The recent earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand which wreaked absolute havoc in Myanmar especially is once again a reminder of just how unprepared Bangladesh is in withstanding earthquakes.
According to reports, a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of Southeast Asia this past Friday, resulting in casualties and absolutely flattened skyscrapers from Myanmar to Thailand, with the epicentre being Myanmar’s Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. While shocks from the quake were indeed felt in parts of Bangladesh, thankfully we were able to bypass any significant damage or casualties -- however, the prospect of our country experiencing earthquakes of any significant magnitudes has always been high, especially the capital.
According to experts, a major seismic event could lead to catastrophic loss of life and infrastructure, given the city’s extreme population density, haphazard construction, and lack of emergency response mechanisms. While Bangladesh has made commendable progress in disaster preparedness for cyclones and floods, earthquake resilience remains a glaring vulnerability.
The Nepal earthquake from 2015, which killed thousands of people, was a grim reminder of what could happen in Dhaka -- a city with even weaker infrastructure and far greater population density. Experts warn that an earthquake of similar magnitude here could collapse thousands of poorly constructed buildings, cripple utilities, and overwhelm emergency services. The aftermath, as one could imagine, would be catastrophic.
Some of the most immediate steps that the authorities must take are stricter enforcement of building codes, mandating public awareness and drills, overhauling out urban planning measures to prioritize infrastructure safety over vested interests, and strengthening our emergency response.
As we have seen, other earthquake-prone nations like Japan and Chile have shown that preparedness saves lives. Bangladesh must invest in resilience now -- before the next big quake turns our complacency into catastrophe. The cost of inaction will be measured not just in economic losses, but in countless preventable deaths.
