Earthquake: 23 highly vulnerable buildings to be demolished in Sylhet

Sylhet district administration has decided to demolish 23 buildings identified as highly vulnerable to earthquakes, beginning next week.

The decision came at a meeting on earthquake preparedness and response held at Nagar Bhaban yesterday (24 November) afternoon.

Divisional Commissioner and Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Khan Md Reza-un-Nabi chaired the meeting.

Senior officials, including Deputy Commissioner Md Sarwar Alam and SCC Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Rezai Rafin Sarker, and experts attended the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Sarwar Alam said many people are still living and doing business in these risky buildings.

"For the safety of residents, we have decided to demolish these buildings quickly," he added.

He also said that narrow roads in many parts of the city could hinder rescue efforts during disasters and stressed the need for special attention to this issue.

Professor Dr Jajir Bin Alam of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology's Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, who led the building assessment, said they surveyed 6,000 buildings and found 23 to be extremely vulnerable.

But the actual number of risky buildings is likely much higher, he said.

"There are around 44,000 buildings in the city. Without surveying each of them, it is not possible to accurately determine the level of risk," he said.