Make disaster preparedness time-befitting: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for a nationwide campaign to aware people about dos and don'ts during calamities alongside making the disaster preparedness a time-befitting one.

She said this while addressing the National Disaster Management Council held at the Prime Minister's Office.

The PM emphasised continued review of preparedness measures taken by the council. “We will have to review the disaster preparedness regularly and fix up our dos and don'ts,” she stressed.

She also directed the authorities concerned to take measures not only to face disasters but also to prevent man-made calamities such as fire incidents through appropriate plans.

She said a guideline (related to disaster) will have to be disseminated informing people what steps to take in case of a disaster. Hasina also highlighted conducting the awareness campaign at personal and organisational levels.

Talking about the recent FR Tower fire, she prayed for salvation of the departed souls of the fire victims. “People have to be alerted so that man-made accidents don't occur,” she said.

The PM urged people to be cautious while using electrical equipment, gas cylinders and flammable substances to minimise the risk of accidents.

Noting that Bangladesh is a densely populated country, she said it is disaster-prone due to its geographical location.

Referring to the 1991 cyclone during the BNP-Jamaat regime, she said, “The then government was not aware about the disaster for which tens of thousands of people were killed.”

In this context, she said her government had successfully tackled the 1997 cyclone and the 1998 flood, minimising the casualties significantly.