Disaster preparedness

in the coming budget, there should be adequate allocation for purchasing such equipments and giving training to people for operating those properly

That the government is going to purchase at least 60,000 tents amounting to Tk 200 crore as part of preparing to meet the emergency shelter of the country’s people in the wake of natural calamities like earthquake and devastating flood in the country is indeed a welcome piece of news. According to a report in this newspaper Wednesday, the ministry of disaster management and relief is purchasing the tents in phases after getting instruction from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently.
Bangladesh is experiencing frequent natural disasters due to its geographic location. Devastating tropical cyclones followed by tidal surges claimed millions of lives in the country over the past few years. People living in the coastal areas are the worst victims of these natural disasters.
The apocalyptic cyclone that lashed Bhola district in the erstwhile East Pakistan on November 12, 1970 killed at least five lakh people. Had necessary measures been taken, loss of lives and properties could then be greatly minimised. That harrowing cyclone of 1970 was followed by several other cyclones and tidal surges in the country. Since the emergence of Bangladesh due to proper weather forecasting, publicity, public awareness, adequate preparedness, evacuation and rescue operations casualties by natural calamities have substantially decreased.
A number of cyclone shelters-cum-schools have been constructed in various coastal areas of the country. People can take shelter in these cyclone shelters in times of calamity.  More cyclone shelters with stronger foundations should be set up in the coastal areas to address the needs more promptly.
What is worrying now is the country’s vulnerability to earthquake. If a moderate tremor with 7 in the Richter scale strikes the country, Dhaka, being densely populated, would surely be the worst affected. The government should be adequately prepared for facing such a disaster. Necessary equipments should be purchased for the post-disaster rescue operation. In the coming budget, there should be adequate allocation for purchasing such equipments and giving training to people for operating those properly. People engaged in various jobs can be trained up for emergency service.                    
There is no alternative to creating mass awareness for facing such disasters and the media can play a vital role in this regard. Deaths in fire incidents have also reduced due to precaution and safety measures unlike the catastrophic blaze in the Old Dhaka a few years ago. The dousing of the flame in the Basundhara City Shopping mall also took a long time due to absence of equipments. Taking all these into consideration the government should take early measures to face disasters in all earnest. 

 

Disaster preparedness

in the coming budget, there should be adequate allocation for purchasing such equipments and giving training to people for operating those properly

That the government is going to purchase at least 60,000 tents amounting to Tk 200 crore as part of preparing to meet the emergency shelter of the countrys people in the wake of natural calamities like earthquake and devastating flood in the country is indeed a welcome piece of news. According to a report in this newspaper Wednesday, the ministry of disaster management and relief is purchasing the tents in phases after getting instruction from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently. Bangladesh is experiencing frequent natural disasters due to its geographic location. Devastating tropical cyclones followed by tidal surges claimed millions of lives in the country over the past few years. People living in the coastal areas are the worst victims of these natural disasters. The apocalyptic cyclone that lashed Bhola district in the erstwhile East Pakistan on November 12, 1970 killed at least five lakh people. Had necessary measures been taken, loss of lives and properties could then be greatly minimised. That harrowing cyclone of 1970 was followed by several other cyclones and tidal surges in the country. Since the emergence of Bangladesh due to proper weather forecasting, publicity, public awareness, adequate preparedness, evacuation and rescue operations casualties by natural calamities have substantially decreased. A number of cyclone shelters-cum-schools have been constructed in various coastal areas of the country. People can take shelter in these cyclone shelters in times of calamity. More cyclone shelters with stronger foundations should be set up in the coastal areas to address the needs more promptly. What is worrying now is the countrys vulnerability to earthquake. If a moderate tremor with 7 in the Richter scale strikes the country, Dhaka, being densely populated, would surely be the worst affected. The government should be adequately prepared for facing such a disaster. Necessary equipments should be purchased for the post-disaster rescue operation. In the coming budget, there should be adequate allocation for purchasing such equipments and giving training to people for operating those properly. People engaged in various jobs can be trained up for emergency service. There is no alternative to creating mass awareness for facing such disasters and the media can play a vital role in this regard. Deaths in fire incidents have also reduced due to precaution and safety measures unlike the catastrophic blaze in the Old Dhaka a few years ago. The dousing of the flame in the Basundhara City Shopping mall also took a long time due to absence of equipments. Taking all these into consideration the government should take early measures to face disasters in all earnest.