Dhaka 'tops list of quake-prone cities'

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Dhaka tops the list of the world's most earthquake-prone cities, Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaq said Saturday, reports bdnews24.com.
The government is gearing up disaster preparedness measures, said Dr Razzaq at a training session of the Urban Volunteer Development Programme.
Bangladesh's fire chief Shahidullah, at the same session, also warned of tough measures against owners of around 1,500 buildings that posed the highest fire risks in Dhaka.
"If the owners of these high fire-risk building do not take preventative measures on their own, legal action will be taken against them," said Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General (DG) Abu Naeem Md Shahidullah at a practice drill and volunteer training session in Mirpur.
Dr Razzaq said the condition of urban roads remained "a big problem" for the fire service, but the government's hands were currently tied in the matter.
"A coordinated initiative will have to be taken involving Rajuk, city corporations and related ministries," he said.
The food minister also cited a recent study which had shown that Dhaka and Tehran were the two most earthquake-prone cities in the world.
"With this in mind, the government has launched the urban volunteer programme, in a bid to reduce potential losses in a disaster," he added.
He said his ministry was preparing to buy modern equipment to deal more effectively with future disasters. "Greater attention has also been given to construction practices in line with the national building code," he said.
Saturday's training was held under an initiative undertaken by the food and disaster management ministry, as part of the Coordinated Disaster Management Programme.