In the past 24 hours, at least 133 earthquakes have occurred in various parts of the world, according to popular earthquake tracking website “EarthquakeTracker.com.”
The website provided this update on Tuesday (25 November) afternoon. It further reported that in the past seven days, at least 854 earthquakes occurred worldwide, and in the past month, 3,589 earthquakes were recorded.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh experienced one of its most severe earthquakes in decades on Friday (21 November), which shook the entire country. The tremor, lasting only a few seconds, claimed the lives of 10 people. The following day, multiple aftershocks created fear and anxiety, with frequent tremors continuing to threaten the nation. The risk of another major earthquake is high, but the country’s preparation is insufficient.
Government officials have stated that while some preparations have been made, the actual readiness is inadequate. Corruption and failure by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) have significantly increased the structural risks in Dhaka. There are frequent discussions after an earthquake, but these efforts often end shortly after the event.
The Earthquake Research Center is also running with makeshift arrangements. While equipment is available, it is not being utilized, rendering it almost useless. Moreover, no personnel have been recruited for emergency response centers, and there are no drills or awareness activities in place. Bangladesh’s technological capacity to respond to large earthquakes is nearly zero, according to experts.
There is also a shortage of capacity in the Fire Service for rescue operations. Additionally, there is no open space in Dhaka to provide shelter during an earthquake. Following the Rana Plaza collapse, the government purchased a significant amount of equipment, but much of it has remained unused.
Professor Mehdi Ahmed Ansari from the Department of Civil Engineering at BUET stated, “Around 200 crore Taka worth of equipment was given to the Fire Service, military, and relevant agencies, but since there hasn’t been a major disaster in the last decade, the system has become sluggish.”
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Department of Disaster Management, Rezwanur Rahman, commented, “We use the Fire Service’s support in all types of disasters, but we can’t say that we have complete technological preparedness.”
The Earthquake Research Center’s situation is also worrying. Despite having 10 observation centers in the country, there is a lack of adequate staff and modern technology to analyze data effectively, leading to inconsistent earthquake reports.
Khaborwala/SS
