Most city buildings have no strength to tolerate quake

Most of the buildings in Dhaka city, either built by the developers or by common people, do not have the strength to tolerate an earthquake with a magnitude of seven in the Richter scale, Food and Disaster Management Secretary Mohammad Mokhlesur Rahman said yesterday.
He said this while talking to reporters at BANBEIS Building in the city, quoting a survey conducted by the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP).
Earlier, Mokhlesur Rahman inaugurated a three-day workshop on preliminary aid and relief for disaster-prone region as the chief guest.
Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO (BNCU) in association with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) Regional Office in Tehran organised the workshop.
A total of 30 representatives from government and non-government organisations are participating in the workshop.
Mokhlesur Rahman said Tk 70 crore has been allocated in the current fiscal year to buy equipment for conducting rescue operations.
Besides, about 1,000 volunteers have been given training on disaster preparedness as part of the government's plan to train around 62,000 volunteers in three years, he added.
The secretary said the Bangladeshi delegation in the upcoming conference on climate change in Copenhagen would seek compensation for the adverse impacts of global warming.
Mohammad Farhad Uddin, director general of the Disaster Management Bureau, and Mehdi Ahmed Rajavi of ISESCO also spoke at the inaugural session.