Turkey lessons: How prepared we are for earthquake

Majhar Mannan :
The risk of a terrible earthquake like Turkey is likely also in our country and how prepared we are in that case is a question. In recent times, there have been incidents of buildings collapsing in different parts of the country, including the capital. Many buildings are tilting or collapsing without any major earthquakes, natural disasters and landslides and these issues are now creating a kind of panic among the people. We must learn from this terrible earthquake in Turkey and make adequate preparations to save the buildings and people of Dhaka city during the earthquake. But we don’t seem to have that kind of preparation because we haven’t been able to take that kind of preparation now.
Unplanned and unregulated buildings are occasionally damaged and tilted causing loss of life and property as well as financial damage to the owner. The number of building collapses has increased in the country recently, especially in the capital. An investigation into all the building collapses or tilting incidents in the country so far has revealed that none of them were built properly. Irregularities in the construction of tilted buildings in Dhaka’s Keraniganj have become clear. The history of collapsed and tilted buildings shows that they were built without proper approval and proper piling, so they could not survive. Experts believe that the collapse or tilting of the building is due to a number of reasons, the use of substandard materials, unplanned construction of the building and the construction defects. High-rise buildings are being built everywhere by filling ditches or ponds without heeding any rules and regulations, which is increasing the risk of life and the risk of building collapses. When a building collapses without an earthquake or a major natural disaster, it is easy to imagine what kind of catastrophic situation an earthquake would cause.
The Rana Plaza collapse in Savar is a great proof of the fact that the building was constructed in a faulty way and that it was out of design. Experts say there is a possibility of a major earthquake and that a large number of buildings in Dhaka city are likely to collapse due to such an earthquake and there is also a possibility of loss of life. The unplanned construction of the building is not stopping but increasing day by day and it seems that there is none to see it.
There are policies for building construction in the capital and which is overseen by RAJUK but many do not follow the building construction policy and low quality rods are being used in the construction of buildings and even bamboo has been used in some places, the newspaper reported. Experts claim that the collapse of the building is due to the use of weak rods and bricks and other materials. Analysts believe that this is due to the fact that all the buildings that have been constructed by filling the reservoirs are not being properly piloted or are not being properly supervised. If the building is constructed according to the design and proper rules and if the soil test and piling are in order, there is no chance to tilt of the building. There have been frequent earthquakes in recent times and there is a kind of fear in everyone’s mind and a big earthquake can destroy the city of Dhaka, so in order to build a building, the correct rules and legal designs must be followed. Building construction techniques and types should be changed to prevent collapse and tilting and at the same time maximum construction precautions should be taken. The design of RAJUK is often at odds with the multi-storey buildings in the capital, and in most cases, these buildings have been built with the help of corruption. RAJUK approves design for the construction of buildings in the capital and at the same time it is the responsibility of RAJUK to monitor the buildings, then the question arises as to how such illegal construction of buildings is taking place in front of RAJUK’s eyes.
If there is any negligence in the construction of the building, RAJUK will look into it and in that case it has the power to take appropriate action. If RAJUK is strict in approving and designing buildings, it is not possible for anyone to continue building outside these rules. Due to unplanned construction of buildings everywhere, Dhaka city has already become uninhabitable and unwise construction has created congested environment and unhealthy environment.

(The writer is Assistant Professor, B A F Shaheen College Kurmitola, Dhaka Cantonment).