Construction on weak land making Dhaka more vulnerable to earthquakes

Rapid construction of housing and high-rise infrastructure on weak land without proper study on geological features have been alarmingly increasing the risk of earthquakes and other urban disasters in Dhaka, city planners said at a webinar on Tuesday.

"The soils of the east and west sides of Dhaka, where rapid urbanisation took place in the last two decades, are not compatible with urbanisation at all. So the areas became more vulnerable to earthquakes," said Md Mahfuzul Haque, professor of geological sciences at Jahangirnagar University.

In case of disaster, casualties will be higher in areas like Basila where buildings are erected by filling water reservoirs and wetlands, he said at the event, titled "Topography and Subsurface Geology of Dhaka City: Implications in Urban Planning", organised by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Jahangirnagar University.

"The depth of Dhaka's surface soils hovers between five and eighteen metres. The risk of disasters has been on the rise as the endurance of soils is not studied properly before building construction," he added.

If the root problem is not addressed, no measures cannot help, believe the professor and added that several projects have been taken to fix the waterlogging problem in Chattogram but they are unlikely to bear fruits as geological features have not been taken into consideration there.

"Codes and other laws are not being followed in the construction of buildings. Moreover, urbanisation is taking place randomly with pressure from influential groups," said Adil Muhammad Khan, professor of The Urban and Regional Planning Department.

"Although some people benefit temporarily, all will face nature's revenge, as we have seen in the recent floods in Sylhet," he added.

They also said paying due importance to the nature of the soil, height of the ground, and geological features in urban planning can significantly reduce the risks of urban disasters in Bangladesh.

The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, also known as Rajuk, with its Urban Resilience Project has outlined the ideal way of land development taking into account the nature of the soil and geological features of Dhaka, noted Professor Akhtar Mahmud of the same department and urged all to comply with it for sustainable development.

Former chairman of the department Professor AKM Abul Kalam said apart from adopting a comprehensive plan for the preparation for urban disasters, following the building codes is a must.

He urged the authorities concerned to effectively implement the National Building Code at the earliest.