WHEN the earth shakes, it does not ask whether a city is ready. It exposes the truth in seconds. Prime minister Tarique Rahman’s recent directive to prepare one hundred thousand volunteers in Dhaka for post-earthquake response is, at first glance, an administrative instruction. Look closer and it is something more serious: an acknowledgment that Bangladesh’s seismic risk is no longer theoretical. It is immediate, measurable and unforgiving.
The decision follows a series of tremors felt across the country. These were not catastrophic, but they were clarifying. They reminded us of a scientific reality long articulated by geologists and engineers — Bangladesh sits perilously close to active fault lines. Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet lie in zones where tectonic pressures accumulate quietly over decades before releasing energy violently within seconds.
The difference between tragedy and resilience will not be decided in those seconds. It will be decided in the years before them.
Geography we cannot change
BANGLADESH occupies one of the most seismically sensitive regions in the world. It lies at the junction of the Indian, Eurasian and Burmese tectonic plates. This geological reality is not political, not negotiable, and not partisan. It is physics.
Research conducted by engineers at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology has repeatedly warned that a major earthquake — magnitude 7 or above — could cause widespread structural collapse in Dhaka. Thousands of buildings were constructed before modern building codes were introduced. Many more were erected without strict adherence to design standards. In a densely populated metropolis of more than 20 million people, vulnerability scales quickly.
Urbanisation in Dhaka has been rapid, vertical and often poorly regulated. Narrow roads would complicate rescue operations. Informal settlements lack structural reinforcement. Hospitals are already operating near capacity. These are not criticisms; they are facts.
The Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme has previously identified urban infrastructure fragility and limited rescue capability as systemic risks. In other words, the threat is documented. The question is whether preparation will be institutionalised.
The first 72 hours
DISASTER experts around the world emphasise a sobering truth: the first 72 hours after a major earthquake are decisive. Survival rates drop sharply after that window. Countries that have reduced earthquake fatalities did not do so through luck. They did so through planning.
Consider Japan. After the 1995 Kobe earthquake killed over 6,000 people, Japan reformed its building codes, strengthened urban search-and-rescue units and institutionalised public drills. When the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake struck — magnitude 9.0, far stronger — the death toll, while tragic, was dramatically mitigated by structural resilience and public preparedness.
Chile offers another example. Following devastating quakes in the 20th century, it implemented some of the strictest seismic construction standards in the world. When an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit in 2010, building collapses were far fewer than in comparable disasters elsewhere.
Contrast this with Haiti in 2010. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake — moderate by global standards — killed over 200,000 people. The difference was not geology. It was infrastructure and preparedness.
Bangladesh’s challenge is closer to Haiti’s vulnerability than Japan’s readiness. That is precisely why awareness and enforcement matter.
Volunteers: necessary but not sufficient
THE plan to mobilise one hundred thousand volunteers in Dhaka mirrors the successful cyclone preparedness programmes in coastal regions. Bangladesh’s achievements in cyclone management are globally recognised. In 1970, Cyclone Bhola killed hundreds of thousands. By the time Cyclone Amphan struck in 2020, early warning systems, community volunteers and evacuation shelters dramatically reduced fatalities.
That transformation did not occur overnight. It was built on sustained awareness campaigns, local engagement and institutional discipline.
An earthquake response network in Dhaka could replicate that success — but only if it extends beyond symbolic numbers. Volunteers must be trained in light search and rescue, basic first aid, evacuation coordination and communication protocols. They must know which schools and open fields are designated safe assembly areas. They must understand chain-of-command structures to prevent chaos. Preparedness is not a slogan. It is muscle memory.
Enforcement is prevention
YET response planning addresses only half the problem. The more difficult half is prevention. Strict enforcement of the Bangladesh National Building Code is indispensable. Risky structures must be identified. Retrofitting programmes, though costly, are far cheaper than post-collapse reconstruction and mass casualties. Public disclosure of high-risk buildings would create accountability. Insurance frameworks could incentivise compliance.
Data-driven governance is essential. Structural audits of bridges, flyovers and critical installations should be routine. Utility providers must ensure that gas lines and electrical systems have automatic shutoff mechanisms to prevent post-quake fires — often deadlier than the tremors themselves.
Hospitals require surge-capacity planning. Trauma care units, blood banks, temporary field hospitals and mobile medical teams must be integrated into a unified emergency plan. Earthquakes do not respect administrative boundaries; inter-agency coordination must be rehearsed before disaster strikes.
Culture of awareness
HERE lies the most underestimated variable: public behaviour. In many earthquake-prone countries, schoolchildren practice ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’ drills from an early age. Families maintain emergency kits. Media outlets broadcast preparedness guidelines regularly, not only after tremors but year-round.
In Bangladesh, awareness often spikes after an earthquake and fades as memory does. That cycle must end. During an earthquake, it is essential to prioritise personal safety by knowing what to do during the shaking, such as dropping, covering and holding on. Once the shaking stops, safely turning off gas and electricity can prevent fires and other hazards. Families and communities should establish a designated assembly point for after evacuation to ensure everyone is accounted for. It is also important to assist neighbours when possible, without putting oneself in danger. Finally, staying informed through reliable sources helps avoid misinformation and panic, allowing for a calm and coordinated response.
The media’s role is critical. Sensationalism must give way to sober instruction. Social media platforms should coordinate with authorities to counter rumours. Panic can be as destructive as structural collapse. Preparedness is civic culture. It must become habitual.
From reaction to resilience
BANGLADESH has proven that it can transform disaster response. Cyclone management once symbolised helplessness; today it symbolises competence. That success was built on early warning systems, community engagement and strict institutional coordination.
Earthquake preparedness requires the same philosophy — but with greater urgency. Cyclones offer hours of warning. Earthquakes do not.
This makes preventive measures more decisive than reactive ones. The cost of retrofitting, procurement of rescue equipment and training of urban search-and-rescue units may seem high in annual budgets. But the cost of inaction is measured in lives, not currency.
The prime minister’s directive signals recognition. A high-level review meeting to finalise post-disaster frameworks indicates seriousness. Fire Service and Civil Defence capacity enhancements are steps in the right direction. Yet leadership at the top must be matched by responsibility at every level — local governments, hospitals, utility agencies, educational institutions and individual households.
A choice before the quake
HISTORY teaches a consistent lesson: disasters expose pre-existing weaknesses. When the ground eventually moves with force — and in a tectonic region, it will — the narrative that follows will not ask whether Bangladesh knew the risk. It will ask whether Bangladesh acted on what it knew.
Preparedness is not alarmism. It is prudence. We cannot relocate fault lines. We cannot prevent tectonic pressure from building. But we can reduce vulnerability. We can enforce standards. We can train volunteers. We can educate citizens. We can coordinate institutions.
Preparedness leads to protection. Neglect invites catastrophe. The tremors felt recently were warnings delivered without mass tragedy. Warnings are a gift history rarely gives twice.
Bangladesh stands at a moment of decision — not during the shaking, but before it. Public awareness, institutional discipline and preventive governance will determine whether the next major earthquake becomes a national trauma or a testament to resilience. The earth will move when it chooses. The question is whether we will have moved first.
MA Hossain is a political and defence analyst based in Bangladesh.
