The city authorities in Dhaka have no preparation or training to successfully and effectively run rescue missions if an earthquake of any magnitude hits the capital city.
Both the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) lack the equipment required to run rescue operations should a disaster – natural or man-made – occurs in the capital, city corporation officials told the Dhaka Tribune.
Nor do these authorities have sufficiently trained manpower to run such rescue drives, the added.
“We are not properly equipped to run rescue drives in case a disaster such as earthquake strikes the city,” admitted DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon. “We are not prepared enough to immediately respond in time of a crisis like that.”
But it is the city authorities that are mainly responsible for the rescue efforts post-disaster, according to the City Corporation Act 2009.
Since they are lacking the proper rescue equipment, the Dhaka city corporations have been relying on whatever equipment they have in times of disasters.
For instance, after the Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013, the authorities ran their rescue operation using lift cranes, digging cranes and tow trucks which are generally used for eviction drives, road construction, street light setting and garbage management.
The Rana Plaza disaster also revealed that the city authorities do not have specialised tools to rescue victims from rubbles of collapsed buildings.
“The city corporations have huge responsibility when it comes to protecting the people living in the cities from any disaster, including earthquakes. But our city authorities are simply not prepared at all,” said Mehedi Ahmed Ansary, professor of civil engineering in Buet and an expert on urban development.
“They have a lot of limitations. I think the government should set up a central wing equipped to respond when a disaster strikes with the support of all authorities concerned, including the city corporations.”
Khokon said the government is in talks with the World Bank about getting a loan to procure rescue equipment.
“The government is negotiating with the World Bank to get a soft loan of Tk14,000 crore, which is to be distributed to the city corporations and other relevant organisations to procure the necessary equipment to run rescue efforts,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
The Fire Sevice and Civil Defence, who is usually the first government authority to respond in times of disasters, are supposed to operate under the supervision of the DNCC and DSCC, according to the City Corporation Act 2009. But in reality, it runs under the Ministry of Home Affairs. There is not much coordination between the two authorities, sources said.
“The act says that the fire service is supposed to work under the city corporations. So we are discussing with the Home Ministry how we can make it happen,” Sayeed Khokon said.
The DNCC and DSCC are also responsible for building awareness in the capital on what to do during and after earthquakes by running campaigns and such, but little efforts have been invested in that, the officials said.
“We are preparing to run awareness building campaign. We will also take up training programmes with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief on awareness building and disaster response,” said DNCC CEO Md Mesbahul Islam.
