Dilapidated buildings in Dhaka

Dhaka is a historic and glorious city which has a history of 400 years or more. Due to unplanned urbanisation and utter negligence of the concerned authorities, Dhaka has become one of the most unlivable cities of the world. Many dilapidated buildings in Dhaka are still being used for human habitation. Some of these buildings are in such a precarious condition that one or more of them may collapse any time causing loss of valuable human lives. We witnessed many such incidents occurring that raised a lot of sensation temporarily but the noise subsided after some time. There was no follow-up action from the authorities, not to speak of any long term planning to avert such incidents. We only wake up from our slumber when something terrible happens and go back to sleep immediately afterwards. We conveniently forget the well-known proverb "Prevention is better than cure". I remember in 2010 a four-storied building collapsed in Dhaka killing 25 people, including children. With so many old and dilapidated buildings posing serious threats for the city dwellers, all concerned authorities should take up a concerted and coordinated action plan to avert any further incident. Particularly, if we look at old Dhaka, we will find innumerable structures which should be demolished without any further delay. Additionally, in view of narrow and zigzag roads, it is very difficult for fire service and medical teams to reach there if and when a disaster takes place in old Dhaka. Due to rising demand, many greedy building owners have extended their old buildings upwards despite not having a strong enough structure to take additional load. It is high time the authorities concerned looked into the matter and took immediate action so that any mishap can be averted.
Masud Rana
Dhanmondi, Dhaka