2.1 million buildings in dhaka need immediate inspection, says professor Ansari

Professor Mehedi Ahmed Ansary of the civil engineering department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology has called the 5.7-magnitude earthquake that shook the country a “warning for a major future earthquake”, urging immediate preparedness.

Highlighting the potential catastrophe in Dhaka if a strong earthquake strikes, he said the buildings need to be checked now. He stressed that buildings in Dhaka require immediate inspection.

He said the government would not need to spend money on this, and RAJUK could inform the public and certify buildings according to the building code after inspections.

The earthquake, recorded at 5.7 on the Richter scale at 10.38am on Friday, had its epicentre at Madhabdi in Narsingdi near Dhaka.

The 26-second quake initially caused panic as people rushed out of homes. Soon after, reports of deaths and damage began to emerge.

Three people died in Dhaka after building railings collapsed, while wall collapses in Narayanganj and Narsingdi killed three more. Many others were injured.

Reports of leaning buildings, cracked walls and fallen plaster emerged from various parts of Dhaka.

Professor Mehedi Ahmed Ansary said today’s quake can be called a foreshock, meaning one of the smaller tremors before a major earthquake.

He recalled the history of the 8.1-magnitude earthquake in this region in 1897, saying such quakes strike every 250 to 300 years. No major quake has occurred here since 1930, but research indicates risk.

Referring to the cracks seen in buildings across Dhaka on Friday, the expert said such damage is expected. Dhaka has around 2.1 million houses, including 1.5 million one- to two-storey structures, around 600,000 four- to six-storey buildings, and many ten- to twenty-storey ones.

To illustrate the scale of damage a major building collapse could cause, he mentioned the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster. For this reason, he urged the government to take steps now.

He said Friday’s earthquake reminds us why inspection of buildings in Dhaka is necessary. The damage that occurred at 5.7 on the Richter scale would be far worse at magnitude 7, with buildings collapsing and casualties rising. If an earthquake of that scale strikes within 100 kilometres of Dhaka, 200,000 to 300,000 people could be casualties and about 35 percent of the city could collapse.

To avoid such a disaster, he emphasised identifying risky buildings in Dhaka, repairing them and issuing certificates. Buildings should be checked seriously from now, given certificates, and classified by colour code.

Three types of colours are used in such cases.

Professor Ansary said that the United States, India and Japan categorise buildings in this way before earthquakes. Bangladesh can also tag buildings with colour codes, placing plaques on them.