dhaka city: Building code violations heighten quake chances
Staff Reporter:
Leading geologists and engineers have warned that Dhaka, one of the world’s most densely populated megacities, faces a potential catastrophic humanitarian disaster if hit by a major earthquake. Assessments reveal that over eight lakh of the capital’s 21.45 lakh buildings could collapse if a quake of magnitude 7 or higher strikes the area. Experts attribute the high vulnerability to poor enforcement of the national building code, unauthorised construction, flawed designs, and decades of lax oversight, placing Dhaka among the most earthquake-prone capitals worldwide. Without urgent measures to ensure construction quality and adherence to safety standards, the city’s exposure to seismic risk remains dangerously high.
On November 21, Dhaka and surrounding districts experienced severe shaking from a magnitude-5.7 earthquake. At least 10 people were confirmed dead and more than 100 injured. A magnitude-3.3 aftershock struck Narsingdi area the following morning and evening, heightening concerns that a larger and more destructive quake may be imminent.
Bangladesh’s leading geologists say the quake was not an isolated event, but a precursor to something more dangerous.
Dr Syed Humayun Akhter, former professor of geology at the University of Dhaka and former vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Open University said that the earthquake originated along the boundary of the Burma Plate in the east and the Indian Plate in the west.
“This plate boundary had been locked for many years. The magnitude-5.7 event has unlocked it,” he said.
According to him, Bangladesh narrowly avoided a far worse disaster. “We are fortunate the quake was not magnitude 7 or 7.5. But such a major earthquake may happen in the near future.”
Research shows that the region has accumulated enough tectonic stress to trigger a quake as powerful as magnitude 8.2 to 9, Dr Akhter added. “Only a tiny amount of that energy was released this time.”
He said Friday’s shaking was among the strongest felt in recent memory, with a shallow depth of just 10 kilometres-making it far more damaging.
Dr Anwar Hossain Bhuiyan, professor at the University of Dhaka’s Department of Geology, explained that Bangladesh lies near the junction of three major tectonic plates-the Indian, Burmese and Eurasian plates-making earthquakes inevitable.
The country’s subsurface is composed largely of soft sedimentary rocks that amplify shaking. When the natural frequency of the ground matches the vibration frequency of buildings, the effects are devastating, he warned.