BACKGROUND
Bangladesh is a moderately seismic country in the world. According to Ambraseys and Douglas (2004) and Szeliga et al. (2010), several past earthquakes have occurred in Bangladesh and surrounding region in the last several hundred years. Among these earthquakes, the 1762 Arakan, 1869 Cachar, 1885 Bengal, 1897 Indian, 1918 Srimangal, 1930 Dhubri, 1934 Nepal, 2015 Nepal Earthquakes are well known in Bangladesh. The 1897 Indian Earthquake located in Assam, has caused massive destruction to structures in Dhaka City killing 1542 people in the region (Oldham 1899). But no large earthquake has occurred here for the last few decades, so the people have become complacent.
The 2013 Rana Plaza incidence, which killed 1,130 people without an earthquake and the 2015 Nepal earthquake, are eye-openers for Bangladesh. Now is the right time to make our people aware of the severity of a large earthquake like the 1897 event. During 1897, the population of Dhaka was only 90,000, and currently, its population is almost 20 million. The number of buildings in 1897 was only 100, now it is almost 2 million. A 2009 study of CDMP funded by UNDP and a 2013 study of EMI funded by the World Bank projected that almost 30% of the total building stocks of Dhaka may collapse if an earthquake of magnitude 7 occurs 70 km away at Modhupur fault.
AIMS OF THE MEETING
The meeting is entitled “Expert Consultation on Building Earthquakes Resilient Communities and Societies for Bangladesh: Sharing Experiences and Lesson Learned from Earthquakes around the World”. The meeting will address the past earthquakes occurred in Mexico, Japan, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, etc. for sharing of experiences and lesson learned, to address local capacities in those countries on end-to-end early warning and mitigation systems, to identify measures and action plans for adaptation and mitigation efforts to improve disaster mitigation and preparedness arrangements for Bangladesh. It is expected that about 10 key participants will attend the meeting.
EXPECTED OUTCOME
It is expected that the meeting will identify strategic actions, measures and pilot implementation of end-to-end earthquake risk reduction systems for Bangladesh.
PROGRAMME
Tuesday 13th October 2020
10:00 – 10:10 hrs Welcome by CIRDAP and Introduction to Experts
- Cherdsak Virapat, CIRDAP
10:10 – 10:15 hrs Background and Aims of the Meeting
- Mehedi Ansary, BUET
10:15 – 11:00 hrs Expert Brief Presentations
10:15 – 10:30 hrs Mexico Earthquake by Dr. Walter Mooney, USGS, U.S.A.
10:30 – 10:45 hrs Japan, Pakistan and Nepal Earthquakes by Prof. Tavida Kamolvej, Thammasat University, Thailand
10:45 – 11:00 hrs Bangladesh Earthquakes and Risk Assessment of Dhaka, Bangladesh by Dr. Fouad Bendimerad, EMI, U.S.A.
11:00 – 11:50 hrs Discussion
- What is lesson learned in terms of local capacities requirements on end-to-end early warning and mitigation systems?
- What are measures and action plans for adaptation and mitigation efforts to improve mitigation, preparedness and response arrangements for Bangladesh?
11:50 – 12.00 hrs The Way Forwards and Closing
EXPERTS:
- Mr. Tinnakorn Tatong, Department of Mineral Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand (TBC)
- Prof. Tavida Kamolvej, Dean, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University
- Dr. Penueng Wanichai, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand (TBC)
- Mr. Pran Siamwalla, President, Association of Natural Disaster Industry (ANDPI)
- Dr. Walter Mooney, United States Geological Survey (USGS), U.S.A.
- Dr. Fouad Bendimerad, Earthquakes & Megacities Initiatives (EMI), U.S.A.
- Prof. Helal Uddin, Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP)
- UNDP (TBC)
- JICA (TBC)
- Others
If you wish to join in the webinar, please access in the zoom link below:
This link is for 13 October 2020 Webinar: International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
cherdsak virapat is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting:
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Meeting ID: 848 1432 3983
Passcode: 649461
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