Monitoring building code violation

Widespread violation of national building code, formulated in 1993, continues in the absence of proper supervision by the relevant authorities. An exclusive report, published in The Financial Express in its issue of April 14 last, says that despite a High Court (HC) order in 2010 to set up an authority to monitor compliance with building code, the government has failed to do so. Such inaction on the part of the ministry of housing and public works has led to the proliferation of risky buildings in cities and towns across the country, both in private and public sectors.
The national building code envisages that the government must set up a permanent institute to supervise construction of buildings as per their approved designs. It is reported that the national building code was prepared by the government on the basis of discussions with the experts of 25 institutions of the country.
Amid the collapse or tilting of a large number of high-rise buildings in Dhaka city and elsewhere in the country due to construction faults in recent times, the need for a national institute to enforce building code can hardly be overemphasised. Lack of proper supervision by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), the lone city development authority,
suffering from acute staff shortage and other logistics, the building code is followed more in violation than compliance. The size of Dhaka city has expanded considerably over the years   making it all the more difficult for RAJUK to supervise the construction of all structures, particularly high-rise buildings. The developers are found running after profit and not safety of the buildings they are constructing.
Experts suggest that the government should take firm stand against those developers and individuals who violate building code. Proper implementation of the code can only help minimize damage to life and property in the event of building collapse. In most cases, the RAJUK officials can only respond when a collapse or tilting of buildings takes place. The authority is hard put to supervise the construction of buildings from beginning to end and ensure whether the building code is followed.
Moreover, the RAJUK is also burdened with the problem of those buildings already identified vulnerable by it. It has found that 1000 buildings including some at the Bangladesh Secretariat are vulnerable to earthquakes. A special committee, formed by RAJUK earlier to identify the risky buildings in the city, has said in its report that 10 fire stations out of 13 which were constructed half a century ago are vulnerable to moderate earthquakes. The main building of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital is risky. Despite recommendations by the experts for retrofitting those vulnerable buildings on an emergency basis nothing has been done as yet   due to bureaucratic bottleneck.
Meanwhile, the effectiveness of the national building code itself, as we reported earlier in this column, has been questioned by a visiting Japanese expert. Shunsuke Otani, a visiting professor of University of Tokyo, had said that the national building code is a copy of the US building code which cannot ensure safety of buildings in the country during earthquakes. Otani had observed that the US building codes have been developed over the years and copying of it cannot reduce vulnerability of the buildings in Bangladesh. He advised the authorities concerned to prepare building code on the basis of local condition.
Improper piling, faulty construction, use of inferior quality materials and violation of building code have been found to be responsible for the collapse of many buildings in the city in the recent past. Most of the collapsed buildings have one thing in common, that is, the structures were raised on wetlands. In order to save money, the developers hardly lay foundation at the required depth.
Under the prevailing situation, the relevant government agencies must act in a coordinated manner and ensure that construction rules are strictly followed as per building code. Side by side work on retrofitting of vulnerable buildings should be undertaken forthwith to minimize loss to public life and property in the event of their collapse.
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