A TREMOR is not just a wakeup call, for Bangladesh, it may already be a warning. Recent small quakes have jolted our cities, but the threat of a major earthquake looms far larger than the flicker of fear they inspire. Situated at the nexus of the Indian, Eurasian and Burmese tectonic plates, Bangladesh lies precariously above a network of active fault lines. Experts have long warned that this nation鈥檚 seismic risk is neither hypothetical nor distant; it is real, present and potentially devastating.
We must begin by acknowledging a hard truth: our preparedness for a powerful quake is past due. In March 2024, the Government鈥檚 Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, with support from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Global Earthquake Model Foundation, completed Bangladesh鈥檚 first subnational earthquake risk assessment. Their work shed light on deep vulnerabilities, aging buildings, dense populations, critical infrastructure exposed. Geologists know that beneath our feet lie fault systems like the Dauki fault in the northeast and the Madhupur fault near Dhaka, both capable of producing tremors far stronger than anything most of us have experienced.
The capital, Dhaka, is especially exposed. Its soft, waterlogged soil can amplify seismic shaking; filled wetlands on which many high-rises now stand can turn into quicksand under stress. In fact, according to a recent survey by Rajuk, more than 80鈥痯er cent of Dhaka鈥檚 buildings do not meet earthquake-resilient standards. If a magnitude6.9 quake struck along Madhupur fault, studies suggest over 850,000 structures could collapse, with death tolls in the hundreds of thousands and economic losses well beyond billions of dollars.
And the danger is not just theoretical. A 2025 earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck near Narsingdi, only 40 km from the capital, killing three people and damaging buildings in Dhaka. While relatively moderate, its impact revealed the fragility of our constructed environment. Panic spread quickly, stairwells clogged, railings collapsed, and loose masonry rained down. The tremor underscored how thin the margin is between a dangerous jolt and a full-scale disaster.
So what needs to be done now without delay to safeguard our future?
First, we must enforce our own building regulations. The Bangladesh National Building Code needs far stricter implementation. Engineers and local authorities must certify structures for seismic resilience, especially those in high-risk zones designated by the seismic zoning maps, which alarmingly are not yet fully integrated into all urban planning. Independent third-party engineers should overseer construction projects, issue occupancy certificates and carry out periodic inspections.
Second, critical infrastructure must be retrofitted. Hospitals, schools, residential towers and utility networks 鈥� gas pipelines, water mains, electricity lines 鈥� need seismic strengthening and clear disaster protocols. As seen elsewhere, avenues for evacuation, shut-off mechanisms for gas and pre-planned emergency services save lives. Experts recommend categorising buildings by their structural integrity and prioritising redflag buildings for reinforcement or demolition.
Third, we must decentralise risk. Dhaka鈥檚 narrow streets and densely packed high-rises limit rescue options. Urban development plans should discourage high-risk clustering, especially in floodplain or reclaimed areas. Local governments need to proactively designate open spaces for evacuation and to design risk-sensitive zoning that reflects the latest earthquake models.
Fourth, public awareness and community training must become a national priority. Surveys suggest that only a minority of Bangladeshis know how to respond in an earthquake 鈥� when to drop, cover, or evacuate. Disaster drills in schools, workplaces, and neighbourhoods should become routine. Simple things 鈥� helmet distribution, first-aid kits, evacuation route markers 鈥� could mean the difference between chaos and coordinated resilience.
Finally, government and development partners should scale up investment in seismic research and early warning systems. Monitoring networks could expand, seismic data modelling must remain a living process and local governments need real-time hazard maps to guide construction and retrofitting. The international community, including the UNDRR and private foundations, should support these to bridge the capacity gap.
Bangladesh鈥檚 geography is unforgiving, but we are not powerless. The cost of inaction far outweighs the investment required today. By strengthening our buildings, reinforcing infrastructure, educating our people and aligning urban planning with seismic risk, we can turn potential catastrophe into collective resilience. The tremors that have shaken our cities recently must not be dismissed as anomalies, they are a warning, and it is high time we listened.
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Dr Makhan Lal Dutta, an irrigation engineer, is CEO of Harvesting Knowledge Consultancy.
