Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has assessed the earthquake resilience of only 3,252 structures out of an estimated 21 lakh buildings in Dhaka and Gazipur, highlighting a significant gap in disaster preparedness.
The assessments were conducted following the FEMA-310 seismic evaluation guidelines, Rajuk Executive Engineer Khandaker Md Wahid Sadiq said this at a views-exchange meeting titled ‘Preparedness and actions to reduce earthquake risk’ held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) on Monday.
Of the evaluated buildings, 2,705 are educational institutions, 207 are hospitals, 36 are police stations, and 307 are other types of structures, all of which underwent the Rapid Visual Assessment (RVA).
Following this initial screening, 579 buildings, including 568 schools, five hospitals, three fire stations, and three other structures, received the Preliminary Engineering Assessment (PEA).
A further 187 buildings, comprising 94 schools, 78 colleges, 11 universities, and four hospitals, underwent a Detailed Engineering Assessment (DEA). Rajuk has recommended retrofitting for all buildings in this category.
Citing high seismic risk, Rajuk has also recommended the demolition of 42 buildings across Dhaka and Gazipur.
