Preparedness for an earthquake

Of all the natural calamities, earthquake is off limit to scientific and technological predictions. Even the eruption of a volcano is detected hours or even days before, leaving enough time for people living in its vicinity under grave threats to move away to a safe place. But a tremor---mild or severe---alerts not even the most sophisticated device man has invented even minutes before the particular area of the planet Erath is in turmoil. It is because of this element of unpredictability, earthquakes are most dreaded and often prove incomparably fatal.
Yet there is a gross cycle of quakes, experts in seismology have arrived at on analysis of the phenomenon's incidences in different areas, that it is likely to recur once in 200-250 years. On that count, the two mild quakes felt in Narayanganj on April 25 and Dhaka city on Friday, May 5 last should have completed their rounds. It is because two such earth quakes struck Dhaka and its surrounding in these months way back in 1982.
Had it been the case, the inhabitants of the capital and its neighbourhoods would feel free to heave a shy of relief. But instead of assuring that the lurking danger is over, experts warn that the increasing frequency of mild tremors may be a rehearsal of the ominous stage show of the phenomenon. This is scary. Is the ticking bomb waiting to explode any time soon?
The pictures of and reports on the devastation wrought by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Sudan courtesy of electronic and print media were unnerving. Let it be remembered that the area in Turkey affected by the Earth's convulsion is highly quake-prone and the buildings were constructed to withstand quite powerful of its kind. In a few instances where the buildings came badly crumbling, accusing fingers were pointed to violation of specifications in construction.
In Dhaka city where violation of building codes is rampant and many tall buildings were constructed well before the authorities came out of their hibernation to make some attempts at enforcing the building codes, the consequences of a powerful quake will be no less an enactment of a doomsday scenario. The old part of Dhaka is likely to be the hotspot of the worst catastrophe.
Clearly, the authorities run short of ideas and actions in order to meet the challenges. A series of fires in buildings has woefully exposed the weakness and inadequacy of preparation. Even measures could not be taken to avoid repeat of fire incidents in market buildings vulnerable to fire tragedies let alone the buildings at high risks to quakes.
If the mild tremors are a warning of a far greater danger, preparation should be afoot now. First the buildings most vulnerable to quakes must be demolished without any letup and then there has to be various other measures such as retrofitting, if possible, to make buildings a little bit safer. So far as the new construction is concerned, quake-resistant plans and designs have to be followed.
If the experts are to be believed, the tall residential buildings in areas where the soil is soft and brittle, even compliance of building codes may not be enough to avoid tragedies if a powerful quake of 7.0-8.0 magnitude strikes. This shows that the expansion of Dhaka on its periphery with housing complexes, particularly in water retention or flood plain zones, has not been well advised. There is need for stopping further such development in the future. This once again brings to the fore the issue of stopping the rural migration to Dhaka.
Now comes the issue of rescue operation immediately after a quake. The Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence trained volunteers quite a few years before. Now is the time to go for recruitment of an army of fresh volunteers from among the youths. Then there is a need for conducting drills block-wise in residential areas in order to make people aware of the do's and don'ts in time of a quake.

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