Fire Service and Civil Defence Deputy Director Dinmoni Sharma, who led the 12 members of the fire service on the 46-member Bangladesh rescue team sent to Turkey, recently spoke to Dhaka Tribune's Mamun Abdullah about his experiences in the earthquake-hit country and stressed the importance of earthquake preparedness
What are your observations on the earthquake situation in Turkey?
At least 10 cities in Turkey have been damaged by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Adıyaman is one of them, located in south-eastern Turkey.
The city is the administrative centre of Adıyaman Province and Adiyaman District. Its population is around 290,000. The Bangladeshi rescue team participated in the rescue efforts in the city, which was one of the worst affected on February 6.
Fire Service and Civil Defence Deputy Director Dinmoni Sharma CollectedThe city is modern, but it was unprepared for a powerful quake. Thousands of buildings were at risk, and it was really difficult for the Turkish authorities and local volunteers to deal with the catastrophe.
We faced terrible cold weather and risk of aftershocks during the rescue operation. We took shelter in a cracked building. Members of the rescue team that participated in the 2012 Rana Plaza rescue operation were among those who went to Turkey, and they used that experience.
What are your suggestions for Bangladesh based on your experience there?
If an earthquake of the same magnitude occurs in Bangladesh, it would not be possible for a single organization to conduct rescue operations.
All institutions, including the mass people, would have to work together, though the situation will be more dire because we have more unplanned buildings.
The Department of Disaster Management and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief will take the lead, and we have to improve the ability of the Fire Service Division as a frontier. We suggest that a team at the ministry at policy level visit and share experiences with the Turkish authorities so that they can realize the situation and take appropriate steps.
We saw that the street in Audiyaman City is wide, so the rescue equipment was easily carried and there was room for the movement of people. But the streets of our country are narrow, especially the roads of Old Dhaka, which will create a very delicate situation. Our rescue equipment is also less adequate.
We have always warned that our unplanned sanitation, gas and electricity lines cause massive fires leading to unimaginable loss of life. In Turkey, there were no gas lines underneath the ground, and that also reduced the death rate.
The capacity of our airports is also very low and there is not enough landing space, which would even make it difficult to bring in foreign help. Due to the lack of capacity and landing space of the country's airports, foreign aid will not be available quickly, so airports near Dhaka city must be prepared from now on.
We can give an example of how Nepal wanted help from Bangladesh in landing facilities being given to them in Saidpur because their airport collapsed in the 2015 earthquake.
Considering the upcoming situation, the government should create awareness, adequate shelter centres, make a central rescue team, active transport system, equip all stakeholders, set up fire stations and implement the national building code policy.
Under the Fire Service division, we have prepared around 40,000 community volunteers, with 200 of them in each ward. But we have just given them training, not any equipment.
If we do not prepare effectively, we could face a terrible situation
How did you find the survivors under the rubble after several days?
Teams were formed from more than 40 countries as well as locals and the Turkish national rescue agency. We participated in rescue operations under the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Turkey (AFAD) in Audiyaman and Hatay province.
The rescue operation in the collapsed buildings was carried out in a cluster. Our team had members who were skilled and had experience determining where people may become trapped when government, commercial and residential buildings collapsed.
We calculated based on the time of incidents, common locations, vacuums and bed locations, and other indicators. Searching methodically makes it easier to trace people after a disaster.
The Bangladeshi rescue team saved a 17-year-old girl who was trapped under the rubble and found several bodies while searching 11 buildings.
There was no other sign of death except building pressure.
Did you face any problem reaching the disaster-hit area in Turkey? What did you see on the way?
The Bangladesh expert team reached the quake-hit country by Air Force aircraft after a 24-hour journey.
Our team consisted of a 24-member rescue team from the army, a 10-member medical team and 12 members from the fire service and civil defence. The rescue team was led by Bangladesh Army's Lt Col Md Ruhul Amin, PSC.
The people of Turkey were very kind and helpful. They welcomed all teams, especially the Bangladesh team, with cordiality and gave us a warm reception.
Sometimes, they loudly raised slogans in the name of our country and thanked us, so inspiring us during the rescue operations.
We worked day and night until finishing all rescue factors. Sometimes, we faced aftershocks and the buildings were in a hazardous state. The Bangladesh team has been able to make their signature through the Turkey rescue operation.
How capable are the Turkish authorities in tackling such a massive disaster? Did you see rescuers from any other country?
The Turkish authorities deployed all manner of manpower and rescue equipment from neighbouring cities to the ten affected cities.
There were two heavy escalators for each damaged building. All escalators were collected and carried from a distance of 500 km.
As the situation was not possible for Turkey to handle alone, the country sought international assistance.
We were coordinating with 40 countries and contacted each other through the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (ISRAG), a network of disaster-prone and disaster-responding countries and organizations dedicated to urban search and rescue and operational field coordination.
This network was conducted under the United Nations.
What were the main causes of the deaths?
Two reasons behind the high number of casualties were that the earthquake struck early in the morning, when everyone was asleep, and the buildings were not strong or capable enough to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake.
If the earthquake had happened in the daytime, maybe more people could have taken shelter. Unfortunately, science has not yet been able to innovate a device to receive information in advance of earthquakes.