35 per cent of buildings, leaving one to three lakh people dead or injured.
After the Rana Plaza tragedy, buildings in the garment sector underwent rigorous inspections and were categorised based on their safety.
However, no such systematic assessment has been carried out for Dhaka, the world's most densely populated city.
Friday's tremor, which lasted barely 20 seconds, exposed just how dangerously vulnerable the city's structures are. The quake caused cracks and damage to many houses and structures in Dhaka city. Some buildings have even tilted.
Given the callousness of many city dwellers and property owners, the chances are high that many of them will continue to live in buildings with visible cracks or structures that have become tilted. This inaction is an invitation to future disaster. Experts therefore stress the urgent need for a comprehensive inspection of every building in the capital.
They say that all buildings must be categorised into three groups: "Green" for risk-free structures, "Yellow" for those requiring repairs and "Red" for buildings that must be evacuated immediately. It is crucial to identify which buildings comply with the code, which need repair and which are hazardous.
Rana Plaza showed the catastrophic consequences of a large building collapse, and Friday's tremor brought back that painful memory. If cracks appear during a 5.7-magnitude quake, imagining the destruction a magnitude-7 could cause is not difficult.
Earthquakes cannot be prevented, but their impact can be minimised through necessary preparedness. When a calamity is inevitable, the best we can do is limit damage through immediate rescue, relief and rehabilitation. The question is whether we have the necessary capacity. The country has experience and expertise in dealing with floods and cyclones, but not earthquakes. In the past, when a few multi-storey buildings in the city collapsed, the fire service took an inordinately long time to clear the rubble. The authorities therefore need to enhance preparation, invest in advanced rescue equipment and comprehensive emergency response training and raise public awareness. Without immediate and decisive action, a catastrophic consequence of a major earthquake remains
an imminent threat.
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