The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) has proposed for creating urban volunteers in country's major cities attuned to the model of cyclone volunteers to act immediately after earthquakes.

"We are the only country where 48,000 volunteers are kept ready to face cyclones. Now in the backdrop of earthquake threats, we need such volunteers in urban areas for rescue and search operations after tremor," Director General of DMB KHM Masud Siddiqui at a press briefing here on Tuesday.

The briefing was organized at the Disaster Management And Relief Bhaban at Mohakhali to disseminate government's preparations to face earthquake, a phenomena that have become major concerns for government and citizens after repeated mild and moderate shocks.

The country has experienced a moderate earthquake on July 26, which developed cracks in buildings in Dhaka and Chittagong, but left none dead.

Siddiqui said the government has taken initiative to buy different search and rescue equipment worth Taka 90 crore for earthquake in two phases. "Some equipment are at our hands already and others to come by September," he said.

The equipments includes, cranes, search camera, gas cutter, rubble removing bag, panther saw, lock cutter, stretcher, crow bag, spade, chemical light stick, wheel dozer, heavy and light excavators, fork lift, concrete cutter, power chain saw, multi purpose cutter, ram jack, and berating apparatus.

These would be handed over to Bangladesh army, fire service and civil defense and city corporation, who are suppose to be deployed immediate after earthquake, he said.

He said the government has taken many initiatives on earthquake preparedness including preparing a Seismic Microzonation Mapping to detect the most vulnerable areas in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet cities.

Technical capacity of all concerned organisations related to disaster management are being strengthened, while leaflets and posters are being distributed to make people aware about facing post-disaster situations.

The draft of the Disaster Management Act is at the final stage, he said, adding that a coordination agency to be formed under the act manage future tremblers.

DMB director Mohammad Abu Sadeque, deputy director of Bangladesh Geological Survey Reshad M Karim Ali and Dr Maksud Kamal of Dhaka University also spoke.

Training on handling hazardous earthquake would be provided to students, teachers, imams and city dwellers as 80 per cent rescue operations are usually done by local communities in case of earthquake, Sadeque said.