Fire brigade not prepared

Since Sylhet city is in a severe threat of an earthquake due to the close proximity of the Dauki fault line, the city corporation has taken steps to start evacuating 32 high-risk buildings from today, as Fire Brigade and Civil Defense is not yet ready to face the catastrophe.

After the April 13 earthquake, Sylhet City Corporation sent evacuation notices to the buildings and ordered the residents and business holders to evacuate within a week. These buildings were enlisted in a 2005 primary risk-list, and also given notices previously, said Enamul Habib, chief executive officer of SCC.

"We do not have sufficient equipment, though we have trained 5,193 volunteers to join the rescue team in emergency," said Tanay Biswas, assistant director of Sylhet District Fire Service and Civil Defense.

"We need equipment like high-low ladders, turn-table ladders, snorkels etc. Sylhet fire service is not capable of running rescue operations on high-rises," he said, adding, "We're taking necessary steps in this regard."

According to Sylhet fire service office there are only 16 stations in the division.

Based on a 2009 research paper of Comprehensive Disaster Management Program (CDMP) of the disaster management and relief ministry, Sylhet has 52,000 buildings, 148 kilometers of highway, 2 highway bridges and 268 kilometers of water and gas pipes.

A 2009 Hazus analysis estimated that at least 51,858 buildings will be moderately damaged due to a strong earthquake, which will ignite fire in at least 13 areas, leakage in water and gas pipeline in at least 97 zones, and accumulate 5 million tonnes of debris in Sylhet.

Sylhet City Super Market and Women Affairs Officer's office are among the buildings ordered to be evacuated. "My office did not receive any notice," claimed Shahina Akhter, women affairs officer.

The traders of City Super Market, maintained by SCC, also refused to vacate since as the corporation has not arranged any relocation for their businesses, they claimed.

"We oppose the evacuation as there was no damage from the recent earthquakes. We have no place to go as the SCC is not arranging anything for us," said Nur Ahmed, general secretary of Sylhet City Super Market's Trader's unity.

"Some residents and traders are rejecting the notice. Some of them asked for time. We will start evacuating buildings that are highly risky," said SCC CEO Enamul.

"Traders will be relocated when a new building is constructed demolishing the risky one," he said, adding, "We also sent notices to the residential building owners after the January earthquake, but they refused to comply. We have to be strict now for their safety."

Jahir Bin Alam, prof of civil and environmental engineering of Sust, said, "In Sylhet, at least 360 high-rise buildings are at risk and the fire services do not have enough preparation…But the newly constructed buildings are maintaining codes, and authorities concerned are preparing to face the disaster," he said.

Advocate EU Shahidul Islam Sahin, former president of Sylhet District Lawyers' Association, said the SCC should not compromise in evacuating and demolishing risky buildings as the city is endangered by earthquake threat. The authorities who gave permissions and the engineers building the weak structure should be punished, he urged.

"Building code should be strictly maintained by all to keep the city safe. This is to ensure citizens' safety first, and then we have to show humanity by relocating the evacuated residents and traders."