Fire emerges awful threat to high-rises
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Fire is emerging as an unmanageable threat to high-rises, as most of the city buildings are being constructed violating the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC), experts told a roundtable in the city Saturday, reports UNB.
They said the government should look into the buildings, constructed without RAJUK permission.
The roundtable titled 'Fire Safety in High Rise Buildings and Provision of BNBC' was held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
Addressing the discussion, State Minister for Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan said some inspectors have been appointed to RAJUK to monitor the buildings, constructed violating the BNBC rules after having their designs passed by the organisation.
"This irregularity has become regularity, no matter what cause lies behind it. So, the activities of these inspectors will also be brought under the microscope of the monitoring cell," he said.
Prof Dr M Azadur Rahman, managing director of Acumen Consulting House Ltd and former teacher of BUET, said there is no alternative to preserving the lakes and waterbodies of the city to ensure easy availability of water in case of any fire incident.
He said BNBC measures have been divided into three categories for fire protection, preventing or controlling propagation of fire, allowing escape routes to save lives, and firefighting arrangement to quickly put out fire.
Presided over by Eng Nurul Huda, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury and Dr M Anwar Hossain.
They said the high cost of land as well as reluctance of concerned regulatory and planning authorities are encouraging the owners to construct buildings with bigger floors and levels than the permitted ones.
They said the skyline of sprawling Dhaka city has become chaotic due to haphazard construction of high-rises, putting the lives of the city-dwellers at risk.
They said the government should look into the buildings, constructed without RAJUK permission.
The roundtable titled 'Fire Safety in High Rise Buildings and Provision of BNBC' was held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
Addressing the discussion, State Minister for Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan said some inspectors have been appointed to RAJUK to monitor the buildings, constructed violating the BNBC rules after having their designs passed by the organisation.
"This irregularity has become regularity, no matter what cause lies behind it. So, the activities of these inspectors will also be brought under the microscope of the monitoring cell," he said.
Prof Dr M Azadur Rahman, managing director of Acumen Consulting House Ltd and former teacher of BUET, said there is no alternative to preserving the lakes and waterbodies of the city to ensure easy availability of water in case of any fire incident.
He said BNBC measures have been divided into three categories for fire protection, preventing or controlling propagation of fire, allowing escape routes to save lives, and firefighting arrangement to quickly put out fire.
Presided over by Eng Nurul Huda, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury and Dr M Anwar Hossain.
They said the high cost of land as well as reluctance of concerned regulatory and planning authorities are encouraging the owners to construct buildings with bigger floors and levels than the permitted ones.
They said the skyline of sprawling Dhaka city has become chaotic due to haphazard construction of high-rises, putting the lives of the city-dwellers at risk.