Dhaka City: Highest quake risk-zones identified

Staff Reporter :

Dhaka city is highly vulnerable to earthquake damage, with 15 areas identified as the most at risk.

These high-risk areas include Sabujbagh, Kamrangirchar, Hazaribagh, Kafrul, Ibrahimpur, Kallyanpur, Gabtoli, Uttara, Sutrapur, Shyampur, Manikdi, Mohammadpur, Pallabi, Khilgaon, and Badda.

Although parts of Old Dhaka have relatively strong soil, many buildings there are old and structurally weak, increasing the risk of collapse in a major earthquake.
An earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale was felt again in Dhaka and surrounding areas on Thursday, November 27, at around 4:15 pm. The epicenter of this tremor was Ghorashal in Narsingdi district.

Earlier, on November 21, a much stronger earthquake registering 5.5 magnitudes shook Dhaka and several parts of the country. The quake caused cracks in numerous buildings and infrastructure across the capital and nearby districts, resulting in fatalities and over a hundred injuries.

Experts warn that the real seismic risk remains deeply rooted in the Dhaka metropolitan region.
Rubaiyat Kabir, the officer in charge of the Earthquake Monitoring Center at the Meteorological Department, said there is no major fault line within Dhaka capable of producing an 8 to 9 magnitude quake. However, the active fault near Madhupur, around 60 kilometers away, could trigger shocks up to magnitude 7.

He warned that such a quake could cause catastrophic damage, particularly in Dhaka’s newly reclaimed land areas, potentially exceeding all previous casualty records and even altering the city’s geological landscape.
Geologists warn that a significant earthquake around magnitude 7 on the Madhupur fault zone, located about 60 kilometers from Dhaka, could cause severe damage, and particularly in newly filled areas of the city. Such an event could result in unprecedented casualties and widespread destruction, potentially altering the city’s geography. Experts point to unplanned urbanisation and construction on vulnerable land as major factors exacerbating the potential disaster.
The risk is further underscored by recent tremors felt in Dhaka and nearby areas, which experts interpret as warning signs of a larger earthquake. Human mismanagement rather than nature itself is the main cause of potential disaster.
The overall lack of strict adherence to building codes and adequate earthquake preparedness measures heightens the danger for Dhaka’s dense population and infrastructure.