Bangladesh at risks of earthquakes

Syed Shemul Parvez :
Bangladesh is facing a high risk of moderate to strong earthquakes that may result in widespread damage and loss of thousand of lives, said experts.
They said, Bangladesh is located at the junction of three dynamic tectonic plates. A lot of energy is being stored there as the plates are active. As a result, Bangladesh is at risk of excessive earthquakes.
In 1918, an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 was felt in Srimangal, Bangladesh. After that there were many earthquakes in the country, but the magnitude did not rise above 5. Only in 2007, it was recorded an earthquake of magnitude 6.0.
A previous study said that a 2,500-km-long major fault line has developed beneath the surface of the earth from the Hindukush mountains up to Myanmar. This poses a serious threat of jolting the earth anytime that would be devastating for countries like Bangladesh (including its capital city Dhaka) lying only 100 km from it, said experts.
Experts said Bangladesh may be jolted anytime as the country didn’t face a strong earthquake in the last 100 years.
When asked, Professor ASM Maksud Kamal of Disaster Science and Management Department of Dhaka University (DU) told The New Nation that the north-east region of Bangladesh, which has the Dauki fault, has experienced major earthquakes or geological conditions similar to major earthquakes. There appears to be energy savings. We are going through a period of moderate to large earthquakes.
However, Rajuk is talking about constructing structures in compliance with building codes to avoid earthquake damage.
Rajuk Chief Engineer Ujjal Mallik said, “We are doing this with the help of World Bank through Urban Project. It’s almost final. If it is a re-sensitive zone, then we will see which area is earthquake prone and earthquake free.” There are two main sources of hazardous earthquakes in Bangladesh. One is the 300 km long Dawkey fault. And the other is the subduction zone of the Chittagong Hill Tracts from Teknaf, he said.
If there is a big earthquake in Bangladesh like Turkey, there is a big threat of loss of life due to the gas and electricity of Suarez line under the ground, said Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense (DG) Brigadier General Mohammad Sajjad Hossain. He said, earthquake tremors can cause major damage by catching fire in underground gas lines. In this case, rescue operations will also become difficult.
A major earthquake may occur in Dhaka city. We are working with that very mindfully. We have purchased state-of-the-art equipment and training our manpower. Besides, those who will work with us are also being trained, he said Unplanned urbanization is a risk for us. We will have trained manpower and equipment, but how will we reach some narrow and zigzag places like Old Dhaka in case of an earthquake?, he raised the question!
In 1548, the earthquake shook Sylhet and Chattogram. At the time, muddy water erupts from cracks on the surface. And in 1642, Sylhet was severely damaged by a severe earthquake.
In 1762, an earthquake of magnitude 8.5 on the Teknaf Myanmar fault caused St. Martin Island to rise about 6 meters. Apart from this, Myanmar’s Chidua Island rises up to 6 meters and mudslides has raised in the Sitakunda hill.
Earthquake was felt in Sylhet in 1775, 1812, 1865, but in 1869 earthquake many buildings and rivers were destroyed. It is said that the elephant of Marmi poet and Baul artist Hasan Raja died in the crack of this earthquake.
And in 1897, 5 minutes and 15 seconds earthquake destroyed the houses and killed 545 people.