Development partners at a session of Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF) observed that lack of rule of law and weak regulatory system made Dhaka city vulnerable to possible disasters.
They also said 95 per cent buildings in Dhaka city have been constructed, violating Rajuk's rules and regulations which have made the city more vulnerable.
Development Partners (DPs), government policymakers, civil servants and private sector representatives took part in the discussion on "Sustainable cities: services and protection for vulnerable people" on the concluding session of the two-day BDF meeting on Thursday.
UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh Sudipto Mukerjee said, "Dhaka city's 95 per cent buildings have not obeyed building code and other regulations of Rajuk. They are very much vulnerable for disasters like earthquake."
He said absence of rule of law, good governance and week implementation of regulations are the major reasons for the vulnerability of Dhaka city.
Not only Dhaka city, other cities were also unplanned and vulnerable to disasters as infrastructures were not built maintaining proper rules and regulations, he added.
"The Dhaka city's cost for water-logging will stand at nearly Tk 139 billion by 2024, its traffic congestion eats up some 7.0 per cent of GDP and 20 per cent death occurs here," Mr Mukerjee said.
Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim presided over the session where secretary of the same ministry Md Shahid Ullah Khandaker presented a keynote paper.
Md Nurul Amin, Secretary, Planning Division, Engr. Md Nurul Huda, Former Chairman, Rajuk, Angelika Fleddermann, Head of German International Cooperation (GIZ), Andrew Cross, Chief Financial Officer, AIIB, and Ms Ridma Khan, Director, Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also spoke at the session.
Ms Ridma said Dhaka needs to be made a smart city through some smart ICT solutions for improving services.
GIZ chief in Dhaka Angelika Fleddermann said migration from rural areas to cities is challenging and air quality here is a big problem.
Mr Nurul Huda said the government should empower the City Corporation to provide civic services.
Meanwhile, speakers at another working session on "Energy security for sustainable growth" said Bangladesh needs cheap energy solutions for fulfilling its growing needs.
PM's adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury presided over the session where Dr Md Sultan Ahmed, Secretary, Power Division presented a keynote paper.
Monowar Islam, Chairman, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, Mohammad Mejbahuddin, Chairman, BDBL (Former Secretary), Abul Mansur Md. Faizullah, Secretary, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Van Berkel Rene, UNIDO Representative for India and South Asia, Dr. Tika Limbu, Head, Portfolio Management Unit, ADB, Abdi Hamid, General Manager, ITFC, Islamic Development Bank Group also spoke on the occasion.
They speakers laid emphasis on cross-border and regional energy cooperation for meeting Bangladesh's growing electricity demand.
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