Nature's fury and our vulnerability

Of the many natural disasters that we face, earthquake holds the greatest potential for disaster for Bangladesh. There is a history of earthquakes in this region that have cost heavily in lives and property. It may surprise many to know that between 1996 and now there have been as many as 226 earthquakes in Bangladesh varying between 5.1 and 6 on the Richter scale, much lower than the 7.36 measured last Sunday.

Bangladesh is geophysically located in one of the most seismically active zones of the world which is extremely prone to earthquakes and in the past experienced some of the worst earthquakes in history. Experts opine that a relatively long period of "rest" from any major hazards and high attention paid to other disasters such as cyclones, floods, etc. have led to both neglect and denial of earthquake as the most destructive of all natural disasters.

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While it is difficult to exactly predict natural calamities, the advancement in technology and the minute study of the pattern of occurrence can give certain telltale indications of things to come. Thus, there is a need for a two-pronged strategy in this regard in order to formulate a comprehensive pre and post earthquake management programme to minimize the loss of lives and property in the event of such disasters. One is to acquire state of the art equipment to follow the occurrence as well to undertake international networking for data sharing in this regard. Second, and equally importantly, we must evolve both short term and long term measures to mitigate the effects of earthquakes. Public awareness of the dangers, implementation of building code, use of appropriate building materiel that would withstand the shocks of a severe earthquake, are things the government must turn its attention to.

The sooner this is done the better it will be.