Dealing with unforeseen disasters

SOME clear lessons have emerged from the building collapse in Begunbari the other day. And these lessons centre around the capacity building, or lack of it, that has come to be associated with disaster management in Bangladesh. While it is a fact that by now we have somehow learned how to deal with such major natural disasters as floods, cyclones and the like, we are yet to come to terms with measures for handling tragedies of the kind that has befallen Begunbari. In the case of natural disasters, there is a response mechanism in place, a truth which has been proved in these past few years. Now, given the regular disasters that have been happening in other areas --- collapsed buildings, fires in shanties, even road accidents --- it becomes important that serious thought be given to devising measures of coming to the aid of those affected by unforeseen circumstances.
We are, briefly, in a situation where preparedness is conspicuous by its absence. Be it a fire in a shanty or the collapse of a billboard on a busy urban street, the outfits which are expected, indeed trained, to handle such incidents all too often fail to come up to the task. In short, we are all caught unawares when disaster of this magnitude strikes. Civil defence forces and the fire service are quite unable to grapple with the immensity of the disaster. It has been seen that when fires engulf the top floors of a high-rise building, the fire control equipment proves to be inadequate in handling the crisis. Water hoses and ladders are inadequate. All of this inevitably leads to a condition where the army must be brought in to help recovery and rehabilitation. And that is what we have again observed in the Begunbari case. Of course, the expertise of the army comes in handy. But why must there be a condition where every time it is the soldiers we go back to to help people in distress?
The time has surely come for the government to take a serious, hard look at the cause behind the kind of tragedy we have seen at Begunbari and the possible ways of handling such tragedy when it occurs. In the capital as also in other urban areas, scores upon scores of uninhabitable buildings threaten the lives of those who occupy them as well as those living in the vicinity. Besides, many of these structures are situated in such a way that they cannot be approached easily if and when disaster strikes. It is of critical importance that the government take a thorough, well-formulated decision in the form of a policy package as a clear step towards handling unforeseen crises. We must also note that with Bangladesh now in an earthquake-vulnerable zone, steps must be in place to acquaint people with safety measures should a severe quake strike. Such a policy must bring into its ambit not just up-to-date equipment but also ensure focused training of personnel in disaster handling.