Concern over public safety after any major tremor

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Shahiduzzaman Khan
Three tremors shook the capital city of Dhaka and other parts of the country this month. These quakes, mostly of mild nature, hit the capital on February 4, 10 and 12, causing panic among people. The origins of the quakes were at three different faults at Bangladesh-India and Bangladesh-Myanmar borders.
Earlier, two consecutive tremors within a span of less than one hour on the eve of last Eid-ul Azha and another mild one on the Eid day hit the country, making a whole lot of people panic-stricken. It has also raised some serious concerns about public safety, as most experts believe that such little tremors may be precursors to a big one. Mention may be made that a devastating quake hit New Zealand this week that left scores of people dead and a trail of devastations there.
According to experts, the consequences would be severe if a powerful quake measuring 7.0 or more on the Richter scale rocks Dhaka city. Given the fragile and faulty structures of its residential buildings and commercial centres, not less than 1,31,000 people would perish under the impact and as many as 72,316 out of 3,26,825 structures would be flattened, some of them fear.
The recent tremors of varying magnitudes felt in Chittagong, Sylhet, Dhaka and other areas of the country are, as the experts suggest, a precursor to a more severe quake, which might strike in not too distant a future. Around 2,50,000 buildings in three major cities of Bangladesh -- Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet -- are extremely quake-prone, a recent report said. Some 1,42,000 out of 1,80,000 buildings in the south-eastern port city of Chittagong, 24,000 of 52,000 in north-eastern Sylhet and 78,000 out of 3,26,000 buildings in Dhaka have been found vulnerable to any major quake.
An earthquake usually occurs when the tectonic plates move sliding past or bumping into each other along their edges known as boundary plates which are made up of several fault lines. As the tectonic position of Bangladesh is at the junction of several plate boundaries, there are possibilities of big earthquakes hitting it sooner or later. This situation calls for very strong preparations on the part of the government.
However, it is really impossible for the government to tackle the whole situation single-handedly. So participation of the non-government organisations (NGOs) and other institutions is also to be considered essential. In addition to this, awareness at the individual level is important so that people, instead of being crammed into the exits of a building or work place, have a sound knowledge of what to do during, and in the aftermath of, an earthquake.
The government is yet to complete its comprehensive preparedness to face any calamity caused by severe earthquake in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. The capital city, having one vulnerable building out of every five, is at great risk of facing colossal damage in the event of a severe earthquake. Earthquake preparedness in Dhaka, which is the second most risky city after Tehran because of unplanned urbanisation, is otherwise considered very inadequate; this is the situation, more or less, in other cities of the country. Under such circumstances, the loss of life and property due to inadequate rescue operations after any tremor is most likely to be widespread in Dhaka compared to the possible damage caused by earthquake itself.
Food and disaster management minister Abdur Razzaque told parliament in the recent past that an earthquake measuring between 7.0 and 7.5 on the Richter Scale could devastate about 72,000 buildings in the capital. If a quake with severe magnitude takes place at night, the casualty is likely to be 90,000. And the casualty would 70,000 if an earthquake strikes during day-time. The loss of property is estimated at about Tk 6.0 billion, according to the minister.
However, there is a confusion between the magnitude and intensity of earthquake. The magnitude of earthquakes is measured on the Richter scale to gauge the energy released at the source of the tremor. The level of intensity gives people idea about the strength of shaking, produced by the earthquake at a certain location. Intensity is determined from effects on people, human structures, and the natural environment.
As most of the buildings that would be used for providing earthquake victims with support, shelter and treatment are vulnerable to moderate tremors, the authorities are likely to be in a real trouble after a disaster. The government has not succeeded yet to take an initiative to retrofit vulnerable buildings like hospitals, schools and fire stations which could be used for victims' treatment, shelter and rescue operations after an earthquake. For example, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the biggest hospital in the country, is more than one hundred years' old and is likely to crumble even after a moderate tremor. So is the condition of most other government hospitals. Providing people with treatment facilities will not be possible in the event of hospitals getting damaged following any major earthquake. And damaged schools and colleges, which are used as shelters during disasters, will not in a position to accommodate victims.
In this backdrop, the need for taking all-out comprehensive preventive and restorative measures is a pressing one in order to protect life and property in the event of a calamity. The government will also require to purchase huge equipment on a priority basis in order to prepare itself well for handling effectively the aftermath of such a catastrophe. It was claimed by the authorities that 1,000 volunteers had so far been trained to respond to the needs of any past-earthquake situation as part of disaster management operation. However, the country has only 1,000 cranes, 200 ladders and some prime movers and excavators to meet any exigencies arising out of a disaster like earthquake hitting it hard. But such an outfit falls far short of the need for putting a well-designed preparedness programme in place.
szkhan@dhaka.net