Capital at risk of destruction7-magnitude quake can destroy 72000 bld Some 72,000 buildings in Dhaka will be destroyed completely if an earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale originating from Madhupur Fault hits the capital city, according to a CDMP study. Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme presented its study at a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management on March 22 this year. The CDMP conducted the study from February 2008 to August 2009.
It also told the meeting that it identified 10,000 buildings in Dhaka
that are at the risk of massive destruction.
Similarly, 6,000 buildings in Chittagong and 3,000 structures in
Sylhet are at the risk of collapsing by the earthquake, said the officials working with the project.
Experts say the intensity of Sunday’s 6.8-magnitude earthquake was less as
its origin was over 500 kilometres off Bangladesh. The country could
have seen havoc had the origin been in 100 kilomtres.
The standing committee on June 21 again discussed the government’s
preparations to deal with possible calamities after earthquakes in the country.
The disaster management bureau said it prepared the quake-map for
Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet regions pointing out the probable faults of earthquake in Bangladesh.
According to the minutes of the meeting held on March 22, the housing and
public works ministry had been working to insert a provision into the
Building Code for the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings.
daily sun has obtained a copy of the meetings’ proceedings.
The disaster management bureau officials told the meeting that the
government had formed the Earthquake Preparedness and Awareness
Committee headed by the Food and Disaster Management Minister.
“We will form committees at the district and upazila level to take
preparations for possible calamities after earthquakes in the country,” Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaq told reporters on Monday at the secretariat.
He said the government has taken measures to create people’s awareness
