There are risks of a big earthquake hitting Bangladesh, so it is crucial to formulate short-time and long-time roadmaps to address any damage caused by such a disaster. Though a lot of money has been spent on raising awareness, earthquake preparedness was not emphasised.
Bangladesh Earthquake Society (BES) founder, Secretary General, and also a professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Dr Mehedi Ahmed Ansary made the remarks at a shadow parliament on addressing earthquake damage.
The event, organised by Debate for Democracy was held in the capital’s FDC on Saturday.
Dr Ansary further said, “The government agencies have issues, and bureaucratic red tape is a major hurdle. Everyone at the Department of Disaster Management is a bureaucrat, and there are no engineers or geologists. Besides, there are still irregularities in RAJUK.
“There is corruption there, and no services are available without money. Granting approval through the Electronic Construction Permitting System (ECPS) is a step towards the right direction. But it still lacks transparency.”
Presiding over the event, Debate for Democracy Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran said, “The city’s 65 per cent buildings were built on weak soil, which is the key reason behind building safety hazards.
“The organisations responsible for ensuring building safety are not performing their duties properly. There is also a lack of supervision in whether the buildings are following designs approved by RAJUK.”
He added, “There are allegations that it takes more than a year to get a design approved by RAJUK. It is also difficult to get occupancy certificates after construction of a building ends. A dishonest segment of officials are involved in irregularities.
“The construction of risky buildings cannot be stopped unless the relevant regulatory authorities perform their duties with sincerity. The government has to take the lead role in addressing the damage caused by earthquakes, as the building owners have limited capacity.”
Bangladesh University of Textiles defeated the debaters of Rajshahi University in a shadow parliament titled “Responsibility of building owners can reduce earthquake damage.”
Prof Abu Mohammad Rais, Prof Dr Tajul Islam Chowdhury Tuhin, journalist Shahriar Anirban, and architect Sabrina Yeasmin Mili served as judges in the event. The winners received a crest, trophy and certificate.
