Savar, a township adjacent to the capital, is rapidly transforming into a densely populated and chaotic urban sprawl.
Buildings are springing up one after another—most of them unauthorized and illegal.
These structures, built without following regulations, pose a significant risk of accidents, with experts warning that without immediate intervention, the situation could escalate into a serious disaster.
According to official information, responsibility for overseeing building construction in Savar lies with the Savar municipality and the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
As per the rules of the Savar municipal authority, buildings in the area are limited to a maximum height of seven stories.
From the 2003-04 fiscal year up to April 17 of the 2024-25 fiscal year, the Savar municipality approved 7,698 buildings, which include industrial establishments.
However, the authorities admit that they have no record of how many buildings have been constructed without approval.
Meanwhile, Rajuk is responsible for approving high-rise buildings. According to a Rajuk survey in 2006, there were 149,010 structures in Savar.
A later survey in 2016 revealed that the number had more than doubled to 301,653.
Over the past nine years, this number has continued to grow.
A walk through various areas of Savar—such as Bank Colony, Radio Colony, Thana Road, Bazar Road, Shimultola, and Rajashon—reveals numerous buildings ranging from six to 10 stories.
Many of these buildings lack sufficient spacing between them and do not have proper parking facilities.
Expert opinion
Experts say that Savar has always developed in an unplanned manner, making the city extremely vulnerable.
They point to the tragic Rana Plaza collapse on April 24, 2013, where 1,175 workers lost their lives and more than 2,000 were injured.
On the anniversary of that disaster, on Thursday, they question whether city dwellers and authorities have learned anything from the tragedy.
Prof Md Akter Mahmud of Jahangirnagar University's Department of Urban and Regional Planning said: "Although the buildings being constructed fall under Rajuk's jurisdiction, there is also a local government body here—the Savar municipality. They too are responsible for oversight.
“But neither Rajuk nor the municipality is fulfilling their duties. Buildings in Savar are being constructed without any regard for rules and regulations."
He added: "There seems to be no on-site inspection personnel for building construction. As a result, the building code and construction regulations are being implemented in a very limited manner. When houses and buildings are constructed like this, they are not up to standard. There is a rule to maintain quality, but it is not being followed. Often, local masons or engineers handle the construction instead of urban planning professionals. Because of this, Savar has become a hazardous city.
“In the event of a future disaster, these buildings could collapse or become uninhabitable. The building code is not being followed, which also poses serious public health risks—such as a lack of light and ventilation, and poor structural integrity. Without proper oversight from Rajuk or the municipality, construction is dangerous and poses a major public health risk."
To mitigate the risks, experts recommend assigning responsibilities to the municipality, engineers, and urban planners.
They also stress the need to appoint building inspectors at the local level to conduct regular inspections. Without this, the danger will persist.
What do authorities say?
Although the municipality only approves buildings up to seven stories, a lack of manpower means they cannot monitor construction during the building process.
As a result, they are often unaware of how tall a building actually is after construction is completed.
Md Amzad Hossain, executive engineer of the Savar municipality, said: "We approve buildings up to seven stories. But we do not have any data on how many unauthorized buildings exist. We do have data on the approved ones. Due to a lack of sufficient manpower, it is not possible for us to create this data. If the municipality had been updating records from the beginning, this could have been done. But it was never done.
"It is a vast area, and the routine staff of the municipality cannot generate such data. A survey would be needed, but it has not been done in the past. If we receive a complaint about an unauthorized building, we try to take action. But we do not take proactive measures."
When asked whether there is any plan to address this issue, he replied: "Such activities depend on decisions at the policy-making level. If such a decision is made, maybe it will be implemented. But no such decision has been taken yet. Therefore, it is not possible to say whether a database will be created.
"Also, this area falls under Rajuk's Detailed Area Plan (DAP), so it remains unclear who gave approval for which building."
