Bangladesh experienced over 30 earthquakes in the past one year. Though most of them were minor in intensity, measuring between 2.9 and 5.7 on the Richter Scale, they sounded the alarm for the country. Bangladesh is inherently prone to seismic activities as the country is located in an area where the Indian, Eurasian, and Burmese tectonic plates converge. The quakes Bangladesh experienced were minor and did not do much damage but they might be the harbingers of a catastrophic one. Now a critical question has come to the fore - whether Bangladesh is prepared to deal with the aftermath of a major quake. The answer is certainly 'not'. One of the major vulnerabilities for the country stems from the lack of proper enforcement of the National Building Code. The code offers proper guidelines on earthquake-resistant buildings, but still there is no proper enforcement and the construction of unauthorised and unplanned structures is still on the rise, especially in urban and suburban areas. There is no proper monitoring mechanism, and in most cases, the issue of political and financial corruption influences the approval of structures. Without proper enforcement, the existence of the code itself becomes futile.
Bangladesh's urban landscape is filled with structures built before the introduction of seismic design standards. These structures are extremely vulnerable to destruction in the event of an earthquake. Even critical structures such as schools, hospitals, and government offices lack a retrofit. In case of an earthquake, these structures could become disaster zones themselves. In a city where there is a very high density of population, any collapse of structures could lead to a large number of deaths. Besides, narrow roads could greatly hamper rescue and relief efforts. There is a lack of space in these cities for emergency sheltering thanks to unplanned growth. Disaster response and management require proper coordination among different agencies. However, there is often poor coordination between different agencies such as city corporations, RAJUK, Fire Service, the police, and disaster management authorities. There is often a lack of emergency response planning, and this could lead to confusion and loss of precious time when it is needed the most.
The emergency response process in Bangladesh has resource constraints. The search and rescue equipment is inadequate in managing collapses in cities. The number of trained urban search and rescue personnel is very low compared to the possible emergency response demands. Hospitals, already overcrowded, are not equipped to handle emergency response situations. The public awareness about earthquake response is also very low. Most people are not aware of the internationally accepted techniques to protect themselves in case of earthquakes. They are also not aware of the emergency response procedures.
Retrofitting of buildings is one of the most important measures to minimise earthquake risks. But there is no large-scale retrofitting initiative from the government. The high cost of retrofitting is a major reason why the initiative is not taken on a voluntary basis by the owners of buildings. The focus of disaster management policies is also a problem. These policies usually focus more on providing relief after disasters than preparing for and preventing them.
A comprehensive plan is needed to address these issues. What is most important here is the enforcement of the National Building Code. A countrywide programme should be taken to identify and retrofit critical infrastructures. Disaster management should be decentralised through community-based preparedness initiatives to improve disaster response while healthcare facilities should develop plans to respond to mass casualties and improve trauma management training to address trauma victims. SO, more budgetary allocation should go to disaster preparedness.
Public awareness needs to be made a national priority while earthquake safety education requires to be incorporated into academic curricula, and nationwide drills be conducted to ensure grassroots preparedness. The media can play a key role in the promotion of public awareness on earthquake safety and preparedness.
Earthquakes cannot be prevented, but their consequences can be minimised through foresight and disciplined implementation of disaster preparedness strategies.
