Bangladesh Disaster Report 2012

Bangladesh
Disaster Report
2012
Urban Hazard
Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012
Chief Editor
Gawher Nayeem Wahra
Co-Editor
Bilu Kabir
Review
Maliha Ferdous – Manager, Community Resilience, IFRC
Md. Kamrul Hasan – Senior PMER officer, DRM Department, BDRCS
Coordinator
Sumaya Noor
Reports
Koushtav Kanti Biswas
Nur Nabi Biplop
Meherun Nesa
Rahat Ara Sirajum Monir
Sumaya Noor
Translation
Md. Ehsanul Kabir Lutfullah
Cover Design
Gawher Nayeem Wahra
Compose
Kartic Chandra Sutradhar
Print
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Sources
Bangladesh Meteorological Department

A. R. I, Bangladesh Engineering University
Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS)
CDMP
CEGIS
Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD)
Daily Ittefaq
Daily Prothom Alo
Daily Samakal
The Daily Star
New Age
Copyright
To re-print of this book the copyright will be Foundation for Disaster Forum, but can be used
for study, research work with the permission of Disaster Forum.

Note from the Editor
Until now, in Disaster Year Reports, we have tried to portray the several types of disaster
which hit Bangladesh in a particular year, the efforts of our people to survive the aftermath
and to discuss the role of different organizations to mitigate the sufferings of the people. This
year we are trying to bring a different outlook. This year, we have given emphasis on the
disasters that hit the lives and living conditions of the people living in the urban areas.
Since the beginning of the civilization, men have invented new things. No body seem to care
about the fact that through mere lack of awareness, their living condition, civic amenities are
gradually turning the cities into a place unfit for human habitation. Every day the cities are
turning into gas chambers. By living in these gas chambers, knowingly or unknowingly, we
are pushing ourselves towards our death. Our only motive now is to earn profit.
Our main theme this year is not to discuss about the disasters that has taken place, but the
disasters which are on-going and are likely to hit us as “urban hazards” in the future. Our
effort this year is to create a sense of awareness among the general public about the various
types of urban hazards.
In this Year’s report, we have discussed about different types of urban hazards, namely, air
pollution, sound pollution, waste management, industrialization versus river pollution,
amount of junk food, harmful effects of radiation from mobile phones. Beside the usual
topics, we have tried to discuss elaborately the people’s efforts to stay alive within these
limitations and their struggle for survival. Also, we have appended the “Disaster
Management Act 2012” which has been passed by the Jatiyo Sangsad (National Parliament)
in 2012, at the end of the Report.
We are extremely grateful to Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) and International
Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and WaterAid for assisting by
funding the publication of the Disaster Report.
We always accept comments from the readers with open mind. We wish to get your feedback
and valuable comments this year also.
With deep regards,
Gawher Nayeem Wahra

Chief Editor
Bangladesh Disaster Year Report - 2012

Contents
Urban Hazard 9
Climate Change : Doha Conference & Bangladesh 14
Air Pollution 17
Sound Pollution 24
Radiation from Mobile Phones 31
Industrialization vs. Death of Rivers 36
Waste Disposal : Unhygienic Future 44
Sufferings from Tannery 49
City Life and Junk Food 54
Road Accident 56
Fire Accident 62
Insecurity at Workplace 79
Flood in City 85
Water logging : The Greatest Disaster for Cities 92
Nor’wester 101
Thunder/Lightning 108
River Erosion 110
Landslides 114
Earthquake and Collapse of Walls and Buildings 118
Heat Wave : A New Face of Nature 125
Cold Wave 130
Food Safety 133
Brickfield : Aiding Modernization or Threat to Environment? 138
Death by Drowning 142
New Technology : A New Way to Reduce Misfortune 145
Bangladesh Disaster Management Act 2012 (Full text) 151

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Urban Hazard
The present world is a world of urbanization. Extensive growth of industries, globalization

are forcing the pace of development. Annual Report of Financial and Social Relations
Department of United Nations states that while at the beginning of twentieth century,
population in urban all over the world was 10% of the total population, but it has now
increased to 50 % of the total world population. The population in cities is 3.5 billion while in
the villages it is 3.4 million. According to forecast by researchers, in 2050, the population will
be 6.3 billion in the cities and 2.8 billion in the villages.
Bangladesh has also joined this trend of urbanization. World Bank sources say that in Bangladesh
28 % live in cities (43 million), of which one thirds reside in Dhaka alone. Population of Dhaka is
1.5 crore and it ranks 20th out of 27 most populated megacities in the world. Environment disaster
has be fallen on the major cities of Bangladesh including Dhaka because of population
expansion, urbanization and financial growth. Dhaka has been identified as the most polluted city
in the world on the basis of water pollution, air pollution, sound pollution, dust pollution and a
city having 30 types of pollution. It also ranks at the top of the table out of 50 cities (when a city is
measured on the basis of climate change and environment hazards). This has been done based on
droughts, flood, earthquake, fire incidents, crop damage etc.
On the basis of a survey conducted on 140 countries of the world by the Economist, the most
liveable city in the world is Melbourne (score-97.5) in Australia and worst place to live in
Dhaka (score-38.7) where Dhaka was awarded 29.2 points in health services, 47.7 points in
the education services and for infrastructure facilities it was given 26.8 points. According to
experts, on the basis of its geographic location and area, Dhaka’s ideal population should be
30 lac. But, in reality, thousands of people come to Dhaka city for the sake of employment,
financial support, marriage, natural disaster almost every day and start living here. So, the
population of Dhaka city is five times more than its capacity. Also, many types of
irregularities have made this city unfit for human living.
Everyday urban disaster and environment pollution is increasing and resulting in destruction
of crores of taka worth of resources and people are dying. Even after taking various steps,
Bangladesh can not avoid urban disaster. 2012 was a year of disaster for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is beset with several vexing problems- road accidents, fire accidents, accidents at
work, adulteration in food, mismanagement in waste management, pollution from tannery,
water problem, water-logging, sound and air pollution, traffic jam, industrial pollution,
mobile tower, fast food consumption. These problems are seriously questioning Dhaka’s
normal life and living conditions.
1. Water Problem
Through a declaration in 2010, United Nations has declared right to safe drinking water as one
of the fundamental human rights. Likewise pollution, accident, disaster has become an
everyday affair, lack of safe drinking water and water pollution has been a perennial problem
and challenge throughout the world. Bangladesh is also facing acute water problem. The
Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012 9

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water related problems in Bangladesh include inadequate supply of safe drinking water,
water-borne diseases and water logging.
A. Scantiness of Water
Through its four treatment plants and 538 deep tubewells, Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage
Authority (WASA) supplies water to Dhaka city and its inhabitants. 85% of demand for water
is met from underground water. The balance 15 % water is supplied from surrounding rivers
after treatment. But due to excessive pollution, the treatment plants cannot treat the water
fully. People residing in Central Road and adjacent areas, North Badda, Agargaon, Shyamoli,
Bashabo, Rajarbagh, Gulshan, Dhanmondi, Mirpur, Gabtoli, Mohammadpur, Moghbazar,
Jatrabari, Wari, Monipuripara, Pisciculture housing, Mohammadia housing and old Dhaka
have been suffering from water crisis for a long time. Irregular water supply coupled with
muddy water and water with terrible smell is creating health hazards for the city dwellers, as
water problem becomes acute.
The result of a survey conducted by Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation in
2011 ‘Food Production in Bangladesh and its effect on environment’ revealed that the water
level in Dhaka has gone 170 ft below the sea level while in Rajshahi it was gone 18-20 ft
below sea level. So, the saline water from the sea is flowing gradually through southern parts
towards middle and northern areas of Bangladesh. Already 6 crore people residing in the
southern areas are passing days amidst hardship because of the rise of saline level in water.
Besides this, extraction of underground water in the agricultural areas has increased. At
present for irrigation purpose, 80% of the water is pumped out from the underground and
supplied to the people in Dhaka. Apart from Dhaka and Rajshahi, water crisis is becoming
acute in other large cities. Following is a summary finding of the water crisis all over
Bangladesh at present.
Chittagong University Area
Acute water crisis is prevailing in 1,700 acre area covering Chittagong University. Experts
say that in the last 5 years, the water level in the area has gone down by 15-20 ft. Due to death
of adequate water, 5 pumps supplying water in the area have been partially damaged. Even at
times water supplied is filled with sand, muddy and not fit for human consumption. As a
result, suffering of students, teachers and officials of the University is quite high.
Khulna
According to Public Health Engineering Department, there has been acute shortage of safe
drinking water following the ravaging done by cyclone Aila in Dakop and eight other
upazillas. In Khulna city approx. 1,500 shallow and 300 deep tubewells are lying
unserviceable. Water is not rising in the high rise buildings. Experts opine that this situation
has been the result of indiscriminate use of underground water and improper utilization of the
available surface water.
Bara Pukuria, Dinajpur
Residents of six villages adjacent to Power Plant situated in Parbatipur Upazilla of Dinajpur
district has been suffering from acute water crisis. In order to supply water to the Power Plant,
10 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

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15 deep tubewells have been pumping out water and so the villages are facing crisis of water.
The hand tubewells are also unusable. So, water has to be carried from far flung areas for
household use.
Noagaon
Since water level cannot be located even at 900 meter underground, so in many areas of
Naogaon neither deep nor shallow tubewells cannot be installed. Even if a tubewell can be
sunk, the cost associated with the sinking is beyond the capability of general people and so
water crisis in Barind area is not being solved easily.
B. Possession & Filling up
From the beginning of human civilization, different nations have been fighting amongst each
other to expand possession of land, domination, possession of wealth and fascination for
power. In the twenty first century too, world has seen the tendency of powerful nations to grab
the lands of less powerful nations to control water and land areas, oil, gas, etc. Several battles
raged for control of Suez Canal, Jordan River, Saat-el-Arab, the Nile river- and these are now
part of history. According to research, the main cause of fighting and war among the next
generation will be the control of water. Because in many countries and regions, acute crisis of
safe drinking water can be seen. Although Bangladesh is supposed to be a riverine country but
many rivers and water bodies are becoming extinct due to filling up, construction of
unplanned dams, dredging, pollution, etc.
Due to illegal possession by unscrupulous persons, many water bodies have died or at the
verge of dying and many in serious state of being dead. Even in capital Dhaka this is being felt
very strongly. According to a Report of Dhaka WASA, there were 65 canals in pre-liberation
Dhaka and now the number of canals is 26.
A group of staff belonging to Dhaka WASA has taken chance of this water crisis. The
suffering people say that even after giving ‘serial’ thrice they cannot get water. But if
additional money is paid, water is available quickly. Each car full load of water costs Tk. 400
but if you want to expedite it, it will cost between Tk. 800 and Tk. 1,000 per car. Similar
complaints have been received from Lalmatia, Mohammadpur, Adabor, Pisciculture
Housing, etc. Another major complaint is that while purchasing fuel for 493 generators of
Dhaka WASA every month, crores of taka is misappropriated.
C. Water Borne Disease
Survey conducted by Directorate General of Health Services of Government of Bangladesh
has found that the number of patients receiving treatment at ICDDR’B at Mohakhali has risen
by 30%, most of them suffering from dysentery, diarrhoea and other water borne diseases.
The main reason is absence of safe drinking water which forces people to drink unsafe and
unhygienic water. According to experts, regular drinking and use of contaminated water leads
to typhoid, cholera, diarrhoea, jaundice, worms and skin disease and even may lead to cancer.
So, people are always advised to boil the water before drinking. Usually water contamination
happens from leakage in pipeline, unclean container, contaminated underground water,
mismanagement and lack of awareness among the general public.

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Recommendations/Some Possible Measure

• In the cities, drink underground water and for household cleanliness, use surface
water. So, water should be supplied through the different pipe lines.
• Mass scale plans and programmes has to be undertaken to preserve and use rain water.
In many European countries, for example, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, there is
provision for the rain water to flow through the pipes laid down under the footpaths. In
many developed countries there is provision of storing rain water on the roof top.
Measures should be taken to introduce such successful and appropriate technology in
Bangladesh.
• The everyday requirement of Dhaka City is 225 crore liter water. WASA is able to
supply 210 crore liter water. There is a plan to use water from Jamuna River to supply
the balance 15 crore liter water. Water Management is a worldwide recognized
measure. For example, 95% water supply to Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina is from
the adjacent La Posnata River. Bangladesh government has undertaken a Master Plan
whereby Dhaka residents will be supplied water from the Padma River after being
treated. So, a Project named ‘Dhaka Water Treatment Project’ will be implemented.
The plant will be established at Jaldia under Maowa Upazilla under the joint funding of
Bangladesh Government and Government of the People’s Republic of China. Dhaka
WASA will be the implementing agency.
• The rivers and canals surrounding Dhaka must be saved. So, they must be freed from
the grabbers and must be made contamination free, the rivers and canals connecting
Dhaka with Padma, Jamuna, Meghna must be kept navigable and clean. Public
awareness must be built through mass scale advertisement, awareness campaign,
seminar, and workshop and through media. A pragmatic water policy should be
formulated for entire Bangladesh. Only then the greatest challenge facing the 21st
century may be faced and tackled.
• Dependency on use of surface water against underground water has to be practiced and
for this, effective measures must be undertaken. From a discussion meeting of
professional Architects of Bangladesh it is learnt that use of water and electricity can
be lowered significantly by introducing green housing programmes. The speakers also
opined that if fuel efficient technology can be implemented then use of water and
electricity can be decreased by 40% and 32% respectively.
• In the National Water Policy, many aspects of water management has been
incorporated, namely, water management, ownership, distribution, right to the use of
water, river preservation, filling up and controlling of water flow. According to the
Policy, defaulters may be fined with 50 lac taka and 5 years imprisonment.
Prevention & Use of Rain Water: A New Possibility
Unplanned urbanization, growth of population and growth of industrialization has forced the
requirement of safe drinking water to go up. So, dependence on use of underground water
rises. Safe drinking water is threatened by arsenic contamination. Also the amount of salinity
in the water in the South-Western regions of the country and natural calamities is a deterring
factor and which reduces the availability of pure and safe drinking water. According to
statistics of Water Aid Bangladesh, every year, on an average, quantity of underground water
is reduced by 2-3%. Between 1991-2008, amount of underground water in Mirpur of Dhaka

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has been reduced by 53.75%, in Mohammadpur it is 18.59 meter, in Sabujbagh 37.8 meter, in
Sutrapur 8.22 meter and in Cantonment area it was reduced by 14.14 meter.
In Dhaka there are 1,500 legal and 2,000 illegal deep tubewels pressurizing the underground
water level. The development organizations are continuously undertaking research works
and studies to cope up with this problem. Emphasis is being put on successful utilization of
rainwater of arranging for preservation of the same. In Bangladesh, average annual rainfall is
2.10 millimeter rainfall which is 800 mm more than the average annual rainfall all over the
world. So, if the rain water could be properly stored, then dependency on underground water
can be significantly reduced.
Beside this, if arrangements could be made to store rain water on top of all buildings then the
average daily consumption would be reduced by 25 crore liter.
Water Aid prepared a model on the roof top of office of Housing & Settlement Directorate of
rain water storage and utilization. Water from this reservoir was supplied to the countries, café
and toilet of the building. Dhaka WASA has also successfully undertaken two pilot projects in
Segun Bagicha and Lalmatia which will help in storing and utilization of rain water. With the
successful implementation of the above two projects, WASA was inspired and have taken 8
more similar projects located at Uttara, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Banani, Gulshan, Khilgaon,
Motijheel and Gandaria.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (RAJUK) in the Building Code 2012 have given guidelines
on preservation of rain water. These guidelines have made it mandatory that every
government and non-government building must keep 300 meter area on the roof top to ensure
storage of rain water. At a later stage the rain water preservation and utilization programme
will be incorporated in National Housing Plan, Real Estate and other City Corporation
regulations.

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Climate Change : Doha Conference & Bangladesh
Climate change is an eternal national event. But due to greed and interference by human
being, at present this natural event is taking a very devastating form. As a result natural
calamities are increasing and environment imbalance is on the rise. Men’s lives are at stake.
After the industrial revolution and to keep the pace of development growing, people became
highly dependent on natural resources and increased use and mismanagement in use has now
pushed the existence of natural resources and the environment at large in a precarious
condition. Due to enormous rise in population and urbanization, people have started
indiscriminate destruction of the available natural resources. These, along with resultant
changes, climate has reached a very alarming stage.
Widespread industrialization by the developed nations, growth of the commercial sector,
consumption of bio-gas, indiscriminate cutting of trees and forests are posing serious threats,
to countries located near the coastal regions, namely, Bangladesh, Maldives, Indonesia. But
the research findings presented in Cancun Conference in 2010 stated Bangladesh’s
contribution to environmental change and release of carbon in the environmental is only 7
percent out of 10,000 ton of the total yearly carbon production round the globe.
While per head carbon extraction in Bangladesh is less than 3 ton towards the world’s climatic
change; it is suffering the most dreadful consequences. Bangladesh has been identified by
German Watch and Malecraft as to be most vulnerable country facing climate change and
natural disaster. Sources from Prothom Alo and different other media states that in the last 30
years, 1,91,637 persons were killed in various disaster of which only storms and cyclones
killed 1,67,178 persons. On the other hand, in the list published by World Bank on global
warming, Bangladesh is ranked 1 so far as flooding is concerned while regarding storms, it is
ranked 2.
The various natural disasters which struck the world is the result of adverse effects of climatic
change. For example, terrible floods in Australia, Thailand and Pakistan, earthquake in Japan,
Hurricane ‘Sandy’ in the USA. Experts opine that climate change has affected Bangladesh in
various ways like, fewer amounts of rainfall in 2012, untimely flood in Sylhet and Rangpur,
most dangerous cold wave in the last 50 years, etc.
Conference on Climate Change
The first major step to combat global warming and climate change started with holding of an
International Convention in 1992. Activities regarding global warming started by
incorporating two clauses under awareness rules.
1) Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which has been publishing
Annual Reports since 1994. The last Report was published in 2007 and the next report
is due to be published in 2014.
2) In order to reach a consensus, two facets of discussion began:
- Mitigation- mechanism to monitor and control the causes of global warming.
- Adaptation – the method or system how to tackle adverse effects.

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Kyoto Protocol was drawn up to achieve mitigation while adaption envisages use and control
of technology. COP (Conference of Parties) is being held after a specified number of years
aiming to carry forward discussion on climate change in light with the Convention. Since
1994, every year an Annual Conference is being held with the participation of 195 member
countries. Discussions on climate change are held and decisions are taken on the basis of
ballot. Till now 18 COPs has taken place and Doha hosted the last (18th) COP.
Doha Conference
The 18th Conference on Climate Change was held from November 26 to December 08, 2012
in Doha, capital of Qatar. Nearly 15,000 participants representing 195 member countries
attended this 12-day long Conference. The major issue of discussion was global warming due
to emission of carbon and compensation to the affected countries.
The main gain from the discussions was the extension of the only legal forum, that is, Kyoto
Protocol until 2020. But the upcoming economic alliance BASIC and G-77 could not arrive at
a consensus on reducing emission of carbon in China and on adaptation issue. On the other
hand, the Protocol structure became weak when Russia, Japan and New Zealand declined to
sign the 2nd phase of the Protocol and Canada pulled itself out of the Protocol. Only 35
developed countries agreed and signed the 2nd phase of the Protocol including Switzerland,
Australia and the 27 member countries of the European Union.
The Doha Conference aimed at lowering the carbon emission rate by 18% compared to 1990.
This is really inadequate because to arrest the 2oC global warming, the reduction rate of
carbon emission should have been fixed between 25 and 40 percent. This has created a sense
of doubt in the minds of Scientists and Environmentalists if the 2nd phase of Kyoto Protocol
will be able to make any positive contribution towards containing global warming and carbon
emission.
The developed countries are bound towards the developing countries regarding reduction of
disaster, adaptation and increase in the rate of technological advancement. Decisions were
taken in this regard in Cancun Conference in 2010 and Durban Conference in 2011. On the
basis of this, a 10 year long-term plan was drawn up. Where there is a commitment of 100
billion US Dollars. This money will be given as grant by the developed countries to the
developing countries with a view to help them undertake projects an adaptation, mitigation
and prepare accordingly. According to this, 30 million US Dollars will be paid between 2010-
2012 for three years. 30 million USD in 2013, 40 million USD in 2014, 50 million USD in
2015 and in the same manner 100 million USD will be given in 2020. This demand was
mainly raised by the developing countries and the countries adversely affected by climate
change.
Germany, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Sweden and EU countries have already
promised to contribute USD 6 billion. While the United States of America, Canada, China and
Australia declined to contribute to the package.
The developed countries are trying to withdraw and instead trying to advocate the Public
Private Partnership. That is, to continue funding through private channels. This resulted in

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disagreement on the issues of providing funding, distribution of compensation received,

deadline, etc. and the Conference ended without any concrete decision. They are hopeful that
in 2013 when the conference (due to be held in Warsaw) is on, there will be significant
response and a justifiable amount will be made available.
During Doha Conference, the long-term ‘Joint Action Plan’ developed in 2007 (which is
regarded as the basic guideline for Copenhagen and Cancun Conferences) had ended. Its
main objective was to ensure active participation of all member countries and to bring 80%
member countries under a joint umbrella. It was decided in Doha that in 2014 a draft
international law will be promulgated wherein all member countries will be bound to effect
carbon emission by 100%. A resolution was adopted in the Doha Conference that between
2015 and 2020, through discussions, 100% participation will be ensured among the member
countries.
Main Issues of Doha Conference at a Glance
Although 100% achievement of the objectives of the Doha Conference cannot be measured
but the Doha Conference could bring about some consensus and points of agreement:
• Extension of Kyoto Protocol in 2 phases till 2020;
• To prepare work plan on global warming which will end in 2015 and will begin full-
fledged implementation from 2020;
• To increase the rate of yearly contribution to 100 billion USD, which would be
finalized after thorough discussion in 2013.
Doha Conference & Bangladesh
Countries lying within the hazardous zone of global warming including Bangladesh,
Maldives, and Indonesia demanded preparation of special provisions to compensate the
above mentioned countries. But the main countries responsible for global warming, namely,
USA, China, Canada, India, Australia, could not be brought under any legal framework.
However, Bangladesh’s proposal on ‘Climate Change’ received recognition in the Doha
Conference. Bangladesh made a proposal in the Conference highlighting the importance of
women. It stated that gender discrimination shall be reduced by 50% COP states, several
organizations and institutions will be included.
Even with several adversities, Bangladesh has adopted many steps to combat disasters in the
coastal regions. It has been able to save 200 crore taka for renewable emergency fund and 1
million USD in the Climate Trust Fund. Apart from this, several training on disaster
management is being provided through several NGOs, workshops conducted in government
organizations, seminars on combating disaster. Due to these steps taken by Bangladesh,
World Bank held a news conference on December 7, the last day of the Conference. Their
main statement said that Bangladesh has been one of the most successful countries in the
world to adapt to changes due to global warming and climate change. Bangladesh has been
able to implement climate friendly environment through its various programme on climate
change and global warming, although it is placed at the apex of most vulnerable nations in the
world.

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Air Pollution
Most of the cities and towns have become centres of dangerous air pollution. In Dhaka, the
situation is alarming due to air pollution from vehicles, factories, brickfields and dust. Are the
present cities for residents or industrial zones? Answer to this question is unclear like the
answer to the detrimental effects air pollution has on the general people.
According to findings of a research conducted by Yale and Columbia University related to
analysis of pure air, Bangladesh ranks 2nd as the most air polluted country scoring 13.66 point
out of a total of 100 points. According to ‘Environmental Performance Index 2012’,
Bangladesh ranks 31st among 132 cities as the most polluted cities. Health is at great risk due
to air pollution. Nearly 70% of the population of Dhaka city are suffering from various air-
borne diseases.
Ingredients of Air Pollution
Total Emissions - Dhaka
Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Carbon monoxide (CO), 120
Nitrogen oxide (NOX), weight of earth level, 100
80
changeable organic compound, hydrogen
Kt/year
60 So2
sulphide, sulphate and nitrates - are ingredients NOX
40
present in polluted air. Beside these, some other 20
PM2.5
Pm10
ingredients responsible for air pollution are 0
1990 1995
poisonous metals (lead, manganese, arsenic and 2000 2005
2010 2015
2020 2025
2030
nickel), benzene, formaldehyde, dioxin and
other organic compound. Airborne lead content Figure 1: Total non-GHG emissions for
is the worst among the dangerous particular Dhaka from 1990-2030
matters.
Particular Matter PM10, PM2.5
PM10, PM2.5 is the yardstick to measure ingredients present in the air nitrate, sulphur,
ammonia, sodium chloride, carbon, inorganic dust and water.
PM 10 Emissions - Dhaka PM 10 Emissions General Sector Distribution - Dhaka
70 50
60 45
40
50 35
Kt PM/year
30 Transport
Kt PM
40
25 Industry
30 20 Residential
20 15 Agricultural
10
10 5
0 0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Figure 2: PM10 Emission for Dhaka, 1990-2030 Figure 3: PM10 Emissions General Sector Distribution
for Dhaka from 1990-2030

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PM10 Emissions Activity Distribution - Dhaka

60
Hard coal grade 2
Biomass fuels
50
Agricultural residuals - direct use
kt PM 40 Fuelwood direct
Heavy fuel oil
30 Medium distillates (diesel, light fuel oil)
Gasoline and other light fractions of oil
20 Natural gas (incl. other gases)
Non exhaust PM emission - road abrasion
10
Non exhaust PM emission - brake wear
Non exhaust PM emission - tyre wear
0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 No fuel use
Figure 4: PM10 Emissions Activity Distribution for Dhaka from 1990-2030.

Nitrogen oxide NOx
NOx increase the temperature in the air. This is a particular matter and ingredient of Ozone
which generates heat and energy and is produced from car engine, generator, and electrical
equipments.
NOX Emissions, Dhaka NOX Emissions General Sector Distribution - Dhaka
70 40
60 35
50 30
Transport
kt NOX
kt NOX
25
40 Industry
20
30 Residential
15
Agricultural
20 10
Other
10 5
0
0 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
1990 1995 2000 200520102015 20202025 2030
Figure 5: NOX Emissions for Dhaka, 1990-2030. Figure 6: NOX Emissions General Sector Distribution for Dhaka
from 1990-2030.
NOX Emissions Activity Distribution - Dhaka

80
Hard coal, grade 2
70
60 Biomass fuels
50 Heavy fuel oil

kt NOX
40
Medium distillates (diesel, light
30 fuel oil)
Gasoline and other light fractions
20 of oil (includes kerosene))
10 Natural gas (i9ncl. other gases)
0 No fuel use
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Figure 7: NOX Emissions Activity Distribution for Dhaka from 1990-2030.

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Sulphur dioxide SO2

Sulphur dioxide is a colourless gas which is produced from coal. It is also produced from oil,
specially for cooking, generating temperature, fuel used for driving vehicles. By mixing with
water, sulphur oxide produces sulphuric acid. This is the main ingredient of acid rain.
SO2 Emissions, Dhaka SO2 Emissions General Sector Distribution - Dhaka

120 120
100 100
kt SO2/year
80 80 Transport
kt SO2
60 Industry
60
Residential
40 40
Agricultural
20 20
0 0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Figure 8: SO2 Emissions for Dhaka, 1990-2030. Figure 9: SO2 Emissions General Sector Distribution for Dhaka
form 1990-2030.
SO2 Emissions Activity Distribution - Dhaka

80
Hard coal grade 2
70
60 Biomass fuels
50
kt SO2
Heavy fuel oil
40 Medium distillates (diesel, lightfuel oil)
30 Gasoline and other light fractions of oil

(includes kerosene)
20
Natural gas (Incl. other gases)
10
No fuel use
0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Figure 10: SO2 Emissions Activity Distribution for Dhaka from 1990-2030.
Ozone O3
It is the photo chemical smoke which is stored GHG Emissions General Sector Distribution - Dhaka
on the surface of the earth. This is not the Ozone 35
layer present in the atmosphere. This smoke is 30
Mt CO2eq./year
produced when sunrays mix with nitrogen oxide 25

Transport
20
(emitted from vehicles and factories), volatile 15
Industry
Residential
organic compounds, etc. and there is photo 10 Agricultral
chemical reaction. 5
0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Carbon Monoxide CO
Another ingredient responsible for producing Figure 11: GHGs Emissions General Sector
smoke in Ozone is carbon monoxide. If the Distribution for Dhaka from 1990 - 2030
amount of carbon emitted is more than oxygen then carbon monoxide is produced. This is
produced from cigarette, wood used for burning, generator, smoke from vehicles.

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Lead Pb: Lead produces high degree of air pollution.

Standard of air and condition of air in Dhaka
Polluting Standard according Quantity in Dhaka Health risk
agent/element to World Health air
Organization
Particular Matter 1 year: 60-90 mg/m3 1245-1601 mg/m3 Flow of blood is
Pm10 in commercial areas obstructed. Risk of
445 mg/m3 in cancer.
residential areas
Ozone O3 1 hour: Heart problem, high
150-200 mg/m3 blood pressure, lunge
ailment, risk of asthma.
3 3
Nitrogen oxide 24 hours: 150 mg/m 119 mg/m Chest pain, ailment of
NOX lunges, vomiting,
headache.
Sulphur dioxide 1 year: 472.9 mg/m3 in If a pregnant women
3
SO2 40-60 mg/m commercial areas comes in regular contact,
3
63.5 mg/m in the child may die, chest
residential areas pain, headache may attack.
Carbon monoxide 1 hour: 11 ppm Its contact may produce
CO 30 mg/m3 headache, vomiting,
restlessness, lethargy.
Note: mg/m3 – microgram per meter cube
Source: http://www.eng-consult.com/air/standard.html
Bangladesh Paribesh Andonlon (BAPA) states that the quantity of per cubic meter of airborne
particulate matter is 250 microgram which is five times more than the normal acceptable
level. The air in Bangladesh becomes most polluted in January. During this time the airborne
particulate matter increases to as high as 600 microgram. Environmentalists say that this is
caused by absence of rainfall whereby construction materials, smoke from brickfields and
smoke from factories pollutes the air very easily. But, according to Department of
Environment, the amount of airborne particulate matter is 463 microgram per cubic meter in
Dhaka city and this is considered to lie in the highest bracket in the world during December-
January. The maximum acceptable level of airborne particulate matter is 150 microgram per
cubic meter per 24 hours but in reality it is several times more than the limit set in
Environment Protection Rules, 1997. Beside Dhaka, other high airborne particulate matter
recorded is in Chittagong in December 2011 at 450 microgram; November 2011 at 422
microgram; and in January 2012, airborne particulate matter recorded was 637 microgram
per cubic meter.
Due to excessive air pollution, many people die in Dhaka city and also many are at risk of
dying. According to Ministry of Environment and Forests, if the pollution in Dhaka could be
reduced from 20 to 80%, then lives of 1,200-3,500 people could be saved every year. In
addition, 80 to 230 million people could be relieved of breathing related problems.

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Reason
The major reasons for excessive air pollution in Dhaka city are plying of old vehicles on the
streets, about 1,000 brickfields surrounding Dhaka, dust from construction works, poisonous
smoke from mills and factories, use of several electric gadgets including generator.
In the brickfields, non-refined coal is being imported from neighboring country from which a
gas is produced which pollutes the air. Also smokes from gas burners are polluting the air. In a
workshop titled “Global Alliance of Clean Cook” sponsored by UNDP and held on May 30,
2012, it was revealed that every year 46,000 people die merely because of cooking in open
burner/oven. Of these, mostly are children and women. The polluted smoke from oven using
kerosene and wood is the reason for these deaths. Air pollution is also taking place in the
villages, not only in the cities.
Factories & Industries

Smoke produced in factories and industries is a prime cause of pollution of air. Many
factories are being established indiscriminately without adhering to any standards including
tannery and other production and processing factories even in residential areas. As a result,
air in the surrounding environment is easily polluted. People residing there are easily
becoming sick due to emission of poisonous smoke from these factories. Not only in the
capital, similar situation is seen even in the parts other of the country. For example, in Bera
Upazilla, a factory has been established to produce lead by burning lead. More than 50
ovens are being used in this process. The poisonous smoke being produced there is
becoming extremely harmful for the local residents. Cattle heads are dying, agriculture
lands are becoming barren and even trees bearing fruits are dying.
Traffic Jam is a Major Problem

Unprecedented traffic jam is becoming a vexing problem for Dhaka city dwellers and is
primarily responsible for air pollution. Although the normal requirement of roads is 25% of
the entire city area, Dhaka’s road network covers only 7.5% of the entire Dhaka city. Mostly
these roads are occupied by hawkers, passerby, small traders, rail crossings are also not
planned. In these inadequate roads ply various types of vehicles simultaneously fast moving
as well as slow moving and there is a tendency of not abiding by traffic signals. So, these
ultimately creates huge traffic congestion, vehicles cannot move fast and due to slow
movement, lot of fuel is being consumed and so the air is being polluted easily. The smoke
from the vehicles is having serious effects on public health. At present, on an average,
vehicles can move at only 14 km/hour. If this rate of vehicle movement continuous, then by
2025, vehicles will move only at 4 km/hour.
Health Hazards
Information gathered from Air Quality Management Project (AQMP) funded by World Bank
and implemented by Government of Bangladesh, approx. 15,000 people in Dhaka die even
before reaching the average age limit by being attacked by various lung related disease. In
addition they are also having breathing problem and brain related problem.

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According to World Health Organization, smoke from vehicles is the most crucial reason for
breathing problem of people living in the cities. Due to industrialization, air pollution level
has also increased and many serious diseases are setting in. Minute poisonous particles float
in the air and come into contact with dust particles – resulting in burning of the eyes, heat and
lunges become non-functional gradually. There is burning inside the lung and possibility of
lung cancer cannot be ruled out. It also creates chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) and asthma. Beside this coronary problem, heart failure, drop beats in heart is likely
to occur. It can even destroy DNA cells.
Researchers say that those living by the side of the roads easily may become victim of asthma
or dust allergy and children living within 100 meters from the roads are attacked mostly by
asthma, cough and cold, sneezing. If a pregnant women comes in close contact regularly with
polluted air, she may have miscarriage and also the natural development of the baby inside the
womb may be affected.
Affect on Children
Children are affected mostly be air pollution. Sources from On September 9, 2012, 7
National Institute of Chest Diseases & Hospital state that in
school children fell seriously
Bangladesh nearly 7 million people are suffering from
ill due to emission of
asthma of which 50% are children. World Health
poisonous gas from a nearly
Organization claims that 10,000 baby die even before birth
medicine factory in Outpara
due to air pollution every year. Children, especially new born
of Tongi in Gazipur district.
children, are very susceptible to air pollution because their
intake of oxygen is greater than elderly people as their body weight is less. Children who live
in air polluted areas, they are affected by bronchitis and ear problem.
Steps
Air pollution is increasing at an alarming rate due to lack of awareness and effective measures
to combat air pollution. Even if measures are present in paper, lack of supervision is posing
hindrance for successful implementation.
• On May 30, 2012, two factories in Demra, Dhaka was fined Taka 27 lac by Department
of Environment because they were polluting the air.
• A cement producing factory in Muktarpur of Munshinganj was fined Taka 15 lac for air
pollution. On two separate occasions, Department of Environment was conducting
tests on February 01 and April 15, 2012, to find out the air quality. The SPS content in
air was found to be 2,727 microgram and 1,113 microgram per cubic meter
respectively while the ideal SPS content should be 500 microgram per cubic meter.
• Department of Environment shut down a factory producing fuel by burning tyres
located at Bhawal Mirzapur Kainjanul of Gazipur Sadar Upazilla. The whole area was
covered with black smoke and bad smell. On the basis of a complaint that poisonous
gas is polluting the air in the area and it was impossible to live in the vicinity, the factory
was inspected and shut down completely on February 29, 2012. But the factory was re-
opened in August and the air pollution continues in an unabated manner. Lack of proper
monitoring is allowing these factories to continue their production activities, while it is
affecting the people, trees and crops in the area

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Solutions
In order to stop air pollution, some urgent measures has to be undertaken, for example:
• Ban plying of vehicles which are 20 years old;
• Control import of private cars including small cars;
• Adequate number of big buses should be placed in operation, a separate lane for
bicycles should be maintained;
• Try to avoid going out when the roads are filled with too much dust;
• Use mask while walking on the roads;
• To reside in a pollution free locality;
• Stop import of low quality coal;
• Stop cutting of trees.
It is highly desirable that air pollution should be controlled by strict implementation of
prevailing laws.
Source: The charts used in preparing this report has been taken from ‘Top-down assessment of Air Pollution
and GHGs for Dhaka, Bangladesh: Analysis of GAINS Derived Model Data’.

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Sound Pollution
Sound pollution is one of the major causes of health hazards. Due to natural reasons, the sound
pollution is more intense in the cities than in the villages and in Dhaka, the situation is most
dangerous. Dhaka city has been developing at a very rapid rate and for economic
development and industrial excellence, more and more factories are being constructed, more
vehicle movement and more sound pollution. Different areas of Dhaka are being
compartmentalized according to different trade for example, commercial buildings,
residential areas, office, schools, colleges, etc. Noise from these work places are making the
scenario more dangerous. the Audiology section of ENT department of Bangladesh Sheikh
Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) conducted a survey 4 years ago on the cause of
deafness of people. 8% of the patients became deaf due to sound pollution then, while now it
has increased to 10%.
Some Causes of Sound Pollution
• Too many heavy vehicles plying on the
road;
• Unnecessary honking of horns on the
roads by vehicles;
• Using of microphones to publicize
products, play music and give speeches;
• High volume generated from generators
installed in different commercial
shopping malls and restaurants;
• Sound from factories;
• Use of brick breaking machines
indiscriminately;
• Sound from piling for construction of
high rise buildings;
• Sound while installing tiles in the floors of apartments;
• Equipment used for construction of roof and roads.
Hertz is used to measure sound per unit. A normal person’s ear can absorb 15-20 kilohertz
sound. According to data of World Health Organization, normally 60 decibel sound damages
temporarily a person’s ability to hear and 100 decibel sound damages a person’s ability to hear
permanently. But the sound unit in any road of Dhaka City lies between 60 and 80 decibel.
The other range of sound units are : car horn 95 decibel, loudspeaker 90-100 decibel, mills and
factories 80 to 90 decibel, restaurant and cinema hall 75 to 90 decibel, any programme 85 to
90 decibel, scooter and motorbike 87-92 decibel, truck and bus 92-94 decibel. But the ideal
sound should be: bed room 25 decibel, dining and drawing room 40 decibel, office 35-40
decibel, classroom 30-40 decibel, library 35-40 decibel, hospital 20-35 decibel, restaurant
40-60 decibel and sound in cities at night 45 decibel.

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Physical Damage Due to Sound Pollution

When the sound goes beyond the above
limits, it is termed as pollution. Excess
sound damages the ears and may lead to
mental imbalances. Excessive sound
hampers a child’s natural growth and
development, lunge problem, irrational
behaviour and children become unmindful
in studies. A survey conducted by Department of Environment concludes that sound pollution
may lead to mental and physical disorder. It may also lead to insomnia, headache, high blood
pressure, peptic ulcer and indigestion. Any person who stays in a room or a situation where the
sound is 100 decibel or more for half an hour, may become deaf and may lose the ability to
hear. Any form of noise pollution can become extremely harmful to pregnant women. It has
been observed that pregnant women who resides near any airport are likely to give birth to
children who become paralyzed, autistic and immature as compared to mothers who stay
away from any airport.
According to “sound control guideline” of Department of Environment, the acceptable sound
limit in the silent zone is 50 decibel during day time and 40 decibel at night. For residential
areas, it is 55 decibel during day and 45 decibel during night. In the mixed areas (residential,
commercial and industrial are grouped together), the permissible sound limit is 60 decibel
during day and 50 decibel at night. For commercial areas, the permissible level is 70 decibel
during day and 75 decibel at night. For industrial area the permissible sound level is 75
decibel and at night it is 70 decibel.
Another survey conducted by Department of Environment reveals that sound pollution in
different areas of the country, specially in schools, hospitals and adjacent areas, is increasing
at an alarming rate and is shown in the table below:
Places Sound level during Sound level during
day (decibel) night (decibel)
Shaheen School and adjacent areas 83 74
Motijheel Government High School 83 79
Dhanmondi Government Boys High School 80 75
Azimpur Government Girls High School & 80 74
College
Tejgaon College, Farmgate 75 67
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical 82 69
University
Dhaka Medical College Hospital 80 69
Mitford Hospital 76 73
Sishu Hospital 72 69
Source: The Financial Express, March 23, 2012

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According to Sound Pollution Act, 2006, blowing horn is banned within 100 metres of office,
educational institutions and hospitals. The Act also envisages that brick breaking machines
cannot be used within 500 metres of any residential area. It also says that before use of
loudspeakers, permission has to be taken from appropriate authority. In a research finding,
Work for Better Trust (WBT) found out in March-April, 2011 that the sound level in silent
zones in Dhaka City is 104 decibels. They observed that the sound level was 104 in front of
Square Hospital between 9:50 am and 9:55 am (April 21, 2011). Whereas it was 103 decibel
between 12:00 noon and 12:05 pm in areas adjacent to New Model University College.
Sound Pollution in Mixed Areas of Dhaka City
Uncontrolled sound has kept the inmates of Dhaka City in a very vulnerable situation. Mixed
areas (residential, commercial organizations, schools, colleges, hospital in same area) are
used for multifarious purpose. So, sound pollution is very high here. So, keeping this in mind,
a survey was conducted jointly by Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Public Administration
and Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARSSO) in mixed
areas to find out the nature and threat of noise pollution and to find out its implications by
using GIS method. They selected Ramna area which is a mixed area and a very important
location. The time brackets used in the survey area : 9 to 11 am, 12 to 4 pm and 5 to 9 pm and it
was conducted on a full working day and on a holiday.
Sound Pollution on a Work Day
In order to find out the level of sound pollution on a working day the mean (average) between
“maximum sound” and “minimum sound” was arrived at.
Table: 1 Sound level average of maximum and minimum on a Work day from 9 am to 8 pm.
Mean (average)
Morning (9-11 am) Noon (12 noon-4 pm) Afternoon (5-8 pm)
9 am-8 pm)
Place/point
Maximum Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum Minimum
(DBA) (DBA) (DBA) (DBA) (DBA) (DBA) (DBA) (DBA)
1 Malibagh (road 85.5 72 81 68 87 75 84 71.7
crossing)
2 Shantinagar 82 71 80 70.5 84 75 82 72.2
(road crossing)
3 Kakrail (road 85 75 82 70 87 76 84.6 73.7
crossing)
4 Kakrail mosque 79 68 77 64 80 71 78.7 67.7
5 In front of 84 75 82 70 85 76 83.7 73.7
Matsya Bhaban
6 Shahbagh (in 85 75 84 71 88 79 85.6 75
front of
BSMMU &
BIRDEM)
7 Sheraton 83 69 81 70 85 75 83 71.3
(Ruposhi
Bangla)
8 Bangla Motor 88 72 82 75 90 78.5 86.7 75
9 Moghbazar 85 78 83 77 87 75 85 76.7
10 Mouchak 86 74 85 71 85 78 85 74.3
11 Ramna Park 59 50 56 50 62 51 59 50.3

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Mean (average)
9 am-8 pm)
Place/point
12 Viqarunnessa 79 67 81 72 80 70 80 69.7
School &
College
13 Hare Road 80 72 69 60 81.5 72 76.8 68
14 Moghbazar 81 70 79 70 84 73 81.3 71
Rail Gate
15 Dhaka 81 70 79 70 84 73 81.3 71
University (in
front of Public
Library)
16 Dhaka 78 69 76 65 80 73 78 69
University (in
front of Dass)
17 Dhaka Medical 72 64 68 61 72 66 70.6 63.7
College
18 Holly Family 74 65 69 60 76 66 73 63.3
Hospital
19 Ad-Din 63 55 58 52 65 58 62 55
Hospital
(Moghbazar)
20 CARE Clinic 77 65 72 60 78 67 75.7 64
21 Wills Little 81 73 77 66 82 72 80 70
Flower School
(Bijoy Nagar)
22 Siddeswari 80 73 79 70 82 74 80.3 72.3
Girls’s High
School
23 Nilkhet 80 71 76 66 81 73 79 70
24 In front of 76 69 72 63 77 72 75 68
Nagar Bhabon
25 Hotel 85 73 81 69 86 74 84 72
Sonargaon
26 Modhubagh 62 55 58 51 63 56 61 54
Places with Higher Sound Pollution

In the above table the Shahbagh cross-section between BSMMU and BIRDEM lies in the most
vulnerable area. According to provisions of Environment Protection Act, 1995 and
Environment Protection Rules, 1997 the maximum sound level should be 45 within 100 metre
radius, but in reality it is much more (maximum 85.6 decibel and lowest 75 decibel). This sound
level is creating serious problems to the patients. Siddheswari Girls’ High School, CARE
Clinic, Mosque falls within Shantinagar area. The maximum sound level here should be 45 to
50 decibel depending on its characteristics. But the maximum average sound level recorded
here was 82 decibel and the minimum average sound level was 72.2 decibel during the day.
Kakrail zone is office-cum-commercial area and also residential area. The maximum sound
level here should be 60 decibel but in reality it is maximum 84.6 decibel and minimum 73.7
decibel. Most of the area in Bangla Motor is occupied commercial – here maximum sound
level should be 70 decibel but maximum is 75 decibel and minimum is 86.7 decibel. In

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Mouchak highest average sound level is 85 decibel and minimum is 74.3 decibel. Matsya
Bhaban, an office area where Matsya Bhaban, Shilpakala Academy and other government
offices are situated. According to the Environment Protection Act, maximum sound level
within 100 metre of this special area should be 45 decibel between 9 am and 5 pm. But in
reality it is 82 decibel maximum. Malibag and Moghbazar are mixed areas where normal
sound level should be 60 decibel. In reality, the sound level in Moghbazar varies between 85
decibel and 76.7 decibel while in Malibagh it is between 84 and 71.7 decibel. Hotel
Sonargaon area is an office-cum-commercial-cum residential area too. Maximum sound
level should be 84 decibel and minimum should be 72 decibel. But in reality, it is much higher.
So, people living here are likely to be at risk.
An analysis of that areas shows that people residing within these areas are more at risk of
being affected by sound pollution.
Sound Pollution During Holiday
Sound pollution on a holiday should comparatively be lower as offices are closed and
transports also ply less. But from Table 2 it is totally a different scenario. Like any other work
day, sound level is more or less same on a holiday. Lot of transports ply here on holidays.
Many people, labourers work and does trade and business. Many people come to see the
beauties of Dhaka, visits the different parks and spots. Also people come here to attend
conferences, meetings as well as to do shopping. Patients are brought in these areas by
blowing siren of the ambulances and the hospitals here lie adjacent to the main road. So, even
on weekends or holidays, sound pollution is very high in the area.
Table: 2 Sound level average of maximum and minimum on a holiday from 9 am to 8 pm.
Mean (average)
9 am-8 pm)
Place/point
1 Malibagh (road 74 62 70 59 79 68 74.3 63
crossing)
2 Shantinagar 72 62 68 59 78 69 72.7 63.3
(road crossing)
3 Kakrail (road 73 61 69 58 78 64 73.3 61
crossing)
4 Kakrail mosque 67 51 67 52 75 67 69.7 56.7
5 In front of 76 58 68 61 78 67 72 62.7
Matsya Bhaban
6 Shahbagh (in 76 58 72 61 80 70 76 63
front of
BSMMU &
BIRDEM)
7 Sheraton 75 57 69 58 78 70 74 61.7
(Ruposhi
Bangla)
8 Bangla Motor 77 61 68 59 81 69 75.3 63
9 Moghbazar 74 60 67 58 77 67 72.7 61.7
10 Mouchak 72 61 70 60 82 71 74.7 64
11 Ramna Park 56 50 54 45 60 52 56.7 49

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Mean (average)
9 am-8 pm)
Place/point
12 Viqarunnessa 64 57 60 52 74 66 66 58.3
School &
College
13 Hare Road 65 58 61 53 71 61 65.7 57.3
14 Moghbazar 67 58 65 54 75 66 69 59.3
Rail Gate
15 Dhaka 65 59 61 52 76 65 67.3 58.7
University (in
front of Public
Library)
16 Dhaka 62 50 60 49 75 63 67.7 54
University (in
front of Dass)
17 Dhaka Medical 66 59 64 58 67 60 65.6 59
College
18 Holly Family 66 58 62 53 74 60 67.3 57
Hospital
19 Ad Din 58 50 56 48 60 52 58 50
Hospital
(Moghbazar)
20 CARE Clinic 70 59 68 54 72 63 70 58.7
21 Wills Little 70 61 67 60 76 64 71 61.7
Flower School
(Bijoy Nagar)
22 Siddeswari 70 61 67 56 78 67 71.1 61.3
Girls’s High
School
23 Nilkhet 71 61 68 60 79 64 72.7 61.7
24 In front of 69 59 67 57 73 62 69.7 56.3
Nagar Bhabon
25 Hotel 73.5 62 71 61.5 79.3 71 74.6 64.8
Sonargaon
26 Modhubagh 59 51 57 52 62 55 59.3 52.7
Sound Pollution in Hospital & Educational Institutions

Many of our hospitals and educational Noise Pollution in Hospital & Educational Institution
institutions are located in places with high 90
Noise Value in DB-A
80
level of sound. This is affecting adversely 70
60
50 Highest Average
the school children and patients. So, the 40
30
20
Lowest Average
Environment Protection Act, 1995 and 10

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fixed at 45 decibel. In a 5-day work week, Points/Places
the hospitals and educational institutions lie within high level of sound pollution. The
following table shows the highest and lowest level of sound pollution on a working day in the
hospitals and educational institutions located in Ramna area.

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No System of Supervision
There is no system of supervision of sound pollution within the Department of Environment,
according to Director (Dhaka Laboratory). He said that ‘we only see the quantity of air and
quality of the top water level regularly. Only when we receive any complaint, then we check
the sound level’. Environment Protection Movement, in their research paper entitled ‘The
present status of sound pollution in Dhaka Metropolis and measures to be taken’ has stated
that there is lack of coordination among different government departments, namely,
Department of Environment, Dhaka City Corporation and Bangladesh Road Transport
Authority (Prothom Alo, May 5, 2013).
Measures to be Taken to Control Sound Pollution
Sound pollution is synonymous with movement of vehicles, especially heavy vehicles like
truck, bus, auto-rickshaw, etc. Beside these, sound pollution also increases due to the
following reasons: mismanagement in maintenance of vehicles, bad road condition, use of
high volume horn and indiscriminate use of such horns including hydraulic horn. Several
recommendations have been placed to reduce sound pollution. One of the major
recommendations is awareness campaign which can be implemented through educational
curriculum, training, etc. Also strict implementation of prevalent laws can reduce and remove
the threat posed by sound pollution.
Fines Imposed on Five Organizations
In July 2012, 5 lac taka fine was imposed on five organizations by Department of
Environment. At the same time, electricity lines of a factory in North Badda producing
dangerous sound was snapped out and the factory was sealed by Department of Environment.
The organizations which were fined are: 1. Niharika Door and Traders International Ltd.
(North Badda), 2. Col. Shahabuddin (Siddheswari), 3. Amin Mohammad Group
(Dhanmondi), 4. Little Star Spinning Mills (Ashulia), 5. Henolux Skyview (Purana Paltan).
Sound level found in those organizations were respectively, 75, 80, 85, 86 and 90 decibel,
which is higher than acceptable and injurious to health.

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Radiation from Mobile Phones
Due to the stiff competition among the mobile phone

service providers, the mobile phone network is
expanding rapidly and several towers are being
installed. In almost all regions of the country, especially
near the cities, several towers are being installed. People
are spending hours together by talking over this popular
media by being attracted by different packages
announced by the cell phone providers.
According to a data published in August 2008, the number of mobile phone users in the
country is 7.9677 crore. 6 mobile phone companies have set up approx. 36,000 towers. At
present Grameen Phone has 14,000 towers while Banglalink has 5,200, Robi 8,200, Airtel
4,100 and City Cell has 2,900 towers, Teletalk, the government owned company has 1,400
towers.
Mobile Phone and Radiation from the Towers
Tower is the main centre through which the mobile
telephone connections work. Recently these towers have
been identified as the most harmful reason of health
hazard all around the world. Although the cell phone
companies are demanding that there is no radiation from
these towers but there is proof that these towers
disseminate radioactive materials. Electromagnetic
radioactive materials which flow from these towers have
bad effects on human being, animals, trees and on the environment as a whole. In the villages,
towers are constructed near populated areas and in the cities these are placed on top of high
rise buildings. Residents living in these buildings are not aware that they are submerged
inside electromagnetic radiation.
Effects of electromagnetic radiation is of two types:
Thermal (where heat is generated)
Non-thermal (where no heat is generated)
Thermal effects is compared to microwave. Non-thermal effects cannot be defined as such,
but it is 3-5 times more harmful than thermal effects. A mobile phone generates 1-2 watt
radiation when its frequency range is : 824-829 MHZ (CDMA technology), 890-915 MHZ (in
GSM 900 technology) and 1,710-1,780 (in GSM 1,800 technology).
Dr. Satyapashad Mozumder, Professor, Telecommunication Engineer, Bangladesh University
of Engineering & Technology says, each mobile tower generates between 17,100 microwatt
to 72,000 microwatt radiation per square meter. (Source: http://news.priyo.com,September
15, 2012).

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General Procedure of Installation of Towers

According to prevailing rules, cell phone tower antenna may be constructed at a height of 300
o
ft., 120 from plain land and +/-50 and must be constructed where there is no inhabitant
residing. But in Bangladesh, mobile towers are constructed in populated areas on rooftops
and at less than 300 ft. height.
Cell phone operators claim that the radiation from mobile towers is non-ionic and not harmful
for living being. But researchers reiterate that the non-ionic radiation may be harmful if it
flows at a high rate.
Many Researchers has Confirmed Presence of Radiation
Researches conducted in many countries have confirmed that people using cell phone are
being affected by brain cancer. People (30 – 59 years old) who have been using mobile phone
for 30 minutes a day for the last 10 years have a tendency to develop tumor in the head.
In a study conducted in 2007 on people living in Campton West in South Africa, it has been
found that this radiation has regulated the normal flow of serotonin and melatonin in blood.
These hormones control sleep, information flow, etc. in the brain. The study was conducted to
reflect the change in behavior of people 5 months prior and 5 months after the construction of
the tower.
More than 100 scientists and Doctors of Boston and Harvard Universities have termed cell
phone tower radiation as a menace. If anybody stays at a place where more than 100 mili volt
per meter radiation is generated he should immediately get out of the place. If someone
resides beyond 400 meters from any mobile tower, then the risk is much less.
Findings from a study conducted in 2003 in France concluded that people living within 300
meters of a mobile tower is beset with insomnia, headache, lack of concentration, uneasy
feeling, frustration, loss of memory, loss of hearing and eyesight, skin problem, etc.
Health Hazard
The number of cancer patients has risen in the recent years. Also skin diseases, tumor is
increasing. World Health Organization has identified mobile phone and tower to be
responsible for causing cancer and brain tumor.
Human body can endure up to 1 lac microwatt of radiation. If any body is directly affected by
radiation, then he is likely to develop skin disease and even cancer. When a human body is
inside electromagnetic radiation, then the human body contacts with radiation, because 70%
of a human body contains liquid. The parts of body containing fluid materials, like blood,
head (head contains 90% fluid), easily gets contaminated by radioactive materials.
The parts of body where fluid is more or less constant, for example, eye, head, heart, the
harmful effects are more. This may also cause tumor in the joints in the bones. Young people,
less than 20 years old, are more susceptible to be affected by tumor.
Most of us are not aware that a normal person should not talk for more than 18 to 24 minutes in
a day.

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Adverse Effect on Pregnant Women

Radiation also has dangerous harmful effect on pregnant women. The baby inside the womb
of a lady is likely to be affected if the mother lives near a town – the foetus may die and even
miscarriage may take place. So, with a view to give birth to a healthy baby, to avoid
miscarriage and to avoid the baby being born as autistic, during pregnancy a women should
try to refrain from talking on mobile phone for longer duration and also live as far away as
possible from the mobile tower.
Recent studies carried out prove that fertility of male is reduced due to radiation from mobile
phones. In 2006, in a Report published by American Society for Reproductive Medicine, it
has been revealed that the quality of sperm to reproduce, number and effectiveness is
hampered, their sperm building capacity is reduced by 30%. The radiation destroys DNA
inside the sperm.
New Symptom
A new type of psychological disease named Tinnitus or Ringxiety is spreading at an alarming
rate. People affected by this disease hears the ringing of a mobile phone even if a call is not
incoming but they feel that a call is coming in their cell phones. These patients tend to hear
less, are inattentive at work, have problem with sleeping and feel perturbed and impatient.
Identified Health Hazards
Prof. Girish Kumar, in his research work entitled “Report on Cell Tower Safety” prepared for
Indian Telecommunications Department has reported on the health hazards due to radiation
from the use of cell phone and phone towers as follows:
1. Extraction of albumin from the blood and so blood flow to the head may be affected;
2. May become impotent;
3. DNA may be damaged, sperm is affected and which may in turn be harmful for the next
generation;
4. Calcium is driven out from the cell membranes. So, the calcium spreads around and
may cause tumor;
5. Skin diseases may appear;
6. Body immunity is affected and people may fall sick easily;
7. Ear problem is likely to occur – if someone uses mobile phone regularly for more than
30 minutes for 4 years or more, he may become permanently deaf;
8. Eyes are likely to be affected – uveal melanomas, an eye disease or tumor in the eye is
likely to show up;
9. Those who keep mobile phone in their pant pockets, the bone below the backbone
becomes weak;
10. Tumor may appear in the blood vessels;
11. Level of melatonin, an anti-oxidant hormone is reduced;
12. Problem with sleep;
13. Headache, blurred eyesight, general weakness, chest pain, loss of memory, excessive

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heart beat, uneasy feeling, leukemia, lymphosus and even alzheimer disease may
result from use of cell phones;
14. Increase risk of cancer.
Effect of Radiation of Animals and on Environment
The 6 mobile phone companies have constructed 36,000 towers all over Bangladesh without
considering its possible harmful effects on animals or environment. The adverse effects of
radiation may lower the flying capacity of the birds or supply of food for the animals may be
reduced. Continuous emission of radiation may even lead to total extinction of some breed of
animals. Their natural immunity may reduce and their capability to stay alive may be affected.
Birds or other animals which can fly cannot endure radiation of 40,000 microwatt or more.
There is a gradual extinction of birds and insects from the cities. Also many species of trees
are becoming extinct. Research conducted on rats has found that after the 5th generation, the
rats lose their capacity to reproduce. Bees are getting lesser in number. Eggs laid by birds fail
to produce kids.
Effect on Agriculture
Radiation is having its harmful effects on agricultural lands - seeds and saplings are dying and
crops are being damaged. There is a marked reduction in the production capacity of the
agricultural land adjacent to cell phone towers. Trees are being diseased, their growth is also
hampered. Fertility of the land is reduced and so production capacity is also hampered.
Neglect by the Authority
The natural growth of trees is being hampered due to presence of cell phone tower. Coconut
and nut production in Khulna and Barisal is going down. On the basis of complaint that cell
phone towers are producing radiation, in 2008, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory
Commission (BTRC) formed a Committee to experiment and recommend on the detrimental
effects of radiation on trees. Field research discovered that production capacity of trees and
plants situated near cell phone towers are reducing and black spots are seen on those and even
those plants are dying. BTRC commented that this is not a complete report and so mobile
towers cannot be blamed.
In a study in 2010 on Global System for Mobile (GSM) conducted on the effect of mobile
phone on health and environment of people of Bangladesh, it did not show the adverse effect
on health but it found out that many species of birds have become extinct due to construction
of cell phone towers in Dhaka city.
Cell phone towers have detrimental effects on big trees. This was found when a Report
published by Financial Express on December 15, 2012 on the adverse effects of radiation
from cell phone towers on trees in Bhairabpur village of Kamalpur Upazilla in Bhairab
district was released. Before construction of the mobile tower, there were 20/25 big coconut
trees. But after the tower was constructed, there are only 10/12 trees left which is producing
half of the original production capacity and the trees tend to shrink.
It is a matter of hope that people of Bangladesh are becoming gradually aware of the adverse
effects of invisible electromagnetic radiation from cell phone towers.

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Measures to Prevent Radiation

The following measures may be undertaken to prevent harmful effects of radiation:
1. Issue guidelines to concerned quarters that microwave radiation should be reduced,
every one should attempt to keep the level low;
2. To create awareness among the general public regarding the harmful effects of
radiation from cell phones and towers;
3. Cell phone Towers and cell phone parts should be produced in such a way that
radiation is transmitted at low level and only when it is required;
4. Children should be kept away from cell phone towers and cell phone should be kept
out of reach of children;
5. Towers should not be constructed in and near a residential area;
6. Instructions regarding use of cell phone should be strictly adhered to and care must be
taken while carrying a cell phone;
7. If land phone is available, use of cell phone may be avoided;
8. It is advisable to use SMS system or loud speaker installed in the system rather than
placing the phone directly against the ear;
9. Electromagnetic radiation preventive paint may be used at home or windows should
be covered with heavy curtain or glass panel;
10. Cell phone should not be used in cars rather it should be used in open spaces;
11. Cell phone should not be used with wet hair or while wearing metal spectacles;
12. To reduce the conversation as much as possible through cell phones.
The radiation being transmitted through cell phones and towers is a silent form of pollution
which may have severe adverse effects on human being and environment. We should try to
control the waves generated so that disaster can be avoided.

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Industrialization versus Death of River
In Bangladesh, the challenge is at present on industrialization versus environment. For

ensuring healthy environment, it is imperative to keep the environment and natural resources
pollution free and to curb industrial pollution is a big challenge. Although the major emphasis
is on rapid industrialization to ensure economic growth but the unplanned establishment of
factories and industries is polluting the cities which are becoming unfit for human being.
According to Ministry of Industries and Department of Environment, till June 2012, there are
approx. 1 lac industries in the country. Of these, there are 65,000 small and cottage industries
while 35,000 are medium and large industries. The medium and large industries are mainly
producing solid, liquid and gaseous waste products and high sound and vibration. The most
hazardous industries responsible for environment pollution include textile, dyeing, chemical
& chemical fertilizer, etc.
About 10,000 medium and large industries situated in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Tongi are
situated beside river. So, all the waste products are falling into those rivers and polluting
those. According to Ministry of Water Resources, there are 230 rivers in the country. 25 rivers
have become extinct due to encroachment and pollution and 174 rivers are being threatened.
Of those 174 rivers, 117 are almost extinct.
Industries & Factories of Dhaka and River Pollution
The rivers flowing besides the capital are facing terrible pollution. These include Buriganga,
Turag, Bangshi, Dhaleswari, Sitalakhya, Balu covering an area of 110 km. overall situation is
endangered environment, devastated living conditions. Poisonous waste products are
changing the colour of water of the rivers and gradually becoming poisonous and unfit for
human consumption. Due to this, almost 50 lac inhabitants located around Dhaka are
suffering from various diseases. Experts feel that if this contamination continues, the future
will be quite dangerous and environment will be polluted beyond repair. In three regions of
Dhaka city (Hazaribag, Tejgaon and DND), there are more than 7,000 factories and
industries. According Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) research report, everyday 0.5
million cubic meter waste products are being produced from households while 1.3 million
cubic meters are waste products from 7,000 industrial units. These industrial wastes are 60%
responsible for polluting rivers, canals, beel and other water bodies. Findings from a joint
study by World Bank and Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) shows there are more than 300
waste disposal outlets in 9 industrial zones namely Tongi, Hazaribag, Tejgaon, Tarabo,
Narayanganj, Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur and Ghorashal. Of these, maximum waste products
from housed industrial units flow through 19 outlets.

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The number of most contaminated industries according to Department of Environment is

shown in the table below:
Factory/Industry Number
Dyeing 363
Tannery 198
Pharmaceuticals 149
Workshop 129
Chemical and insecticides 118
Jute 92
Rubber and plastic 63
Food and sugar 38
Paper 10
Cement 5
Fertilizer 5
Liquid refinery 4
The actual number is definitely much more. Among these, dying factory and tannery is most
responsible for pollution.
Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP)
ETP is a refining and recycling plant for treating waste products. According to Environment
Conservation Rules, 1997, every factory or industry must have their own ETP and no factory
or industry will be issued with Clearance Certificate from Department of Environment
without constructing ETP. Surprisingly, Department of Environment is not aware of the
number of industries which have ETP facility. The Caretaker Government issued order in
October 2007 that every industrial unit must construct ETP and the order was made
mandatory.
There are about 4,000 medium and large industries in Dhaka region and 3,000 in surrounding
locations. Most of these do not have ETP facility. So, waste products from these industries are
easily flowing into the nearby rivers.
Even if some of the industries have ETP, those are not being used. According to Department of
Environment, if a dyeing factory produces 1 ton cloth it generates 100 cubic meter of liquid
waste, which is equivalent to 1 lac liter water. Taka 300-400 is needed to refine 1 cubic meter
of waste products. The factory owners do not want to spend this money and so directly lets the
waste products flow into the adjacent rivers.
These are mainly due to lack of awareness among the general public and lack of effective
supervision by the concerned Government Department which is pushing people’s lives
towards death due to severe contamination and pollution. Even knowing fully that the water
of the rivers is poisonous people have to drink and use those as there is no other alternative
available to them.

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Buriganga
The Buriganga river has become devastated due to pollution. Different types of waste products
including industrial waste products are every day flowing into the river. The Hon’ble High
Court passed a verdict on June 01, 2011 ordering the Chairman of Dhaka WASA that all
sewerage lines and waste products line connected to the Buriganga river must be shut down
within one year. Also it warned that stern action will be taken against those who will oppose the
move. But that was it. Pollution of Buriganga continues in an unabated manner. Every day, on
an average, more than 10,000 cubic meter waste products are directly being dumped into the
river. This includes 40,000 tons waste products from 250 tannery lanes in Hazaribag. Other
sources contribute 25,000 ton. In the river bed there is a deposit of 8 ft layer of polythene. An
alarming news of hospital wastes being deposited in Buriganga river is also alarming. About
62 types of chemical waste including antibiotic like amoxicillin, pencillin, ciprofloxin and
azyphromycin – all high dosage antibiotic are deposited in river Buriganga. Also, every day
thousands of liters of fuel, burnt mobil are being dumped into the river by several boats and
launches plying on the river. The waste products which are being dumped from industries are:
cyanide, mercury, carbon, acids of different types, lead, zinc, nickel, battery, dye, etc. In spite
of efforts by the Department of Environment, environment contamination cannot be
controlled. The persons who are convicted pay the fine and again start to dump wastes into the
rivers without paying any heed to the prevalent laws and regulations.
Turag
The famous Kohor Daria (Turag river) of Tongi is almost dead with pollution. Waste products
from several dyeing and dry washing factories mixes with the river water and contaminates
and makes the water more poisonous. The factories are Jaber & Jubayer of Noman Group,
Dhaka Dyeing, Hossain Dyeing & Washing Factory, etc.
Everyday waste from dyeing factory and chemical wastes from washing factory are falling
into Turag river and creating terrible smell. Although Department of Environment has served
notice and fined some factories, they are continuing to dump waste thereby polluting the river.
On April 11, 2012, Department of Environment imposed a fine of tk 21 lac on Pacific Fiber
Corporation, a dyeing factory located in BSCIC Industrial Estate in Konabari, Gazipur on
charges of contaminating water of the Turag river. This factory do not have any ETP and had
been dumping wastes for the last six years.
Contaminated and polluted waste products from 250 dyeing, knitting, insecticide, tannery
and other factories of Kaliakoir, Konabari, Kashimpur and Kodda are being thrown into the
waters of Turag river and canals, beel, etc.
During high tide, every year waste water supply increases and flow through the 15 km canal
from Kodda Bridge to upstream of Turag river. This kills fish and other weeds in the water,
whereas government has declared Golachipa, Lalkharkum as permanent sanctuary for fishes.
Due to pollution from waste products of 28 textile mills and dyeing and spinning mills, the
affected villages are: Tenguri, Kabirpur, Baidgaon, Sugondhi, Koltasuti, Chhoner Tek,
Modhupur, Nayartek, Alokandi, Kaichabari, Dogortola, Banshbari, Nolam, Baipail, Sreepur,

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Chhitbari, Debdosha, Elailil, Khagan, Datta para, Kaltapur, Majidpur, Imandipur,

Khalashipara, Namagenda, Karnapara, Andopur, Kortar Tek, Goper Bari, Puran Bari,
Sadhapur, Gazaria and Kumarir Beel.
Sitalakhya/Dhaleswari
The industrial establishments which are established in Narayanganj includes dyeing factory,
board mill, oil refinery, hide processing, pulp and paper mills. The waste disposal lines of
these factories are directly connected to Sitalakhaya, Dhaleswari and Buriganga rivers. So,
waste materials from all these factories flow directly into the rivers mentioned above without
being treated. Although it is mandatory to construct ETP approx 7 crore taka is required.
Except a few large industries, more than 300 factories situated within 7 thanas of the district,
has not set up any ETP, due to high cost involvement. So, the water of all rivers flowing in and
around Narayanganj have been heavily contaminated with several kinds of waste products
from the industries and factories. The colour of the water has turned red and smells very bad.
Even after being processed in the water treatment plant, the water supplied is muddy and
contains bad smell. The water of channel river flowing from Bishnadi Bazar to Gopaldi Bazar
in Araihazar Upazilla of Narayanganj district has become polluted with waste products.
People who are using water from this channel is facing innumerable misery and sufferings.
Louhajang & Bangshai
Poisonous waste products from more than a hundred mills and factories located in Gorai of
Mirzapur upazilla is flowing into the nearby river, canal, drain, and polluting the
environment. Since most factories do not have effluent treatment plant, the water is getting
contaminated and fishes are dying in the rivers and canals. Especially, the water is highly
contaminated and poisonous in Sohagpara Khal, canal beside cadet college, beel and
Bongshai river. The surrounding environment is also polluted 3 to 4 lac people who lives in
and around the surrounding areas are facing health hazards.
Balu River
The water of Balu river is also becoming unfit for common use due to pollution. Many people
are suffering from skin disease. Padma Poly Cotton & Knit Fabrics Ltd was fined taka 10 lac
on December 04, 2012 on the charge of dumping poisonous liquid wastes in Balu river.
Meghna
When fishermen are throwing their nets in the river, there is no fish. But huge amount of dead
or half dead fish are seen floating along both banks of the river. Local residents have
complained that the industries shut down their ETP on every Thursday. They dump wastes in
the river on Friday (being a government holiday). So, many fishes die and local people
catches those dead fish to eat. Bashundhara Paper Mills Ltd. (unit-3) was fined 42 lac 80
thousand taka by Department of Environment. Situated in Gazaria of Munshiganj district, the
factory was inspected on October 17 and December 03, 2012 and found that even when an
ETP was established, they shut it down and dumped waste products directly into the river
Meghna.

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Karnaphuli
Karnaphuli river water has turned black due to pollution. Everyday, on an average, 2,000 ton
waste products are falling into the river. Waste materials from factories, from butchery,
powder from cement clinker, fuel from ship, and boats, liquid waste from house- all directly
falls into Karnaphuli river. 220 factories have been identified as hazardous including
Karnapuli Paper Mills, Rayon Mills, CUFL, Dye Super Phosphate, Eastern Refinery Ltd.
Padma Oil Co. Ltd., Meghna Oil Co. Ltd., Jamuna Oil Co. Ltd., Chittagong Dry Dock Ltd.,
Cement Factory. The river is also being polluted by waste products of tannery located in
Kalurghat. 90% factories situated between from Kalurghat and KEP area do not have ETP.
Only 10 % factories have ETP but 50 % of those keeps shut down because of the cost
associated with running the plants.
Due to the presence of Chittagong Port, on an average 2,000 foreign ships come into the
Karnaphuli river. Besides, every month about 1,500 ships plies on this river. While cleaning
and repairing the ships, metal products like zinc, lead, cadmium, soda, ash, gypsum etc. are
dropped into the river water. Also waste fuels are dumped from the ships. Arsenic content in
1976-1977 in the river water was found to be 5.06 ml while it has now come down to 3.02.
Due to continuous contamination of river water, fish and other animal species are gradually
becoming extinct. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has conducted
a survey and found that 54 species of fish has already become extinct from the river. At present
50 lac people live in Chittagong. Every day thousands of tons of liquid wastes are dumped
into Karnaphuli river by flowing through 24,000 open drain and 20 canals. If this trend
continues, Karnaphuli river is soon going to be a dead river, it is feared.
Titas
Everyday huge quantities of waste products are being thrown in Titas river in Homna of
Comilla. If this trend continues, soon there will be crisis of navigation, environment pollution
etc. Waste products including medical wastes are being dumped in the river near Homna
Municipal Market ghat, Shahabarighat, old Launch ghat, Barguna ghat, Ramkrishna ghat,
Akandapara ghat, Sri Mondi Ganguly ghat.
Modhumoti
The recently established 100 MW Peking Electrical Centre in Gopalganj has brought misery
to the people living on both banks of river Modhumati. Because of dumping of waste products
from fuel from the Centre to Haridaspur the water is becoming polluted. This is creating
problem in supplying water to Goplaganj Municipality. Furnace oil from the Electrical Centre
is straight away dumped into the river. This oil is seen floating over 20 km area - both in the
upstream and downstream of Faridpur. This oil mixed water is flowing through the irrigation
canals into the agricultural lands in Haridaspur, Malekha, Urki, Madhupur, Mahidah,
Chapail, Koiltoli, Satpara and Ulpur village. Farmers have complained that paddy plants in
40 bigha agricultural lands have died as water mixed with furnace oil was supplied through
the irrigation canals.

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Karotoa
Waste products from industries and factories and waste materials of 5 lac residents of Bogra is
being thrown every day in the Karotoa river. This is harming the normal flow of the river.
Waste materials from TMSS Medical College Hospital and waste and dirty water of BCL
Paper Mill is dumped into Karotoa. Waste products from Shahid Ziaur Rahman Medical
College and adjacent factories flow through Bhadai canal in Shahjadpur. This is killing
snakes, frogs and fishes through pollution. Waste products from hundreds of processing mills
in Sirajganj, weaving factories in Shahjadpur, Pabna are polluting the waters of Karotoa river,
link canals, ponds, beel, water bodies, etc. Since many mills and factories including dyeing
mills, processing mills, weaver’s own houses been constructed in an unplanned manner and
there is no ETP or no means of removal of wastes, colour of water of Karotoa river and Rupai
canal in Shahjadpur has turned pale.
Khiru
Industrial wastes are threatening the existence of Khirnadi Bilaijuri canal, Morapura canal,
and 5 other canals and beel in Bhaluka. In the Khir river amount of cadmium, potassium and
sodium is much higher than the minimum acceptable level. The cadmium contamination has
resulted from the ceramic, glass and metal factories which have been established on the banks
of the river. Also amount of cadmium is very high in the mud. Fishes need 6.5 to 7 mg of
oxygen to survive, but the level of oxygen in the water of Khir river is 1.7 to 2.64 mg (per litre)
which is much less than the minimum level required for their survival.
The condition of canals lying adjacent to the river is precarious. Waste products from the
following factories and industrial units are falling directly into the 1 km. long Bilaijuri canal:
Nasir glass, SQ supply chain, SQ supply colour city, SQ holding, Cotton Thread, Pioneer
Sweater, Kamal Yarn, Ilsiv Textile, Arif Spinning, Crown, Akbar Cotton, Ideal Spinning,
Riser Chemical, Orchard Sweater, Advance Sweater, Howell Textile, etc. Waste products
with different colours, red, green, deep violet are mixing into the water. Also liquid wastes are
flowing into the canals through drains. These wastes (pitch black colour) are flowing into
Lauti canal through Bilaijuri canal and then flowing into Khir river.
Ichamati
Not only in the capital, rivers are being contaminated by factories in the mofussil towns also.
The waters of river Ichamati near Laskarpur in Pabna district is being polluted by chemical
wastes dispatched from a dyeing factory. Most of the river has already been occupied as a
dumping spot for chemical wastes. The remaining portion is being polluted by waste products
from the factories and posing threat to the human health.
Dangerous Effect of Contaminated Water
Fish
IUCN, an international organization involved in the protection of the environment, in 2000
concluded that out of 289 species of fish available in Bangladesh, 54 species are facing threat
of extinction. In the last 12 years, the situation has deteriorated further.

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In a recent study conducted by Fisheries Museum of Bangladesh Agricultural University, it

has been observed that the number of species of fish facing extinction has crossed the 100
level. 25 species have been extinct already. According to Directorate of Fisheries, while the
catch of fish in 1998-99 was more than 9 lac ton, after 12 years it has been reduced by 8,000
ton (Prothom Alo, September 27, 2012).
Due to factory wastes, the sanctuary for the fish is being heavily harmed. As most of the
factories do not have ETP, so harmful chemicals are easily mixing with water, polluting the
water and making it unfit for human consumption. In addition, heavy metals like copper, zinc,
cobult, etc are also being thrown in the water poisoning the fish feed.
Irrigation Projects
Even the irrigation projects are not spared. Waste matters are being thrown in the
Narayanganj, Narsingdi Irrigation Project, Agrani Irrigation Project, Rupganj Water
Reservation Project. These waste matters are flowing through the Irrigation Projects in the
rivers. There are more or less 500 small and big industries in Rupganj, a majority of which do
not have their own ETP, also they do not have Clearance Certificate from Department of
Environment. So, use of polluted water is damaging irrigation projects and thereby damaging
agriculture.
Agriculture
Waste products including liquid wastes dispatched from different industrial units are
damaging agriculture lands. For instance, productivity is decreasing in nearly 5,500 acres of
agriculture land situated in 35 villages of 7 unions of Savar municipal area. 5,000 acres of
fisheries and 2,000 acres water resources are also being destroyed. Due to liquid waste
products, nearly 10,000 farmers and their family members are affected adversely.
Health
Since dyeing units does not have functioning ETP, lacs of people are suffering from
diarrhoea, hepatitis, high blood pressure, urinary tract infection, kidney disease, skin disease
mainly due to use of contaminated water from industrial and chemical wastes. In some cases,
even after being treated, the water is not being fully germ free. So, people are falling sick by
use of this polluted and contaminated water.
Activities of Department of Environment
With a view to prevent industrial pollution, the Enforcement Section of Department of
Environment has taken many corrective steps but the perpetrators easily obtain bail from the
Hon’ble courts and also evade fines imposed by the Enforcement Section. Most of the
industrial establishment are violating provision of Environment Protection Act, 1995
On September 30, 2012, two industrial units, namely Pearls Paper and Board Mill and
Polymer Industries Ltd. were fined Taka 20 lac because they were dumping poisonous
waste products in Gazikhali river and Kalampur canal in Sreerampur of Dhamrai. It is
worthwhile mentioning here that during last one year, 11 crore liter liquid poisonous wastes
was dumped in the river.

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(revised 2002) and Environment Protection Rules, 1997 (revised 2002). Many factories are
being constructed without obtaining Clearance Certificate from the Department of
Environment and without taking preventive measures against pollution and contamination.
The Department of Environment has prepared a new list in 2012 of 300 new industrial units
which are severely realized fines worth Tk 2 crore 61 lac from 43 industrial establishment.
But still it is not having much effect.
Legal Notice Suspended instead of Implementation of law
The Department of Environment had originally fined the two units, situated in Narsingdi and
Narayanganj, nearly 3.5 crore taka. Department of Environment served Notice upon them to
install ETP. The two units did not set up ETP or obtain Clearance Certificate from Department
of Environment. Rather they applied to Ministry of Environment regarding the Notice served
on them. Ministry had quashed the Notice and the two factories are continuing to spill waste
products in the rivers, namely, Brahmaputra & Sitalakkhya. In 2010, government in
cognizance with an order of the Hon’ble High Court, has declared Sitalakhya river as an
environmentally sick river. So, no waste material can be thrown in the river and no
infrastructure shall be constructed on it. Violation of this order could lead to 3 to 10 years of
imprisonment.
This is how rivers are getting lost from our lives by being subject to pollution and
contamination.

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Waste Management : Unhygienic Future
With the rapid industrialization and urbanization, production of waste materials have also
increased. Many developed countries like USA, Germany are transforming their industrial
waste into electricity, chemical fertilizer, etc. On the other hand, faulty waste management
hampers development and has a negative impact on the environment. For Bangladesh, proper
waste management is a critical issue as it has link to health hazard, environmental hazard as
well as financial implications and associated risks.
The majority of waste is generated from residential areas. Beside this, other major sources of
waste materials are markets, industries and factories, commercial organizations, hospitals
and medical installations.
Since 1990s, Waste Concern, a private concern, has been playing a very important role in
management of waste products in Bangladesh. From a study conducted by them in 2005, an
idea can be derived about the waste products in the urban sector.
Rate of waste Daily waste production ton/day Per day average

City production Dry season Wet season waste production
Dhaka 0.56 3,767.91 5,501.14 4,634.52
Chittagong 0.48 1,254.61 1,837.57 1,548.09
Rajshahi 0.30 140.51 205.15 172.83
Khulna 0.29 261.19 381.34 321.26
Barisal 0.25 109.25 159.51 134.38
Sylhet 0.30 116.07 169.46 142.76
Pourashavas 0.25 3,803.58 5,553.22 4,678.40
Other city centers 0.15 1,382.64 2,018.66 1,700.65
Total 10,839.75 15,826.04 13,332.49
According to Waste Concern, the daily

Food & vegetables
waste production in the cities is 17,000 2%
1% 0%
ton on an average where per head 1% 4% Paper
waste production is 0.41 kg. There are
Plastic products
different types of wastes. Most waste 9%
is produced from food items and 5%
Metal products
vegetables. Apart from these, paper, Glass & ceramic
10%
plastic, hides and skin, metal products,
Wood/leaves
glass, ceramics, wood, thread, 68%
medicines- also are responsible for Paper/Fibre
producing wastes. Due to abundance
Medicine related
o f v e g e t a b l e s d u r i n g w i n t e r,
production of waste also increases Others
during winter.

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Among the waste products, most risky waste is disaster prone waste products. Department of
Environment says that disaster prone waste products are increasing continuously. Pesticide
manufacturing company, textile mills, dyeing factories, plastic industries, chemical factories
and pharmaceutical companies are producing this type of waste products. Another major
source are the hospitals and medical centers. Besides, liquid wastes, agriculture wastes are
also responsible for environment and health hazards. Several targets were set under Agenda
21 of the United Nations Environment and Development Conference held in Rio de Janerio of
Brazil in 1992:
> Every member country will install waste disposition and management techniques by
2000 and observe the environmental hazards arising from production of waste.
> By 2025, developed nations will ensure that at least most of the liquid waste, solid
waste products are disposed in light of national and international rules and regulations.
Hospital Wastes/Medical Wastes
Thousands of medical centers have been set up to provide medical treatment to the suffering
people. But most of these have been set up illegally in the residential areas. This was found out
during a survey conducted by BCAS on ‘Environmental Management of Hospitals’. Usually
medical wastes are those wastes which result from daily operation of the hospitals. These
waste products are not categorized and all types of waste products are dumped together in the
dustbins. So, the germs of different diseases flow through the air and water and poses serious
hygienic problem and health hazard.
Type Example
Liquid waste Blood, abscess, and other types of human liquid
• Organic waste waste.
• Expired date waste Wastes after pathological test and medicines
• Chemically reactive waste whose date has expired.
Waste developed due to chemical reaction (for
example, iozine 125.131 etc).
Solid waste Needle, syringe, blade, broken glass, scissors, vial,
• Pointed and sharp waste imputed parts of body, expired date medicine,
• Not pointed and not sharp waste gauze, cotton, bandage, saline bag, post-operative
instruments, etc.
According to Bangladesh Environment Protection Act, 1997, due to their damaging role,
hospitals and clinics have been categorized as Red and Pathological Centers as range B
category. The reason for this categorization is the spread of different types of disease from
medical waste products. Experts say that 18 to 20% of hospital wastes produce types of virus
and bacteria which are harmful to human health, mainly because these disposal of these waste
products is not managed properly.

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A list stating names of some disease produced from medical wastes:

Name Nature Sickness
Staphylococcus Bacterial disease Skin disease, injury, infection, food poisoning
Streptococcus Bacterial disease Infection of the lunge, rheumatic fever,
hemorrhagic fever
Pneumococcas Pneumonia
Salmonella Typhoid, Paratyphoid
Canzida Cholera
Fibro coleri Cholera
HIV Viral disease AIDS (infected and disposed needles, blade or
blood use may cause AIDS).
Survey conducted by various NGOs like BRAC, Prodipon found that used saline bag,
syringe, blood bag, surgical instruments are re-sold in the smuggled markets. If these
materials are reused there is every possibility of contracting with AIDS, Hepatitis B and
Hepatitis C, Meningitis etc.
A particular proportion of the poor people earn their livelihood by gathering different types of
waste products and by selling those. Since hospital wastes fetch a good price, these young
kids have a tendency to collect more of those. Unknowingly they became contaminated and
pose serious health hazard in the long run. They are unaware about the harmful effects of
hospital wastes and so indulge in collecting more of those waste products.
Normally the profit earning tendency of the hospital authorities and irresponsible behaviour
leads to problems with hospital wastes. None of the hospitals has scientific system of waste
management. Staff is not trained in different types of waste disposal. Even in many hospitals,
waste products are burnt due to absence of incinerator machine. This is more serious because
these produce carbon dioxide gas which may even lead to cancer.
If we want to save ourselves from disaster from hospital wastes, it is imperative to have a
functioning and modernized waste management system. In USA, in 1970 the first step was
taken to introduce the system of waste management. This means collection of waste,
disinfection, preservation, separation and transportation. At the point of production, firstly
dangerous and safe waste products must be separated from each other and preserved in a
specific place. Then these must be transported carefully and disinfection has to be done. This
disinfection can be made by autoclave method, chemical or plasma method, incineration or
burying underground, etc.
Since incineration method is quite expensive, it may not be possible to establish one singly. A
few medical centers or hospitals in the same area may jointly install an incineration plant so
that all of their medical wastes may be treated there.
Plasma plus is a much modernized method of waste management. By establishing only one
such plant all sorts of waste products of whole of Dhaka can be treated. But this is an
extremely costly affair. Also each plant needs several highly qualified and experienced
operators to run such a plant effectively and professionally which is absent in our country.

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Rather, the steps taken and method used by Prodipon in 1997 is a very suitable method of
waste management. Under this method, waste products are collected in a transport van. Inside
the van there are separate chambers to keep different types of waste products. These are
carried to a dump site far away and buried underground.
At present, there is only one organization named Prism Bangladesh which is engaged in waste
management and disposal in Dhaka. It is situated in Dhanmondi. Their dumping site is
located at Matuail, near Jatrabari.
Beside this, they have branches at Chittagong, Jessore and Khulna. They work on the basis of
contractual agreement and at present are engaged with nearly 200 medical centers. They
ensure waste disposal through incineration and burying underground methods. Besides
taking effective steps, it is imperative to implement prevalent rules and regulations of waste
disposal and management otherwise it will soon turn into a disaster. So, beside government
initiative, private entrepreneurs must also come up and engage themselves in assisting
government in management of waste products. In addition, general public must be made
aware through advertisement, publicity, awareness campaign, etc. Then we can have a
pollution free Bangladesh.
Production of Electricity from Waste Products
One of the important and vexing problem in Bangladesh is waste management. With the ever
increasing growth of population, waste production is also rapidly increasing. So, people are
becoming more susceptible to various kinds of health hazards.
In Dhaka, approx. 5,000 ton waste is being produced everyday and there is problem with
management of such huge quantity of waste regularly. Although 90% can be burnt but this
will generate harmful gas in the air. Specially burning of lead, mercury, calcium, plastic or
polythene products produces poisonous smoke. One of the modern methods of waste
management is the method of recycling and reuse. Producing bio-gas or electricity from
waste products is an environment friendly method. In many developed countries this method
is being successfully implemented as an environment friendly method and also a revenue
generating method.
For the first time in Bangladesh, a project has been launched by Management Environment
Finance SEL, a Italy-based organization, to generate electricity from municipal wastes. Two-
electrical sub-stations will be constructed at Jatrabari and Amin Bazar at an estimated project
cost of 300 million US Dollars. By recycling wastes from Dhaka City Corporation 50 MW
electricity will be produced and this will be added to the national grid. Govt. will purchase the
electricity so produced at Tk. 8.75 per kilowatt. The project will be implemented in three
stages in three years after signing of formal agreement with Bangladesh Government.
At present many government and non-government organizations are preserving household
waste products and producing compost fertilizers and selling those. But these ventures are
quite inadequate compared to the instruments required to undertake similar heavy projects to
challenge this vexing problem. Bangladesh government has set a target of producing
electricity by recycling method of waste products and it will produce 10% electricity by 2015.

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Simultaneously, another project is going to be implemented at the initiative of Ministry of

Local Government and Rural Development. 50 megawatt electricity will be produced
through this project. 60% of the waste produced in the cities is organic waste. So, after the
installation of a bio-gas plant in Matuail under this project, a similar bio-gas plant will also be
set up in Amin Bazar. The other wastes will be used as organic fertilizer. One of the project
personnel said that if this project becomes successful in Dhaka, similar projects will be
undertaken in Chittagong and Khulna City Corporation. These projects will aid in solving
electrical problem to some extent. Further, if these projects become really successful, it will
usher a new era of development in waste management and waste disposal.

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Sufferings from Tannery
Tannery has been one of the most prospective industries in Bangladesh. During the last
decade the earning from tannery has increased on an average by US Dollar 41 million every
year. The tanneries have exported leather and leather goods worth 663 million US Dollars
from June 2011 to July 2012. Bangladesh exports leather and leather goods to 70 countries in
the world including China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain and the United States
of America.
Although it is an ever growing industry but due to unplanned management of this industry
people are being harmed due to pollution from solid and liquid wastes from the tanneries.
Hazaribag Tannery
Almost 90 to 95% tanneries in Bangladesh are located in Hazaribag. There are between 200
and 250 factories both small and large. However, according to Human Rights Watch there are
150 tanneries while BSCIC (Bangladesh Small & Cottage Industries Corporation) puts the
figure at 194. About 12,000 workers are employed full time. Immediately after Eid-ul-Azha
for about 2/3 months, during the seasonal employment, number of workers rise to 15,000.
These tanneries are polluting the air, water and earth unabatedly. As a result, due to this
incessant pollution, the local residents mostly remain sick, child labourers are being engaged
into factories to perform risky and hazardous jobs against a meager wage.
Pollution from Tannery
The chemical wastes from tanneries are polluting the environment seriously. The chemicals
used for processing the hides include: sulphuric acid, chromium, sodium chloride, sodium
sulphide, sodium mataboisulphate, forsic acid, formaldehyde, azocholorants,
pentachlorophenol – these are harmful to human beings. Beside this, the waste products from
tanneries include biochemical oxygen, chemical oxygen, alkalinity, chloride, oil and grease –
which are also harmful. The BSCIC study states that every day the tanneries are producing
15,000 cubic meter liquid wastes which are harmful for the environment. Further, due to the
poisonous chemical gas produced from the tanneries, furniture made of iron, metal, tins,
aluminum utensils are being damaged.
Polluted & Affected Areas
Air and water are mixed with poisonous materials produced by the tanneries. So, all the
50,000 workers associated with this trade directly or indirectly are affected by this silent killer
of these approx. 40,000 workers are directly affected. Although the main processing zones are
located in Hazaribagh and Lalbagh, but the poison is spreading in Rayer Bazar, Jhikatola and
Dhanmondi. About 20 lac people living in 10 km. area are directly or indirectly affected.
There is no plant to measure or control the pollution from the waste products in the area.
According to local residents, during earlier days when the western side of Buriganga was
connected with Hazaribagh, the waste products would directly be deposited in the Buriganga
river. Since the flood protection embankment was constructed in 1988, these waste products
falls into river Buriganga, here residential plots and 20 slums are accommodated. Due to

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pollution, the workers are already being affected by skin cancer, tuberculosis, chest pain,
hepatitis, asthma, among other diseases. Not only human being, these poisonous waste
products are also adversely affecting the fish resources.
Map: Areas affected by pollution from tannery (source: Human Rights Watch)
Management in Extraction of Waste Products
Due to absence of adequate methods of extraction, many chemical waste products are
deposited on the factory floor. These chemical wastes coupled with unclean dirt and polluted
water are thrown on the roads and drains around, then ultimately flow along small rivulets and
mixes with the river Buriganga. The waste products from tanneries have long surpassed the
maximum acceptable amount of lead content in waste products. In some cases, this rate is
thousand times more than the acceptable level.
People living in narrow lanes and by-lanes have complained about their deteriorating health
condition. The water containing black polluted products from the tanneries are extracted at a
great speed, this then flow through the drains and bad odour fills the air around. The local
residents said that since there is no supervision from the government agencies they are not
aware about the extent of pollution through which they are passing their days.
Health Problem
To live in a healthy natural environment is also part of right to health. It is necessary to
mitigate the risks associated with consumption of unsafe drinking water. Past and present
workers who are associated with tanneries suffer from various health related problems, such
as, blisters, early degeneration of the body, discoloration of skin, skin disease, rash, acid burnt

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skin, finger, body ache, turning of head, amputate parts of body, etc. A study conducted by an
NGO named SEHD has found that 89.3% out of every 1,000 workers suffer from various
physical ailments like tuberculosis, chest pain, hepatitis, fever, dysentery, asthma, cough and
cold, rheumatic fever, hypertension, etc.
Workers who are regularly working in the tanneries are more prone towards cancer. Also due
to regular working in the tannery and coming in contact with different chemical mixtures or
components, these labourers develop skin disease and many other health problems, like
asthma. The skin easily comes into contact while measuring chemicals and compounds,
pouring chemical in the hides or handling hides while processing. Some chemicals may
became hazardous to health within a very short time, for example, sulphuric acid and sodium
sulphide. These acids can easily burn body cells, retina of the eye, skin and even trachea.
Formaldehyde, azocolorants, pentachlorophenol etc. are confirmed chemicals likely to lead
to cancer.
River Pollution
Due to absence of proper drainage in most of the factories, on an average, 100 MT waste
products are thrown into the rivers every day. 22,000 cubic meter falling in the river
Buriganga is definitely polluting the river and also people using the river water is suffering
from different types of skin diseases. According to BAPA, Buriganga is now almost a dead
river with tannery wastes. 60% pollution of the river is from tannery wastes. These are also
polluting the underground water. As these waste products are mixing with drinking water,
people are being affected by diarrhoea, high blood pressure, urine infection, kidney diseases,
skin diseases, cancer.
Air Pollution
The air around the area is filled with smoke and poisonous gas and terrible bad odour all the
time. Waste products from hides are burnt as fuel and the terrible smell has to be consumed by
the local residents. People are affected by trachea and suffer from breathing problem.
Poisoned from Tannery in Food Stuff Also
Fish and poultry feed are being produced from brain and poisonous waste products of hides.
These chemicals are transmitted into the human body through fish and poultry consumption.
High level of chromium and lead is found in eggs laid by chicken. If these chromium and lead
contains deposits in human body at more than the acceptable level then child bearing
capability of women may be affected including liver, kidney, head and nervous system may
become paralyzed.
Safety Hazards
In many factory, safety appliances like gloves, mask, boot and apron are not available. Some
tanneries supply these but not in adequate quantity. There is no provision of training for the
tannery workers. Many serious accidents occur while working with old instruments.
According to Human Rights Watch, safety of the workers is the most neglected area. 90%
workers working in Hazaribag areas come in contact with poisonous chemicals and
sometimes work under extremely hazardous conditions.

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Violation of Rights of Workers

Workers’ rights are being violated in many ways in the tanneries. In most cases, there is no
appointment letter given to the workers. Some of the tannery owners even do not recognize
the legally accepted rights of the workers. For example, right to sick leave with pay, right to
compensation due to injury or illness, right to healthy work environment, etc. Another major
violation is that female workers are paid less money than male workers. Many tanneries are
situated in Hazaribagh amidst heated environment not favourable for working. There is no
provision of exhaust fan to pump the polluted air from the factory. Workers has to work under
such unfavourable working conditions which tantamount to violation of labour law and rights
of workers.
Shifting of the Tanneries
According to a Rule passed by the High Court in 2001, a project work started to shift the
tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar from 2003. During the last 9 years, only extension of
project period has been effected. Although plots have been identified to shift the tanneries,
there is no progress in that direction.
Two major organizations related to tannery came into an agreement with the government in
2003 that the tannery industry would be shifted to a different location. The government also
agreed to bear part of the compensation due to this shifting. This shifting was supposed to be
completed by December, 2005. But there were several appeals made to the Hon’ble High
Court to extend the time period for completion, on different pleas. Hon’ble High Court,
through an order in 2009, asked the government to ensure shifting of the tanneries or to close
them permanently. On the basis of this order, the time for completion was extended till June,
2010 and again the time was extended till June, 2012. But till writing of this report, this has not
been done.
Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP)
If the tannery industry is to be made an environment friendly industry, then it is imperative to
construct a Central Effluent Treatment Plant or CETP. If such a plant can be established, then
the waste products of tannery will be recycled and treated. This will be a revolutionary
measure and will solve the environmental and health hazards related to the waste products
disposal.
Failure to Implement Laws
The concerned authority is not supervising the pollution of water, air and earth in Hazaribagh
on the excuse that, “since these will be shifted, what is the use of supervision and wasting
time”. On the same plea, the owners are not adhering to the instructions from the government.
As a result the pollution is increasing day by day.
No legal action or fine is imposed on the tannery owners as they are dumping untreated waste
products. Although the Inspectors sometime visit the factories, no tannery owner has till now
faced any Labour Court or has been punished for their offence. The instruction or order of the
High Court is also not being followed on the plea of extension of time needed for shifting.

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Absence of Necessary and Adequate Monitoring

A strong monitoring system should be established to monitor that the tanneries in Hazaribagh
are managed as per prevailing laws and they adhere strictly to the government directives.
Simultaneously, application of the prevailing labour laws and workers’ rights should also be
ensured. There are only 18 Inspectors to inspect more than 1 lac factories and industries in
Dhaka. So, it is quite impossible to ensure whether the tannery owners in Hazaribagh are
adhering to government directives, mainly due to lack of manpower and resources. The only
18 Inspectors are not able to monitor so many industrial establishments.
Solutions
> All the tanneries situated at Hazaribagh should be shifted outside Dhaka by preparing
a well-coordinated work plan which would be environment friendly and appropriate.
> Rights of workers must be given top priority and ensuring proper implementation of
labour laws.
> According to Bangladesh Environment Protection Act (1995) and Environment
Protection Rules (1997), tanneries are categorized. Steps must be taken to ensure that
all shifted tanneries must follow government directives. Those marked as “red” and
which produces maximum pollution, must obtain clearance certificate from
Department of Environment and if they do not, these factories should be shut down
permanently.
> To impose more punishment or fine for the offences stated below:
• to be the cause of death, physical loss or any type of harm to the labourers;
• not to employ any child or young boys or girls in any hazardous job;
• any offence which violates any law;
• undertake regular monitoring works and take punitive measures against those
factories which produce more wastes or produces more chemical wastes.
> To replace the top soil of the places which have been contaminated by huge waste from
the tanneries and clear the drains jammed with waste products and then to place new
soil which is not polluted.
> To make the residents of Hazaribagh aware about the environmental pollution, about
its detrimental effects on the public health and its resultant harmful effects.

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City Life & Junk Food
Fast food is the food which can be prepared very easily and within the shortest possible time.
People are becoming allured easily towards these unhealthy fast food with a view to save
time. However, even fast food may become hygienic if those contain healthy ingredients and
those are prepared hygienically. But, in order to make those tasty and crispy, additional fat,
chemicals and sweetening materials are being used. These are injurious to health and lacks
nutritional value. People are eating junk food, namely, burger, sandwich, pastry, cold drinks
while they should be actually eating different kinds of salad, boiled vegetables.
People are being allured by colourful advertisements on different fast food items due to lack
of awareness about the detrimental effects that is accompanied with consumption of fast food.
Although the nutritional value of these items is minimal, these are becoming popular as those
are easy to prepare, easily available, tasty and within buying capacity of general public.
Element of Junk Food
The first and primary need for survival is food. Balanced food with proper nutritional value
keeps us healthy and energetic. A person cannot remain healthy if he cannot take a balanced
diet containing vitamin, mineral, protein, calcium in correct proportion. Junk food is such a
food which has no nutritional content; rather it contains additional fat, sodium and other
harmful chemical.
An analysis of different ingredients in some junk food shows-
• 10 pieces chicken nuggets- 470 calorie – containing 33 gm. fat and 950 mg. sodium
• 1 small pizza – 700 calorie – containing 33 gm. fat and 1533 mg. sodium
• 1 sandwich – 410 calorie – containing 37 gm. fat and 800 mg. sodium
Effect of Junk Food
People who take too much junk food usually suffer from headache, depression, anxiety, etc.
While there is absence of vitamin, protein and minerals in fast food there is excess of sodium and
other harmful materials. So, it creates several health complicacies including diabetes, inadequate
blood flow through the veins, weakness of the bones and fatigue. It results in improper
functioning of the body and gives rise to liver and kidney diseases beside obesity and ulcer.
• The chemical used to preserve these junk food may make people hyper active.
• The processed chicken or meat gives rise to loss of memory.
• Junk food and cold drinks increase the level of blood sugar. So, there is a possibility of
being attacked by diabetes. This may also affect the kidney and even normal
functioning of the heart.
• Excessive fat content in junk foods increases the cholesterol level in blood and may
create heart complications.
• High level of salt present in junk food. As to adding different flavour, sodium and
carbonium are used in preparation of junk food, people taking those may suffer from
hypertension.

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• Since most junk foods are prepared in microwave, there is possibility of cancer.
Influence of Children
Children are becoming easily attracted towards junk food due to the taste of those food. This
is becoming uncontrollable. Guardians are taking their children to fast food shops to feed
them out of affection, but in fact this is the beginning of their health problems. If any children
take fast food thrice weekly on an average, then they are likely to have asthma and eczema.
Children who regularly takes junk food has more chance of being attacked by asthma.
Children do not want to take other food as junk foods have nice taste and flavour. Children
also lack in nutrition because they do not take fresh fruits and vegetables which contain
proper nutritional value. So, children gradually become anemic and lazy. Their immunity
becomes less. Lack of calcium is harmful for bone and teeth.
Effect on Women
Too much intake of junk food may cause problem in women and their private parts (uterus)
may become affected. Intake of excessive fat through junk food may become affected. Intake
of excessive fat through junk food may lead to obesity and also women may become sterile. If
a pregnant woman takes junk food regularly then the baby inside may be attacked by diabetes
or high cholesterol. Also the child may be born with mental and physical disability.
Solution
• Avoid taking junk food totally;
• To keep these food in daily consumption list which will help stay healthy and which
contains indispensable ingredients;
• To take more fruits and vegetables;
• To avoid cold drinks and to take more safe water;
• To make cooking tasty by using natural minerals having adequate and proper
nutritional value;
• To make children habituated with hygienic and nutritious food by avoiding junk food.
Busy people are not aware that fast food may gradually lead to death. They do not have time to
spend on taking hygienic and nutritious food. But it is definitely possible and desirable that
people should try to stay away from junk food as much as possible and stay healthy.

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Road Accident
In spite of several discussions, seminar, processions, human chain, debates on road accidents
and how to prevent road accidents, the number of incidents continue to rise. When people go
out of their homes, they are always at the fear of becoming victim of accident. To face this
challenge, everyone must build up awareness from their own stand point and try to build
resistance to the causes of accident.
Accidental deaths are always increasing. According to government statistics, the number of
deaths in the last 10 years is 34,918 persons. On an average, every year 3,492 persons die due
to road accidents. This figure is based on the records of numbers of incidents reported at the
police stations only. But according to non-government statistics, the number of deaths per
year is 20,034. Everyday approx. 55 persons die (source: The Daily Ittefaq, January 11, 2012)
Every year, on an average, 4,500 road accidents take place. In 80% cases, there have been
some cases of death. The serious accidents occur 38% from bus and minibus and 30% from
trucks. Financial loss due to accidents per year is approx. 5,000 crore taka. These information
were shared at a Seminar on October 14, 2012 on ‘Safe Roads and Traffic Safety: Planning,
Designing and Operational Considerations.’
Some Well Discussed Road Accidents in 2012
• Journalist Dinesh Das was killed on January 08 due to collision with bus while he was
driving his motorcycle.
• A passenger bus fell on the roadside ditch in Thanchi Upazilla in Bandarban on
January 14. Seventeen persons died and 26 were injured. The accident occurred at
Shiter Chiri, 85 kms. East of the district Sadar.
• On February 24, 18 persons were killed at Pantaparra in Kalkini Upazilla of Madaripur
district.
• A student of Dhaka University was hit by a bus and was killed near Shahbag on April
29.
• A passenger bus was skidded off the road due to break failure and fell in to the roadside
ditch. The accident occurred at Ullapara of Sirajganj on May 23 and 10 persons were
killed and 30 persons were injured.
• In a tragic accident which took place near Rajendrapur in Keraniganj on the Dhaka –
Mawa highway on May 30 when a passenger bus collided head –on with a microbus.
Twelve persons, including 9 of the same family died.
• An accident occurred on October 05 when a bus and microbus collided head on at Tetli
of South Surma Upazilla on the Dhaka –Sylhet highway. The accident took lives of 13
passengers of the microbus and 15 passengers of the bus were injured.
• On October 28, at night, a bus hit the railing of a bridge as it was going from Dhaka to
Madarganj in Jamalpur. The accident occurred on the Parbhanga Bridge of
Dhopakandi Union of Dhanbari. The bus broke the railing and fell in a ditch 30ft.
below. 12 persons died and 35 were injured.

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Number of death and injured in road accident in 2012:

Month No. of No. of No. of dead persons Total no.
accident injured Children Women Men Unknown of deaths
January 71 422 83 34 145 10 272
February 82 256 153 31 117 9 310
March 103 441 173 37 141 11 360
April 208 419 31 30 181 14 256
May 171 437 36 27 183 13 259
June 159 389 20 21 153 11 205
July 174 409 38 26 159 8 231
August 232 809 64 45 187 17 313
September 150 308 31 22 135 9 197
October 206 446 46 36 190 6 278
November 171 548 38 32 149 6 225
December 199 473 42 27 180 17 266
Total 1926 5357 755 368 1920 131 3174
Road Accident in Dhaka City
In Dhaka city, number of accidents has increased. This is mainly due to unawareness of the
pedestrians, faulty cars, unskilled and under age drivers, not adhering to traffic signals,
punishments not given to defaulters, etc. In 2012, in Dhaka alone there were 211 cases of road
accident, 315 died and 174 were injured (source : daily newspapers).
The Road Accident Research Institute of BUET has identified 51 points in Dhaka city as
accident prone areas. The most risky points are Jatrabari, SAARC fountain, Bijoy Sarani,
Jasimuddin Road Crossing, Shahbagh, Sayedabad, GPO moar, Press club, Agargaon and
Abdullahpur. The main causes of accident at these points are not using flyover, underpass,
footpath and not following the traffic signals properly.
Dilapidated Condition of the Roads
In our country, 3,492 km of highway and 4,268 km of regional roads have long become unfit
for use. Everyday some sort of accident takes place in any of these 8,000 km roads.
Except for the main roads and some roads in the posh residential areas, most of the 2,289 km.
roads are in a precarious and hazardous condition. According to Dhaka City Corporation
(North) and Dhaka City Corporation (South), there is a demand from different zoned to repair
85% of the roads in the city. That is, 1,945 km road needs repair and reconstruction. For some
of the city roads, fund is provided for repair on a number of occasions. The contractor take
money but does not do a complete work. They repair in such a way that within a short time it is
again damaged and they can repair it again . Since the roads are not properly repaired, those
are frequently causing suffering to the common people.
Source from Roads and Highways Department confirmed that construction and repair of 18
km road from Kalampur to Saturia and Balia in Dhamrai upazilla started quite some time
ago but it has not yet been finished.

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Footpaths is Not for Pedestrians

Paribesh Bachao Andolan (PABA) and Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) has undertaken
a study and found that 90% of Dhaka’s 163 km footpath is under control of others and not
pedestrians. So, most of the persons who die or are injured in accident in Dhaka city are
pedestrians. Since there is not much of free space on the footpaths, pedestrians are forced to
walk on the main roads. In some cases, even cars are parked on the footpaths. Beside this, the
footpaths are mostly occupied by hawkers, dustbin, construction materials, beam of flyover,
broken manhole, goods of various shops, etc. Even at times, motorcycle owners ride their
motorcycles on the footpath to avoid traffic jam.
Majority portion of footpaths in Mothijheel, Purana Paltan, Karwan Bazar, Farmgate,
Mohakhali, Dhanmondi, Gulshan and Kakrail are occupied by parking cars. Many end of foot
over bridge are connected to the footpath, so the space for walking has become narrow. The
staircase of foot over bridge in New Market has occupied most portion of the footpath while
hawkers have also occupied majority portion. Similar scene can be seen in Kalyanpur, Mirpur
and Bangla Motor. In Bangla Motor, motor workshops have occupied the entire footpath. In
some places, bus counter, markets are placed on the footpath. Also, some footpath is being
used as public toilet and creating health hazards and bad smell.
Above all, the footpath in Shahbagh, Nilkhet, New Market, Bangla Motor, Karwan Bazar,
Farmgate, Shaymoli, Mirpur, Press Club, Paltan, Gulistan, Syedabad, Jatrabari, Khilgoan,
Rampura, Badda, Mouchak are dispossessed since a long time. As the pedestrians cannot use the
footpaths, they have to take risk and have to use the main roads for walking or crossing the roads.
Inadequate Number of Over Bridge and Underpass and Installation at Wrong Place
One of the most important intersections of Dhaka is the Shahbagh crossing. Nine roads meet
at this point, all types of high speed vehicles move through this point. Since there is no over
bridge and under pass, many accidents take place regularly. In the last few years 9 persons
were killed including 4 students of Dhaka University.
In many other places, like Shahbagh, adequate number of foot over bridge or underpass is
absent. Also, in certain places, the foot over bridge is far from the road crossing. So, many
people do not use those. According to Accident Research Institute, 58% die while crossing the
roads. Since in many places movement of rickshaw has been restricted, so people have to get
down at quite a distance, cross the road and then get up on another rickshaw. In these cases
also accidents happen.
Zebra Crossing
Most of the traffic signals in Dhaka city are not working. People do not bother about zebra
crossing even if it is there. But nearly 15% citizens including children, elderly people, and
patients are not able physically to climb the foot over bridges. For these people, zebra
crossing is a must but there is no step taken to implement these. Several serious accidents
therefore occur every now and then.
Overtaking
The tendency of drivers to overtake is the main cause for many accidents. In a study

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conducted by the Institute of Social Welfare & Research it has been revealed that 50%
accidents occur while overtaking. The buses which ply on the roads and highways have a
tendency to overtake each other and thus cause accidents. According to police, 2 out of every
3 major accidents in the city is causes by dangerous overtaking.
Reckless Motorcycle Driving
At present, reckless driving of motorcycles has become an order of the day. Motorcyclists now
are driving in the most irresponsible manner; getting over the footpath is habit for them. They
do not bother for the pedestrians. There are standing rules that more than 2 passengers are not
allowed to ride a motorcycle but even 3 or 4 persons are at times seen riding on one motorcycle.
Also rules say that all motorcycle passengers must wear helmet but this is also not followed. In
some cases, motorcyclists are seen racing and this is extremely dangerous for the pedestrians.
No Provision of Separate Lane for Small & Big Vehicles
There are many attempts to build separate lanes for small and big vehicles on the main road. In
some roads where rickshaw movement is restricted, the rickshaw pullers pay 2 or 5 taka and
cross the signals (for example, Bangla Motor crossing). This mixing of vehicles on the road
also causes accidents.
Fake License
According to government statistics, at present 5 lac drivers do not have driving license or
training. On the other hand, out of 10 lac who has valid driving license, 5% has got the license
without undergoing any test. Corrupt officials have issued these licenses. First hand
knowledge shows that the procedure is there. Examination scripts are issued and without
writing any thing the scripts are taken away. ‘To appear is enough to pass the driving test. If
you pay good money, you get the license, so why waste time to take the test’. This is how
unskilled persons are being issued with driving license and are being given permission to
commit accidents.
Rail Crossing
In Dhaka city, several makeshift markets operates on the
According to Joydebpur Railway
railway tracks. When train approaches, the traders move
authority, the distance from
away and again sit with their commodities as soon as the
Joydebpur to Bangabandhu
train passes. This scene is common in Moghbazar and on Multipurpose Bridge is 90 km.
the rail crossing under Khilgoan fly over. At the rail There are gateman in only 22
crossing points, there are not adequate numbers of level crossings while 59 level
gateman; even those who are there do not perform their crossings do not have any
duties properly. designated gateman.
It is common scenario that a train is approaching; red
light is on along with sounds of signal, level crossings have been put down but still people try
to cross the rail lines taking full risk.
Lack of Awareness among Common People
The major cause for any accident is the lack of awareness of the person affected. With the
growth of population, movement of people on the road has increased manifold. Many people

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try to cross busy roads even when there is foot over bridge, footpath or underpass. Even after
seeing a train approaching, people try to cross over. If they are just a bit more aware and
careful and do not take risk, the number of accidents can be reduced significantly.
Non- functioning of Accident Prevention Programmes
A research conducted by Transport Research Laboratory of the United States of America
reveals that from the causalities in road accidents every year, there is a loss of approx. 4,000
crore taka worth of resources which is equivalent to 1.5% of our GDP. Even if the authorities
try to take action immediately after an occurrence, the endeavor gradually dies down with
time. This is how the accident prevention activities are going on. If we compare the incidents
of 2009-2010 and 2011 reported in the Disaster Year Report and compare with incidents in
2012, the whole scenario will become crystal clear.
Training on Traffic Rules & Signals
Although there was a recommendation to assess whether drivers have any knowledge about
traffic rules and signals and whether these are followed in practice this has been implemented.
It was also recommended for separate training institutes for drivers, allowing them
scholarships and to ensure that drivers must pass S.S.C examination at a minimum. There
were several letters going to and from BRTA and Ministry of Education for over a year but no
course curriculum was finalized, no course was conducted for the drivers.
> Issuing of license: No steps were taken to stop issuance of fake license rather it was
claimed that everyone who applied for a license was issued with a license.
> Investigation and judgment: Every major accident is followed by constituting an
enquiry committee. Committee submits its recommendation speedily but those are not
implemented. The accused person is very soon released on bail petition of his master or
owner.
> Not obeying traffic rules: Many drivers do not obey traffic rules and drive vehicles on
the wrong side. Since there is no proper implementation of traffic rules, this is
becoming a regular feature. Especially cars belonging to Ministers, Members of
Parliament or Police vehicles take the wrong side of the road due to traffic congestion.
> Talking on the mobile phone while driving: Forty one students died in a terrible road
accident in Mirersarai as the driver was busy talking on his mobile phone. At that time the
enquiry committee strongly recommended “No talking on mobile phone during driving”
and “No passengers can be carried on trucks”. But it was not implemented later on.
> Problem with vehicles: Although the bumpers which are fit with cars or the angles fit
along the body of the trucks is prohibited, there has been effective measures taken in
this regard.
> Formulation of speed guard or governor cell: In its order passed in March of 2008,
the Hon’ble High Court ordered that by 2009 speed controlling governor cell or speed
guard must be installed in all bus, minibus, truck engine but even in 2012 it has not
been implemented.
> Blind farming: Although necessary measures were to be taken to prevent accidents in
blind turnings, nothing has been done.

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> Black spot: Road Accident Research Institute had recommended for taking
preventive measures in 209 accident prone spots two years ago. No steps have yet been
taken in this respect.
> Speed breakers: Speed breakers must be clearly identified and visible to the drivers –
unnecessary speed breakers should be dismantled and traffic signals also must be
fitted at right places. There are 15 speed breakers in 25 km road from Chuadanga bus
stand in Jessore to Barobazar in Jessore on the Dhaka –Khulna highway. Beside this on
the Bogra part of Dhaka –Bogra-Rangpur highway, there are 30 speed breakers on 66
km road. Most of the speed breakers do not have any warning sign on the speed
breakers are unnecessarily too high.
> Trauma center: There are only few trauma centers to handle post accidental cases.
Only 5 trauma centers operate in the country but those situated at a long distance from
the main road. Five more trauma centers were supposed to be established but not yet.
Rather, due to absence of proper and adequate staff, trauma centers are facing close.
Law
Absence of appropriate law and absence of implementation of law is one of the major reasons
for increase of road accidents. Person accused for any accident may face up to a maximum of 5
years imprisonment. The age old law with 7 years imprisonment during the British era was
amended in the 1980s. The amendment imposes non- bailable imprisonment and maximum
punishment of death penalty for causing any major road accident. Within a few months, this law
was amended and maximum 5 years punishment was re-established. Beside this, a law was
passed under the title Transport Use and Issuing of Driving License Act, 1983 (revised in 1988).
But it is not effective at all. On March 5, 2012, Hon’ble High Court issued a rule on safe and
hindrance free walking. Among other, the Act banned plying of motorcycles on the footpaths,
placing zebra crossing in appropriate places. But in reality, these are not implemented.
Recommendation to Prevent Accidents in Dhaka City
> Create awareness, life is more important than time;
> To create speed limit so that people can walk safely;
> Wide footpaths to be constructed without having obstacles;
> Arrange zebra crossing after every 200 meters on the city roads;
> To enforce law that cars must stop before zebra crossing;
> Install sign board and signal beside zebra crossing;
> To take all necessary steps and plans to ensure safe crossing of pedestrians;
> Strict implementation of traffic rules;
> Prevent corruption;
> Arrange long term training for the drivers;
> To follow the right procedure for issuing driving license;
> To undertake appropriate plans during construction of roads and arrange for
immediate repair of roads whenever necessary.
Every human being has the right to live in a healthy manner, he also has right to die in a natural
manner. For this, building awareness, planned action and treating others as a human being is
imperative.

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Fire Accident
Accidents caused by fire are nothing new in Bangladesh. Fire incidents are increasing all over
Bangladesh, including small and large cities and Dhaka Metropolitan City, due to several
causes. Many people die due to these incidents while many became physically and mentally
retarded due to the shock and aftermath. Several families are financially affected. Like past
years, in 2012 many small and large fire accidents occurred. Information gathered from
different newspapers states that there were 583 incidents caused due to fire in shops, godown,
households, markets, high rise building, slums, schools, colleges, bus, launch, hotel, etc. The
most dangerous incidents caused by fire occurred in the garments industries and in many
slums of Dhaka. As usual, these incidents were followed by discussions in the media,
formation of investigation committee and in some cases, compensation was provided against
this loss to the affected families. But the loss or damages do not seem to decrease in any way.
Reasons of Accidents
Electrical fault or short-circuit was the main reason for fire incidents like all other years. Beside
this, fire accidents were also caused by explosion of gas cylinders, gas burners, kitchen, mosquito
coil, etc. The table and graph below shows number of incidents which occurred in 2012:
Month No. of
Death Month-wise incidents of fire
January 49 100 94
85
February 85 78
March 94 80
April 35 60 49 49
May 37 35 37 34 33 34
40 27 28
June 34 Series
July 33 20
August 27
0
September 28
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
October 34
November 49
December 78
Fire Incidents of 2012
The loss which occurred in 2012 due to fire incidents is irrecoverable and irreparable socially
and financially. Newspaper sources quoted that fire incidents in 2012 became almost a daily
affair. It can be seen that out of 583 incidents, 245 took place in Dhaka division while 338
incidents took place in all other districts. 230 persons were killed while 1,241 were injured.
The amount of loss was approx. Tk. 925,64,40,000 only.
Some Major Fire Incidents of 2012
Ready made Garments Manufacturing Factories/Industries
Bangladeshi workers remitting foreign exchange from abroad and the farmers, are the two

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major sectors to contribute in our economy, the third major contributor to the national
exchequer is considered to be the ready made garment manufacturing factories and industries
sector. The workers working in these factories had been toiling since the rise of this sector in
the late 70’s. Bangladesh is the second largest garments exporting country after China in the
world today. In 1978, this sector started with only 9 garments factories, the income from there
during that time amounted to US Dollars 0.069 million only.
At present, in Bangladesh, there are about 5,500 garments factories (Ittefaq, 23/03/2013). The
present revenue earning by exporting ready made garments is 2,000 crore USD (Ittefaq,
23/03/2013). Knit garments are exported to more than 145 countries of the world while
woven garments are exported to 126 countries of the world. Of the 36,00,000 workers
working in this sector, 80% are female workers (Ittefaq, 11/12/12). But their lives are never
free from accidents and their working conditions were also not safe. Although there has been a
steady increase in the number of industries or workers, safety and security at workplace has
always been a cause of great concern. The ready made garments workers frequently are
victim of accidents at their workplace.
Accidents at Tazrin Fashion
The severe accident caused due to fire in Tazrin Fashions Ltd., a garments factory of Toba
Group situated at Nischitpur of Narasinghapur of Ashulia in Savar on 24 November, 2012
shocked the whole nation. This has been the most dangerous fire incidents in recent history.
Although Government sources reported that 112 persons were killed in this incident, it never
reported how many were missing. To show respect to those killed in this incident,
Government announced a day of National mourning on November 27, 2012.
Number of Deaths
101 workers out of 112 were burnt to death while 11 labourers died while trying to jump from
the burning building. However, the actual number of injured persons remains undisclosed or
not available. The incident occurred during the night shift work at the garments factory –
1,159 workers were at work then, mostly female workers. When the fire broke out, many
workers at the ground floor could come out while others in the first floor and above got
trapped. Many workers tried to jump, many tried to come down through the stairs which
resulted in several deaths and injured. Maximum number of workers were killed in the second
floor, where 69 dead bodies were recovered. 21
dead bodies were found in the third floor and 10
were recovered from the fourth floor. 31 of them
died due to suffocation, 69 died due to burning
and 11 died by jumping from the building.
(Source: Fire Service and Civil Defense.)
Source of Fire
The main reason for such colossal loss of lives
or injury in the incident that occurred has been
attributed to the mismanagement of the factory.

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The factory was constructed without adhering to the building code. The main reasons which
were identified include:
1. The design of the building was faulty.
The factory was far away from the main
road and there was only a narrow strip of
lane through which workers entered the
factory. Only one fire brigade vehicle
could enter these. Also since there were
many houses around the factory, fire
service personnel could not enter the
premises easily. This delayed the fire
fighting works.
2. The velocity of fire was high due to the
presence of highly flammable thread
(source: Fire Service).
3. The surviving workers said that
immediately after the fire started, the
doors of the floors were locked and even the main door was locked and so the workers
could not come out. Beside this, the officials were heard saying that “nothing has
happened”, “rehearsal is going on”, “alarm system is being repaired as there is
problem with the alarm system” and so the workers were not allowed to go out. Due to
negligence of the factory officials and by locking the main door and the door to the
roof, the number of deaths became so high.
4. There was severe crisis of water. No pipe was available to carry the water from the
bathrooms. There was no water reservoir in the factory, also there was no pond or
source of water near the factory.
5. From the website of Tazrin Fashions Ltd. it is learnt that in each floor the space
available was nearly 16,000 sq. ft. In the ground floor, there was the godown, a medical
centre and its office and there was a day care centre for the children in the 1st floor.
There were only 3 staircase through which 1,159 workers used to go up and come
down. Although according to building code, provision for an emergency exit staircase
was supposed to be built, there was no such emergency exit. Workers used to enter and
come out through the only iron gate which was to be pulled outwards to open. The front
exit was mostly blocked by keeping threads and clothes through which workers used
to enter and exit. Due to arrival of new ‘challan’ of clothes, the entrance was almost
jam-packed and which also prevented workers to come out easily. Many deaths
occurred due to smoke, darkness, narrow staircase – it is felt.
6. The website of the Factory (later closed down) shows that there were 300 trained fire
fighters in the factory and 335 fire fighting equipments were also available. Although
all the floors had fire fighting equipment but nobody used any of those, including the
fire extinguishers. Because none knew the use of fire extinguishers. If they were
trained or could know how to use those, the number of deaths could be much less.
7. The Fire Safety License of the factory was not renewed. The building was originally
given permission by the concerned authority for a 3-storey one, but the factory owner
raised it up to 9 floors. The License for Fire Safety expired on 30 June, 2012 and was

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not renewed. According to documents maintained with the Fire Service regarding
License, it is seen that the License was issued to the factory on 30 October, 2010 for a
3-storey building measuring 48,750 sq.ft. area. Next year, they got License for 80,725
sq.ft. area for extension from 4th floor to 8th floor and the license expired on June 30,
2012. After the expiry date, Fire Service officials who visited the factory found the
following problems:
a) Lack of fire fighting equipment including fire hosepipe;
b) Lack of proper emergency exit;
c) Lack of adequate number of smoke detectors.
For these reasons, Fire Service officials declined to issue Fire Safety License to the factory.
Where are the Children of the Child Care Centre?
From the website of Tazrin Fashions Ltd. it is learnt that there was a Child Care Centre in the
1st floor of the factory. Apart from this, it was also learnt from the survivors that many women
workers used to keep their children in the centre while they were at work. There were 20
children in the Child Care Centre when the fire broke out, claimed the surviving workers.
Many workers were seen crying for their children but they could not rescue them as the gates
were locked. No one knows their whereabouts. Fire service personnel said that none of the
officials of the factory informed them about the Centre. The surviving workers said that the
Child Care Centre was situated near the entrance to the machine floor to the left if someone
would climb the stairs to the first floor. The godown was situated just beneath this. The fire
entered the Centre through the gaps in the staircase and through the window. Fire Service
officials said that everything in the first floor was burnt down. No human body was recovered
from the first floor. Parts of hands, ears and other organs only could be recovered from the
floor. The structure of heavy machineries and furniture only remained after being burnt down.
Under these circumstances, it is impossible to find any child survivors and they must have all
been burnt down totally. But there was no report mentioning the fate of these children. Except
for three newspapers (Prothom Alo, 27/11/12; Samakal, 27/11/12; Ittefaq, 31/11/12)
mentioned about these children. Beside this, no other media- government, private, owners
had reported anything about these missing children of the Child Care Centre.
Several Announcements Regarding Payment of Compensation
1. Allocation of Tk. 1 lac to the families of the dead workers from the Fund for Disaster
and Relief of the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
2. Tk. 1 lac from the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Employment.
3. Tk. 1 lac from BGMEA (Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers & Exporters
Association).
4. Tk. 1 lac for each dead worker from Hongkong-based Lee and Fong Company, the buyer
of Tazrin Fashions Ltd.
5. Tk. 1 lac from Bankers’ Association. In total, the Hon’ble Prime Minister announced a
grant of Tk. 6 lac to each of the families of the dead workers.
6. Also, it was announced that Tk. 50,000 will be given for medical assistance to the
injured from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

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7. The District Administration announced a International buyer organizations

grant of Tk. 20,000 to families of each of statement on compensation
the dead person while Tk. 5,000 to the A meeting held at Geneva, Switzerland
families of the injured workers. on 25 April, 2013 about the
8. Ministry of Labour and Manpower compensations for affected labour of
Employment declared that a total of Tk. 1 Tazrin Fashion Ltd. ‘Industrial All’
crore would be given as compensation to organized this meeting. Here some
the families of the dead and injured popular Brands agreed to form a fund of
workers. 50 lac 70 thousands taka for fire affected
9. A grant of Tk. 1 lac per worker was labour. Tazrin Fashion Ltd prepared
declared by the C&A, International dress for Wallmart and Siars
Dutch Chain of Fashion. organization who are international
Compensation Provided so Far buyers of United Nation. But in this
meeting Wallmart was absent. As a
1. The Dhaka District Administration had
given Tk. 5,000 to each family of the dead result, Siars, K Mart and Disney also
workers for purchasing burial clothes and declined to help the affected labour.
related materials.
2. Hon’ble Prime Minister, at the first installment has given Tk. 6 lac cheque to each of
the families of the 62 dead and identified workers. In the second phase, she had handed
over the cheque of Tk. 7 lac to the family members of the 36 workers.
3. BGMEA handed over cheque of Tk. 1 lac to the 47 injured workers. Later on, they had
announced compensation to another 27 workers.
4. Inner Wheel, a voluntary association of women belonging to the Bangladesh Chapter,
handed over a cheque of Tk. 1 lac to Prothom Alo to distribute among the workers.
5. Taka 25,000 was given to the families of the 14 workers belonging to Mithapukur of
Rangpur by the Local Member of Parliament, Deputy Commissioner and Zilla
Parishad.
6. District Administration gave Tk. 15,000 to each of the families of the 49 workers who
were killed and Tk. 5,000 was given to the 58 injured workers. Immediately after the
incident, the District Administration declared payment of Tk. 20,000 as compensation
to each worker. Accordingly, they had paid Tk. 5,000 instantly for arranging burial
clothes and related works.
7. ‘C&A’, the renowned buying company, based in the Netherlands, provided financial
assistance worth Tk. 1 lac to families of each of the dead workers.
Incidents Following the Fire Incident at Tazrin Fashions LTD. (Demonstration,
Rallies, Salary, Panic of Fire)
Due to the accident which occurred from fire at Tazrin Fashions Ltd. and death of 112
workers, there was a subdued but strong agitation among the workers working in several
factories in the entire area. Later on, this turned out into violent demonstration and agitation
and the labourers took to the streets expressing their resentment and frustration. So, even after
three days all factories Ashulia were closed due to fear of labour unrest. Beside this, they also
demonstrated for payment of wages and compensation to families of dead and injured

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workers of Tazrin Fashions Ltd. It is worthwhile mentioning here that salaries for the last 3
months plus the month of accident was not paid to the workers of Tazrin Fashions Ltd.
Workers and labourers also joined them demanding payment of arrear salaries and also for
increase in their salary. They also demanded immediate arrest of the owners and associates of
Tazrin Fashions Ltd. stating that they had meticulously planned to kill the workers by burning
them. After this incident, a panic spread among the workers around the factory about fire. The
labourers became so panic stricken that they would be afraid and agitated even seeing a small
fire or smoke. Many workers were either injured or even killed due to this fear of fire in many
industries in Dhaka, Chittagong and other parts of the country.
Formation of “Independent Enquiry Commission”
A writ petition was filed on humanitarian grounds by four human rights organization, namely,
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Nijera Kori
and BRAC demanding formation of an independent enquiry commission to probe into the fire
incident at Tazrin Fashions Ltd. This Commission would investigate into the cause leading to
the fire incident. The writ demanded formation of the commission with members including a
retired judge, appropriate professional person, members of the civil society and
representative belonging to the different trade and labour unions.
Investigation Report
Ministry of Home had constituted a 4-member committee to investigate into the fire incident
at Tazrin Fashions Ltd. Apart from this, separate enquiry committees were formed by
Ministry of Labour and Manpower Employment, the Bangladesh Police, BGMEA, Fire
Service and Civil Defense. The Fire Service and Civil Defense Commission could not find
out the real cause of the fire incident by investigating into the several possible causes and by
analyzing the relevant and pertinent information.
The Committee formed by the Ministry of Home concluded that it was mere negligence of the
owner and management of Tazrin Fashions Ltd. which had caused such a shocking incident. It
recommended for instituting a case against the owner under section 304 (A) (death due to
negligence) of the Bangladesh Penal Code. The Committee investigated thoroughly and
submitted the following recommendations:
1. Those involved for this heinous crime should be immediately arrested under section
304 (A) of the Bangladesh Penal Code. Specifically the owner and 9 others should be
convicted. If these cases were filed, a maximum punishment of 5 years imprisonment
would be meted out to all the convicted persons.
2. The mid-level management officials also must be brought to justice who prevented the
workers from crying out for five alarms, those who locked the collapsible gate of the
factory building and prevented the workers from leaving the factory.
3. An emergency project needs to be undertaken immediately by coordinating among
Labour Ministry, Fire Department and Public Works Department which will ensure
safety and security at work in all garments factories.
4. A powerful detective agency is to be given the responsibility of finding the real culprits
and nab them.

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5. The Deputy Commissioners should be given the responsibility to ensure the safety and
security aspects in all garments factories in all the districts of the country.
Beside these, the committee also recommended the following actions which would help
prevent accidents, ill motive of the factory owners, prevent electrical short circuits, etc.:
• Implementation of labour laws in garments factories to be made mandatory;
• Intensive inspection;
• Implementation of ILO standards;
• Insurance of the workers;
• Obtaining of Fire Safety License must be made mandatory for all factories;
• Developing good working relationship between owners and workers;
• Preventing terrorism;
• Construction of staircase which would be quite wide, etc.
There was unanimous conclusion by the members of enquiry commissions formed by
Ministry of Home, BGMEA that the accident was caused by mere negligence of the owners of
Tazrin Fashions Ltd. and its management and stated:
a) Although there were 3 staircases, 2 of those did not have provision of emergency exit.
Only 1 staircase was there through which workers could leave in case of emergency but
that too was very narrow. The front of the staircase was blocked with stacks of clothes,
threads, paint and cotton. In the downstairs, highly flammable materials was kept.
b) There was no water reservoir. There were no ponds or source of water near the factory.
nd
c) After the fire broke out, the GM, AGM and PM of the company blocked the gates of 2
rd
and 3 floors. Workers were told that fire fighting drill was going on. If the gates were
kept open, so many workers would not have been killed.
d) If the entire staircase would end up outside the factory building, the number of deaths
would be significantly lower.
According to investigation report of BGMEA, it has pointed out towards sabotage activities
perpetrated by some mid-level management personnel. Suspicious movement of these
officials prior to and immediately after the fire break out and not allowing the workers to
come out even after the alarm started to ring tantamount to “intentional sabotage” and so it
was recommended that further investigation must be carried out to nab the real culprits.
Although the report mentioned several cases of mismanagement in administration of the
factory, it did not recommend for any punishment for the owners of the company. Later on, the
responsibility for carrying out further investigation was handed over to the CID (Criminal
Investigation Department).
Reaction after Publication of the Investigation Report
Although the Enquiry Committee of Ministry of Home found the owners guilty of not abiding
by the laws of the land, BGMEA did not recommend for the punishment of the owners and
instead put blame on other officials and termed it as an act of sabotage. This created
resentment among the trade unions (National Front of Garments Workers and Saving the
Garments Industry) and they strongly protested contents of the BGMEA’s report.

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The labour organizations blamed the negligence of the owners of the factory and termed it as a
‘planed murder’. In addition, they demanded immediate arrest of the owners of Tazrin
Fashions Ltd. and demanded their punishment. BGMEA’s report was also rejected by the
Parliamentary Committee of Ministry of Labour and Manpower Employment. Ministry of
Labour termed it as one-sided and a bid to save the owners. The Parliamentary Committee
recommended to the Ministry of Labour to take measures to arrest the owners of Tazrin
Fashions Ltd. vis-a-vis take up other legal steps. Later on 40 Garments Workers Federation
submitted a Memorandum to the Minister of Home Affairs demanding arrest of the owners of
Tazrin Fashions Ltd.
Garments Village could not be Established even in 12 Years/According of Land for
Garments Village
Efforts has been undergoing for the last 12 years to bring several unplanned garments
factories under an umbrella of “Garments Village”. Even after several promises made by
different government administration, this project has not been materialized. Even Foreign
buyers have been recommending for setting up of such a village or industrial park. According
to experts related to the sector, they feel that if an industrial park would be established, this
would lessen the number of fire accidents significantly.
In 2001, the then government promised to set up an industrial park after some fire incidents. In
line with this, acquiring of land was supposed to begin in Bausia, Munshinganj within next
three months. An industrial zone would be established where all sorts of relevant amenities
would be present. Government would be responsible to supply electricity, gas and set up
Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). Beside this, government would also set up Police Station and
Fire Service station. Once land acquisition is complete, the sponsors would spend for
development of the land. Sources from BGMEA states that the Garments Village would be set
up in line with economic zone of government. The Project Proposal was approved in the
regular meeting of the ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council) in
2003. Although the Project was envisaged by the government to be owned by both
government and private entrepreneurs jointly the private entrepreneurs were adamant in their
stand that government would first acquire and develop the land and then private entrepreneurs
would purchase those lands at a reasonable price. As a result, the project could not be
implemented to establish a Garments Village even in the last 12 years.
Laws Relevant to Fire Safety, Prevention of Fire and Awareness
Most of the garments factories in our country are not established by adhering to building code
of the government. Flammable materials are kept inside the garments factories and so fire
spreads very easily and quickly. Fire service vehicles cannot reach some of the factories as
several houses or shanties surrounds the factories. Most of the factories do not have ponds,
water bodies or alternative source of water supply. Fire fighting equipment are not kept in
many factories. Even if such equipment are available, there are no trained personnel to use
those in case of emergency. Beside this, neither the factory owners nor the government
agencies have any short term or long term plan regarding fire fighting. There are several laws
in Bangladesh regarding fire safety, prevention of fire and awareness. Analysis of these laws

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shows that there are clear cut guidelines regarding construction of building and factories,
awareness regarding fire safety and prevention, etc.
Bangladesh Building Construction Act, 1952 (Act No. II OF 1953)
Government had formulated the following guidelines in 2008 in line with section 18 of the
Building Construction Act 1952 (Act no. II of 1953) regarding construction of any sort of
building.
1. ‘Fire prevention door’ means doors which are specially built to prevent fire and the
heat generated due to fire for a certain period of time.
2. ‘Fire prevention materials’ means materials which are fire resistant to a certain extent.
3. ‘Fire safety staircase’ meaning staircase which will be built from different floors and
which will all land on a safe landing place away from the main building and will be free
from any obstacle or hindrance.
Apart from this, in these guidelines, following has also been stated regarding fire safety:
• Means of escape- this is the secured passage in case of fire through which people can
leave the scene of fire and it must have three parts- a) Exit access, b) Exit and c) Exit
discharge. Here, Exit access means the passage to reach the Exit; Exit is that part which
allows safe passage between the place of fire and up to Exit discharge; and Exit
discharge means the passage from the Exit till the last wall of the building where
people can be safe.
• Doors, corridor or passage connected to the stairs, smoke and fire hazard free
surrounded area, hanging verandah, fire exit staircase- these should be reachable from
open roof, main road or from where people can take shelter in safe place and those will
be away from smoke, fire and affected area.
• All buildings which will be inhabited by public and all sorts of godown must have
sufficient number of exits so that the inhabitants can speedily and safely leave the
building without help from others.
• All Exit points must be distinctly visible and Exit Access signs has to be placed.
Buildings with several exits must use lighted Exit signs and directions to the Exits
must be clearly demarcated.
• Owners or lessor of all buildings must be responsible for the safety of all residents and
if the exit points seem inadequate, proper authority may notify the owner or lessor
accordingly.
• Exits will be such which will be free from all obstacles and will ensure proper means of
escape for all inhabitants or residents of the building.
According to the regulations of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense, each factory must
have minimum three exit ways which will be 45” wide and constructed at 450 angles. On each
floor, fire extinguishers with carbon dioxide or dry powder and dry chemical powder must be
stored. Smoke detector and alarm system must be installed. Each floor must have two fire
preventing points and at each point 4 buckets and a drum with 2004 litre capacity of water
should be stored. All the exit points must contain automatic lighting system. There will be two
groups of fire fighters and first aid providers selected from within the workers who will be
skilled and trained.

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The Guidelines Enacted in Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 under Chapter 6 Section 62
regarding awareness of the factory management regarding fire incidents states:
(1) In all organizations, provisions must be made in the operation manuals, to build up at
least one alternative escape route which will be connected to all floors and proper fire
exit stairs has to be constructed and arrangements must be made to provide adequate
fire fighting equipment.
(2) If an Inspector feels that a certain factory or establishment is not adhering to the
provisions mentioned in (1) above, may immediately issue a Notice to the owner
which will contain guidance as to what is needed to be done and by which date. He will
also inform the owner accordingly.
(3) None of the doors from any room through which workers can go out, will be locked or
closed. This must be ensured so that any worker working in a room can easily open the
door from inside and if these doors are not sliding, must open towards outside or if a
door separates two rooms it must also be constructed in a way so that it is near an
entrance and may be easily opened. No door shall be locked or shall not be obstructed
by keeping anything on its way.
(4) In all establishments, except the general entrance points, doors, windows or any other
exit passage must be clearly marked in Red and in Bangla letters or in any other form
(symbols). This will help workers know that these points may also be used for
emergency purpose to go out of the establishment.
(5) All establishments must ensure installation of proper alarm system so that in case of a
fire, every worker working in the factory is able to hear the sound of alarm- the sound
should be clear and easily heard.
(6) During fire, every worker must use the free passage which will be easily identifiable
and easily located.
(7) In any establishment where more than 10 workers are made to work, where explosives
or highly inflammable materials are used or stored—all workers must be given
adequate training and must be made aware about what to do during emergency
situations. This must be ensured by the factory management.
(8) In all establishments where more than 50 workers and officials work, fire drills must be
held at least once a year and factory management must maintain proper records of such
events in a Record Book.
But, year after year, the factories are continuing to operate without adhering to most of the
guidelines stated above and so the number of accidents is always on the rise.
The same scenario may also be seen in case of Tazrin Fashions Ltd. According to Bangladesh
Labor Laws, 2006, the scenario is –
• Section 62(1) – not complied with – in the 10 storey building of Tazrin Fashions Ltd.,
there is not a single alternative staircase which could be used as emergency exit.
• Section 62(3) – not complied with – immediately after the fire broke out, gates on all
floors were locked and prevented workers from coming out of the building.
• Section 16(5) – not complied with – the fire alarm system was signaled for a short time
only, when the labourers started running around, they were stopped.

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• Section 62((6) – not complied with – there was no free passage to reach the various exit
points of the factory.
• Section 62(7)(8) – not complied with – the workers were not given proper training on fire
fighting. A rehearsal or fire drill was conducted in the factory building only two days
before the incident in a very haphazard manner, during lunch hour for only a few minutes.
The workers were shown how to leave the factory in a disciplined manner which is totally
contradictory to any fire incident when people run around in a disorganized manner
without adhering to any formal manner. The drill was not proper and inadequate.
Statistics Showing Major Fire Accidents in Different Factories Over the Last Decade in
Bangladesh
Date Establishment No. of Deaths
27 December 1990 Mirpur Sarika Garments 30
15 July 1997 Mirpur Rahman and Rahman Applarel 22
30 July 1997 Mirpur Tamanna garments 27
27 August 2000 Globe Knitting Factory 12
25 November 2000 Narsingdi chowdhury Knitwear and Garments 53
December 2003 Garments Factory in Shibpur Narshingdi 48
7 January 2006 Narayangonj Shan Knitting 22
23 February 2006 Chittagong KTS Textile Mills 65
25 February 2010 Gazipur Garib and Garib Sweater Factory 21
14 December 2010 Ashulia Hameen Group Factory 30
24 November 2012 Ashulia Tazreen Fashions Ltd. 112
Source: BILS and daily newspapers The list contains the incidents where more than10 persons had died.
According to data received from Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense, there had been
2110 fire incidents between 1996 and December, 2012 in the ready made garments factories
in which 410 workers had died and 530 were injured. The loss is estimated to be approx. Tk.
400 crore worth of properties. Statistics maintained by the various owner – worker
associations shows the number of casualties to be much more.
So Many Deaths but Punishment Top no One
A review of the various prevalent laws reveals that there is provision of punishment to
perpetrators of such unwanted deaths. For example-
1. Section 304 (A): Death due to negligence – if any person kills somebody by negligence
or acts, he may be given punishment of any kind up to a maximum of five years or may
be given financial punishment or both.
2. Section 436: Causing fire incidents with ulterior motive or malafide intention or
sabotage – if anyone is found guilty of causing fire, the punishment will be lifetime
imprisonment or 10 years imprisonment at the minimum or fine may be imposed.
3. Section 307: If any person fails to adhere to the above law or scheme or commits a breach
and if there is no provision of any punishment, he will be fined up to Tk. 5,000 (revised).
4. Section 309: Punishment for non-adherence to law related to volatile and dangerous
situations.

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(1) Irrespective of whatever is stated in any other form under this chapter; if any
person violates this law or clause, sub-clause or scheme, he or she –
(a) if such violations leads to death of any person, is liable to be imprisoned for four
years or pay a fine of Tk. 1 lac or both,
(b) if such violation leads to severe physical injury, is liable to be imprisoned for two
years or pay a fine of Tk. 10,000 or both,
(c) if such violation leads to any injury to any worker or any other person or some
other form of danger crops up, then he is liable to be imprisoned up to six months
or pay a fine of Tk. 2,000 or both,
(2) Under this section, the Hon’ble Court, while passing judgment against such acts
mentioned above can impose fine or penalty on the accused, get the money in full
or partial from the accused person and then can pass judgment that the money so
collected as compensation shall be handed over to the victim or injured person or
in case of his death, to the legal heir or representative.
(3) If, however, there are higher forms of punishment for such acts of negligence or
violation relevant to this law or any clause, sub-clause or scheme, then none of
the above mentioned punishments shall be enforceable. That law conferring
higher form of punishment shall override this law.
But, unfortunately even after death of so many workers at different times, no substantive
measure has been taken till now or no punitive measure has been taken in this regard. After
most of these incidents, police has filed cases at the maximum as the plaintiff. Most of these
cases are filed under section 304 (A) of the Bangladesh Penal Code. Mostly these cases are
filed against anonymous persons. Usually in most cases, Police undertakes investigation and
then says that “the allegations have not been proven” and submits Final Investigation Report.
After the fire incident in 2006 in KTS Textile Mills in Chittagong, where 65 workers were
killed, Police filed cases under section, 338, 334 and 34 against 14 persons. But High Court
rejected the case and ordered for release of the accused persons. In 2010, 21 persons were
killed in fire accident in Garib and Garib Garments Industry of Gazipur. Police filed a case
against anonymous persons and later on filed the Final Investigation Report by stating that
there was no proof of negligence on anybody’s part. In the same year, 29 workers were killed
in the Ha Meem Garments Factory at Ashulia. The survivors of this incident complained that
the main gate of the factory was locked. Police filed two cases – fire and death. After 7
months, the investigation report which was submitted stated that the fire broke out due to
electrical short circuit. In the latest incident at Tazrin Fashions Ltd., Police has filed a case
against anonymous persons. 112 persons died in this incident. The cases were filed under
section 436 (sabotage) and 304 (A) death due to negligence of duty.
Law of Compensation
The ‘Fatal Accident Law 1855’ states that the rate of compensation will be twice the amount
which is to be calculated at an average of the number of years the person was likely to stay
alive or the amount of wage he was receiving at the time of death. However, there is no
instance of any factory owner being punished under the prevailing laws of Bangladesh. Also,
no case has ever been filed by any injured person or any relative of any dead person (who had

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died due to any fire accident). Mostly, after six months or so, a Final Investigation Report is
submitted by the Police without convicting any factory owner.
Under section 99 of the Labour Law, it is mandatory to start a group insurance scheme in any
factory where 200 permanent employees work. But due to negligence of the factory owners,
this scheme is not being materialized in many factories.
Measures Taken by Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defense (Condition of Fire
Fighting Measures in Different Factories & Industries in Bangladesh)
After the horrifying fire incident at Tazrin Fashions Ltd., Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil
Defense has undertaken fire safety activities and programmes in different factories and
industrial establishments. The programme started with 60 fire experts divided into 15 groups.
They have categorized the fire safety situation in the factories as “A”, “B” and “C”. In the first
phase, they inspected 232 factories. Out of these, in one-fourth of the garments factories, the
fire fighting amenities were very scanty and inadequate, in Ashulia of Savar. Fire fighting
amenities and readiness in 23.28% factories was very bad, 37.93% had more or less better
facilities and 38.79% factories had good fire fighting readiness and amenities. Of the 232
factories, 90 were categorized as “A” category factories (adequate fire fighting
arrangements) and 88 factories were categorized as “B” category factories (fire fighting
arrangements were more or less adequate). Under the category “C” 54 factories were
classified. In these factories, there was no Fire Safety License, no hose pipe, no water
reservoir and no trained personnel.
On the other hand, a survey carried out in 228 factories in Chittagong revealed that 50% of the
factories were well-equipped to fight fire related accidents. Arrangements in 10-15%
factories were more or less of good quality; 30 to 35% factories did not have adequate fire
fighting measures or amenities; 80% factories had problem of alternative fire exit; 10%
factories had no fire fighting equipment; in 20% factories the passage leading to the roof is
blocked and in 15% factories there was not adequate arrangement or water reservoir either at
the ground level or at the rooftop.
At a later stage, this Committee undertook further survey and identified 334 garments
factories which were at high risk of fire accidents. They submitted investigation report
accordingly. Most of these risky establishments are located in old parts of Dhaka city. The
report states that most of the risky factories are situated in old and dilapidated buildings, the
staircases are narrow and many of those do not have any fire fighting equipment. These
factories are not members of either BGMEA or BKMEA. The number of workers in each of
these factories is below 50 and these factories work as sub-contractors of big factories or
industrial establishments. The Report also states that these factories may easily collapse and
several lives may be lost owing to the dangerous state of existence. The Committee has
recommended for shifting of these factories outside the Dhaka metropolitan area.
According to the data provided by Bangladesh Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), only 300
to 500 factories out of 5,500 factories in Bangladesh are compliant. Most of the factories are
run by unskilled or untrained workers. The sub-contracting factories are at the highest level of
risk. There are more than 1,000 of this type of factories where safety measures are almost

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absent. The factory management has no knowledge of labour laws of the country and the
worker-owner relationship is also not up to the mark. We hope that the government will take
strong steps by implementing labour laws and thereby ensuring sound working environment,
reasonable wage and prevent wastage and oppression against workers in these factories.
Fire in Slums
In the slums of capital Dhaka, the residents are mostly rickshaw pullers, garments workers and
people who belong to the lower income groups. Since these slums are densely populated and
the passage is usually narrow, so it is always risky to live. Beside, the way electrical and gas
connections are given in the slums, itself poses great threat and security risk. So, accidents
caused by fire have become quite common in the Dhaka slums. Like in the past several years,
in 2012 too, there has been many cases of fire accidents in Dhaka and in different districts. 18
major fire accidents occurred in the slums. In these accidents, 4008 shanties in the slums were
destroyed and 12 persons were killed while 91 persons were injured.
Some Major Fire Accidents in 2012 in Different Slums
Fire Incident in Slums in Shyamoli in Dhaka
A fire accident occurred due to electrical problem which started from a room in a slum (Kazi
Bari slum) located beside road no. 2 in Shyamoli in the capital. The fire spread very quickly
because the rooms in the slum were made of bamboo, wood and tin. 14 units of fire service
fought for nearly 3 hours and brought the fire under control. Nearly 250 rooms were burnt and
10 persons were injured including 2 children. About 300 families lost their homestead and
became absolutely helpless and destitute.
600 Houses Gutted and Burnt Down to Ashes in Begunbari Slum
On September 20, 2012 a devastating fire burnt down to ashes nearly 600 rooms of a slum
located adjacent to Begunbari khal in Tejgaon Industrial Area of the capital (locally known as
Begunbari slum). The real cause of the fire could not be ascertained although it is assumed
that the fire could have been caused for gas stove or electrical short circuit or from the ‘jhut’ of
the adjacent godown of a garments factory. The 3- storey rooms in the slum were made of
wood, tin and bamboo. The rooms in the houses were like any school building. Each house
had approx. 60-65 rooms. The rooms were about 5ft to 6ft in length and breath.
Beside electrical connection, these rooms also had gas connections. So, as soon as the fire
started, it spread very quickly and engulfed the whole slum. More than 1,500 people were
rendered homeless due to this fire. Most of the residents of Begunbari slum were garments
workers. Since most of the slum dwellers were at their places of work at the time of incident,
the number of deaths was nil but about 40 persons were injured.
Fire at Sattola Slum of Mohakhali
Nearly 1,200 houses were gutted in the devastating fire at Sattola slum located in Mohakhali,
Dhaka on October 08, 2012. Most of the houses were built by tin and some houses were semi-
pucca. Several sources confirmed that the fire broke out either from electrical short circuit or
illegal gas connection. Approx. 12 units of fire service fought for 1.5 hours and were able to
contain the fire in which 20 persons were injured.

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Women and Children were Burnt to Death in the Darkness of Night

The slum surrounded by walls became an inferno. The main gate was covered with fire;
people were running down the iron stairs. Several women and children took shelter in
kitchens and toilets hoping that they would survive. But dead bodies of 11 women and
children were recovered from there. This fire accident took place in the capital’s Hazaribag
area. The fire engulfed some slums located adjacent to each other in Bou Bazar of Sonatangar
(locally these slums were known as Boubazar slums). Of the 11 dead, 6 were children and 5
were women. About 25 persons were injured. 700 slums dwellings were burnt down. The rent
of each room varied between Tk. 1,500 and 2,000. The tenants included rickshaw pullers,
drivers, tannery workers, garments workers, maid servants, day labourers, etc. Nearly 3,000
persons lost their shelter and personal belongings. The fire broke out from a rickshaw garage
located inside the Boubazar Sanatangar slum around 3p.m of November 12. Sources from
different quarters opined that the fire started from rickshaw garage due to cigarette smoking
or from mosquito coil. A kerosene van was there and so the fire became spread quickly. 120
rickshaws inside the garage, 6 CNG driven auto-rickshaw, 2 drums loaded with fuel and 4
bicycles were burnt down along with a few pucca buildings. 20 shops were gutted too. As the
fire was burning just beside the wall of the garage and as the passage was very narrow, the
slum dwellers could not come out. The men could survive by climbing the walls but the
women and children were trapped. A few women and children took shelter in the pucca toilet
and kitchens. 8 bodies were recovered from the toilet and 3 were found in the kitchen.
The Administration announced that families of each dead person would receive Tk. 20,000
each. 100 MT of rice and Taka 1 crore in cash was allocated. Dhaka City Corporation
announced a donation of Tk. 10,000 for the families of the 11 dead persons. Beside this, a
grant of Tk. 9 lac was announced for rebuilding of the houses.
Incidents of such type are not uncommon in slums. Unfortunately major causes of such fire
are not looked into. Beside this, the low income group of people who reside in the slums in
such narrow rooms become easy victim of fire which spreads quickly and there is loss of lives
and household items. Fire cannot be controlled quickly and easily. The narrow passage or
lanes is unsuitable for fire service vehicles to reach the base of the fire. Apart from this, source
of water is scarce. Flammable materials are present all around the slum where rooms are
located very closely and several shops are located near the slum area. This is the reason why
slum fires are terrible and amount of loss becomes huge if a fire breaks out. In 2012, within a
span of a few months, fierce fire broke out in Boubazar, Mohakhali, Begunbari slums and in
other slums too. The severity of such accidents demand effective coordination among
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha and various other agencies.
Some Other Fire Incidents of 2012
• On 29 September, 19 Buddhist temples were burnt down in Ramu, Teknaf, Ukhiya and
Patiya.
• Approx. Tk. 1 crore worth of betel leaf was burnt to ashes when 30 betel-leaf ‘baraj’
caught fire in Jhenaidah sadar Upazila.
• In Roangchhari hills in Bandarban, trees in the hills were cut down for ‘jum’ farming
and fire was lit to clear the area. But the fire got out of control and 4 persons were killed.

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• Nearly 3 km forest area was burnt when a fire broke out in Sitakunda Echo Park from
either a match or cigarette smoking. 25 persons were injured and trees worth a few
crores of taka were destroyed.
• A fire in a rubber garden in Sylhet Sadar Upazilla caused a loss of Tk. 1 lac.
• In Ispahani camp no. 3 where non-Bengali residents reside in Robertson village in
Rangpur, 300 houses were burnt due to violence among the residents. 20 persons were
injured.
• Violence caused burning down of 42 rooms in 3 blocks in the hostel of Sylhet M.C.
College.
• A fire incident occurred from electrical short circuit in the hostel and residence of
Hostel Super. The scene of the incident was Adakhola Secondary School under Boroia
Union of Rajapur Upazilla in Jhalokathi district.
• 3 computers and accessories were damaged due to an electrical short circuit in the
Computer Lab of Statistics Department of Jagannath University.
• Due to an accidental fire from electrical short circuit in terminal building of
Chittagong airport, the airport activities including plane landing and take off was shut
down for 4 hours.
• Electrical short circuit resulted in a fire incident in Jai Jai Din office in Tejgaon
Industrial Area.
• Train service was suspended for an hour when fire broke out in Mahanagar Provati as
its wheel was jammed.
• While a ship was being broken down in Chittagong shipyard, a fire incident occurred.
• Fire broke out in Ghorasal Power Plant in Narsingdi due to a spark from circuit breaker
and 5 persons were injured. 5 persons were injured in an incident in Hasnabad Power
Plant in Keraniganj. Another 5 persons were injured in Khulna Power generation plant
(a privately owned company).
• The distribution pipe of Titas Gas had burnt under the Gulshan-Jatrabari Flyover at
Sayedabad. This happened while shouldering works was going on above the pipeline.
Titas Gas pipeline also burst resulting in fire in Shafipur Purbapara in Kaliakoir
Upazilla of Gazipur district. So, there was panic all around and traffic came to a halt for
two hours on the Dhaka-Tangail highway.
Analysis of Fire Incidents and Subsequent Loss between 2009 and 2012
Incidents of fire are on the rise in the country, causing death of people and also huge loss of
property. Statistics from Fire Service and Civil Defense reveal that in 2008, 9,310 fire
accidents took place. Within the first nine months in 2012, the number has risen to 14,941. Fire
service officials stated that here has been 12-17% rise in such incidents between 2009 & 2012.
Year Number of incidents Number of deaths
2009 12,182 209
2010 14,682 271
2011 15,815 95
2012 14,942 124
For 2012, the information is up to September only.

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Two Years on Nimtoli Tragedy

126 persons were killed when a devastating
fire broke out in a godown housing highly
flammable chemical materials in Nawab
Katara in Nimtoli located in old Dhaka area
on June 3, 2010. The fire started from house
number 43/1 of Nawab Katara. The fire
started during cooking at a wedding
ceremony and it quickly engulfed the
godown filled with chemical substances.
The heat generated by the fire due to
bursting of the chemical filled drums and
sacks, also caused bursting of the electrical
transformer located in front of the building.
The fire took a devastating from mainly due to presence of highly flammable chemical
substances.
It is learnt from various news items that the said 5-storey house had been re-constructed and
re-fabricated. A monument has been constructed in front of the house to commemorate the
dead persons. There is a wall writing stating “we are aware” while many chemical godown are
situated in and around. The fire accident started from one of these godown. In 2010, many
processions took place demanding immediate closure of all chemical godown from the area
and have those removed from there. Many high level government committees were formed to
arrange for shifting the factories and godown from the area. Several government departments
were contemplating on taking appropriate measures, but now it has all come to a halt. Ministry
of Home had constituted a task force in this regard. The task force recommended for shifting
all the 994 chemical godown (legal and illegal holdings) located in old Dhaka and in other
parts of the capital. Only 127 out of the 994 godown have proper documentation and license
from the proper authority.
The Bangladesh Environment Protection Act, 1997 envisages that there can be no factory
located in and around any residential area and the factory owner must obtain necessary license
from the Department of Environment for use of such chemical substances. But many chemical
factories and godown are being established without adhering to the above law. These are
causing accidents too. Even after two years of Nimtoli tragedy, several factories and godown
can be seen there. On May 27, 2012 a fire broke out in the same area in the ground floor of a
residential building where a polythene factory was located. Although there was no loss of life
or property, it created panic among the local residents. This incident again reminded us that
even after the Nimtoli tragedy, no one has become aware and no one is adhering to the laws of
the land.

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Insecurity at Workplace
Accidents are becoming very common at workplace and number of injured and dead is also
increasing. According to statistics of International Labour Organization (ILO), every year
approx. 20 lac workers die due to accidents at workplace. About 12 lac workers become
injured, paralyzed and jobless. More than 16 crore workers become sick due to diseases
related to their profession. This problem is
present in all countries but varies in degree. In
the last decade, number of accidents at
workplace has increased significantly in
Bangladesh, especially number of fire related
accidents have increased in the factories and
industrial concerns. Some of the common
causes of accidents in factories and industries
are: fire from bursting of gas pipeline, faulty
electrical wiring leading to electrocution,
falling from high rise building with inadequate
protection mechanism like welding, collapse from faulty construction or improper mixture of
materials during construction, explosion from out of date boilers, death due to suffocation
resulting from poisonous gas, use of old and unsafe machineries and equipment, not wearing
boot in the ship breaking industry, absence of safety gloves while working in the welding
factories, etc. As a result, number of accidents is always increasing. According to experts in
the field, they feel that this increase is due to improper use of prevailing Act, minimum
amount paid as compensation if at all, publishing investigation report and submitting
recommendation for punishment but no implementation of those recommendations.
According to information received from Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), 301
workers died in 2001 while it has risen to 906 in 2012. 1108 workers were injured in 2012 in
different incidents. The number of accidental deaths can be seen in the following table:
Year No. of Death No. of workers who died in last decade while working
2001 301
2002 168 1200
2003 251
1000 974
2004 188 906
800
2005 488 703 683
2006 974 600 547
480 465 Death
2007 456 400 378
301
251
2008 547 200 168 188
2009 378 0
2010 703
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
12
11
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
2011 683
2012 906
Figure 1:No. of workers who died in last decade while working

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According to data received from BILS, in 2012, 708 workers died due to accidents while at
work of which 154 were female workers. 113 women were injured out of total 701 workers.
Due to rivalry at workplace 198 workers were killed including 49 female workers while 407
were injured including 56 female workers. In 2012, maximum number of deaths at workplace
included transport workers. In this sector alone, 249 were killed in accidents and 48 died due
to clashes between rival groups of workers.
Appended below is a table showing workers killed while at work and due to clash between
rival groups: (A situation analysis 2012 Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS):
Sector Workers killed by accidents Workers killed due to clash
while at work (no) between rival groups (no)
Transport workers 249 48
Ready made Garments 155 22
Construction workers 113 6
Worker working abroad 23
Day labourers 21 6
Fishermen 11
Farm workers 10 8
Brick field workers 9
Ship breaking workers 7
Household servant/workers 7 46
Rice mills 4
Re-rolling mills 5
Service 15
Other 101 47
Total 708 198
Total number of workers killed: 906
Transport workers
Workers killed by accidents Workers killed due to clash between Transport workers
while at work (no) Readymade Garments rival groups (no)

Readymade
Construction workers Garments
1% 1%
Worker working abroad
Construction
1% 1% workers
Day labourers
1%
Fisherman
14% Day labourers
1% Farm workers
24% 24%
35%
1% Farm workers
Brickfield workers
3% 8% 11%
Ship breaking workers Household
16% servant/workers
3% Household servant/workers
22% 23%
Service
Rice mills 3%
Re-rolling mills
4% 3% Other
Other
Figure 2: No. of death according to BILS

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Maximum number of accidents while at work: A situation analysis 2012- Bangladesh

Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) and information gathered from different newspaper:
According to data received from According to data received from different
BILS newspapers
Different sectors No. of accidents Different sectors No. of accidents
Road accidents 389 Collapse of under construction 10
building
Falling from 71 By falling from under 10
upstairs construction building
Electrocution 68 Be being electrocuted in under 15
construction building
Construction 29 Construction materials from 4
materials from under construction building
under construction
building
Collapse 15 Poisonous gas from septic tank 5
Fire accidents 15 Collapse of under construction 3
walls
Exposing 12 Brickfield 3
Panic of fire 11 Collapse of under construction 1
silo
Suffocation from 8 Collapse of under construction 1
poisonous gas flyover
Entangled in 2 Accident in lift 1
machine
Entangled in machine 1
Cylinder explosion in dockyard 1
According to data From BILS Road accidents According to data from Newspaper Collapse of under
construction building
Falling from By falling from under
2% upstairs 2% construction building
1% 2%
2% 2% Be being electrocuted in
Electrocution 2% under construction
2% 2% building
0% Construction
2% materials from Construction materials
5% from under construction
under
5% Construction 6% 18%
building
building Poisonous gas from
septic tank
11% Collapse Collapse of under
9% construction walls
18%
Fair accidents
63% Brickfield
Exporting Collapse of under
7% construction silo
12% Panic of fair 27% Collapse of under
construction flyover
Suffocation from
poisonous gas Accident in lift
Entangled in machine
Entangled in Cylinder explosion in
machine dockyard
Figure 3: No. of accidents (BILS & different newspapers)

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Information gathered from different newspapers shows that in 2012 there were 51 major
cases of accidents which occurred, in Dhaka alone there were 22 major cases of accidents. In
these accidents, 80 construction workers died and 180 were injured. Most of these accidents
occurred due to collapse of under construction building. Other major causes include: falling
down from under construction building, electrocution in under construction building, sudden
fall of construction materials from under construction building, under construction bridge,
poisonous gas from septic tank, etc. The most tragic accident was the collapse of under
construction flyover in Bohoddarhat in Chittagong. This collapse shows that our workers are
working in construction sites without any protection and under hazardous working
conditions.
Collapse of Flyover/Over Bridge
On November 24, 2012, three girders of under construction flyover at Bohaddarhat,
Chittagong collapsed killing 16 construction workers , 31 persons were injured. Around 7 p.m
the accident occurred when one girder out of 7 girders located between 2 spans could not be
positioned properly and tilted on 2 nearby girders. Then all 3 very heavy girders and gave up
and collapsed with big sound. One of the girders fell in the adjacent pond while 2 fell on the
road. Like any other day, construction workers, kucha market, market on vans, people sitting
on the railings near the pond was going on while shifting and stretching of the girders was
going on above. While work was going on above, no warning was given to those to move from
down stairs. So, 16 persons died and 31 were injured.
Rescue Work and Agitation of the General Public
Even when the accidents occurred at 7 p.m, real rescue efforts could not start before 11 a.m.
Firstly, rescue operation could not be started due to agitated workers and the general public.
Beside this, neither army nor the fire service personnel had heavy equipment to remove or cut
those girders instantly and remove the same. Rescue work started with whatever was
available with the Engineering Corps of Bangladesh Army in the evening of November 24.
The main rescue operations started after heavy equipment were brought from Dhaka for the
rescue on November 25. But Army, BGB, RAB, police were more involved in containing the
excited people who were creating hindrance during rescue operations. Because through a
similar incident on June 29, 2012, one girder fell down and injured a rickshaw puller. The
enquiry committee clearly blamed the contractor and also blamed the material being used for
constructing the flyover. So, agitated people demanded immediate arrest and punishment of
the Chairman of Chittagong Development Authority. During this time, the agitated people lit
fire to generator, other goods and site office, chased the fire service personnel, burnt cars,
motorcycles of journalists. At one stage they clashed with the police. Later on the situation
was brought under control by Army, BGB, RAB, and police personnel.
Causes of the Accident
CDA took the initiative to build the first flyover in Chittagong at Bohaddarhat from its own
funding. Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction works of the
flyover on January 02, 2010. The main construction works stared from March 2010. It is
expected to be opened in February, 2013. Its length is 1.332 km and width is 14 meter or 46 ft.

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according to first investigation report of city police, the number 3 girder from southern side
was being lifted for placement by using 2 jacks. One of the hydraulic jacks went out of order,
lost its balance and hit another girder. That girder, in turn, fell on another girder. Then all the 3
girders fell down together. Weight of each girder is 100 ton, is 137 ft long and 7 ft wide. While
lifting the girder only 6-7 labourers were there but no professional driver or no technical
person from the contracting company or from CDA was at the steering wheel of hydraulic
jacks. But it is mandatory that while such heavy works is undertaken, technical person
representing both CDA and the contractor must be present at the site. Although two
organizations, namely, Mir Akhter and Parisa Enterprise was awarded the work at a cost of
106 crore taka, the main work is being done by Parisa (JV). It is learnt the main reason for the
accident is inefficiency, lack of experience and unskilled technical personnel of Parisa
Enterprise who were implementing the construction works vis-a-vis fault in the design of the
construction and engineering drawings.
Bohaddarhat Flyover a Death Trap
The 1.33 km long flyover is being constructed on the Chittagong Cox’s Bazar road. Each
girder is 42 meter long, 2.5 meter wide and weighs more than 100 ton and these are kept
without any protection. Slabs have not been placed against the girders, only the top portion is
kept tilted. The girders are not joined with each other. The 45 girders kept between pillar no. 8
and 18 are kept in a vulnerable way – 11 girders kept between pillar no. 8 and 18 are kept in the
most vulnerable manner and without adequate protection. Also the girders near pillar nos. 21
and 22 are kept in a risky manner. Such acts have made the Bohaddarhat flyover a death trap to
the local residents, also construction flows are a critical issue.
Investigation Committee
An investigation Committee was formed with Chief Engineer, Chittagong Development
Authority (CDA), Roads & Highways Division, LGED, and Chittagong Engineering
University as its members. Beside this, another 5 member investigation Committee was
formed with Additional Secretary, Ministry of Public works as its Chairman. Another 5
member Committee was formed on behalf of the District Administration with Additional
Deputy Commissioner as its Chairman.
The Committee formed by District Administration blamed CDA, consultancy firm, lack of
coordination between contracting partners Mir Akhter construction and Parisa Enterprise. Lack
of management regarding providing adequate safety at workplace and neglect, has been
identified as the main reasons for the collapse. The report recommended that the construction
works may begin only after an Expert Team thoroughly investigates and inspects the equipment
and technical designs, etc. Later on, the construction of this flyover has been handed over to the
Army. Bangladesh Army has rectified the faults and construction works has begun.
After the accident, police filed a case under section 304 and 34 of Bangladesh Penal Code.
The case mentioned the name of CDA enlisted vendor, 25 persons from the contracting
companies and some other unnamed persons as accused and co-accused. But no body was
arrested.

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Financial Assistance
Hon’ble Prime Minister provided Taka 2 lac as financial assistance to the families of dead
persons. Tk 50,000 was provided as financial assistance to the injured persons. Ministry of
Disaster Relief provided Tk. 20,000 for each family of the dead persons and Tk. 5,000 to the
family members of each injured person. Well group of Industries, owned by chairman, CDA,
through its and welfare organization Mabia Rashidia Foundation gave financial support of Th
2 lac to the family members of each dead persons (9 out of 16 dead person were present). They
also announced that they will arrange for their medicine and related expenses.
In reality, only the owners can not be blamed for safety at workplace. The concerned authority
can not avoid responsibility. Safety at workplace falls under the preview of Labour Laws.
Simultaneously, workers also must be aware of their rights to safety at workplace. Trade
Union Leaders of our country are more vocal about increasing the salary and wages of
workers but not so much vocal about the workplace safety. In this respect coordination among
government, worker, and owner can create a favourable and safe working environment at the
workplace. Beside this, steps must also be taken to ensure post-accident medical care and
adequate rehabilitation measures.

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Flood in City
Rivers are responsible for the creation of deltaic Bangladesh. But due to severe neglect of the
rivers the resultant affects are becoming too heavy for our country. Every year flood occurs in
some parts of the country and we are helpless as we watch the people’s suffering in the
flooded areas. During floods, people and their cattle, poultry, other animals suffer
tremendously. Beside this, the post-flood situation sometime create epidemic due to the
stagnant water. Crops are damaged severally. Usually, the low lying areas and char areas of
Padma, Jamuna and Brahmaputra are flooded every year. But in recent years, flood waters
enter into the cities and towns and create enormous suffering to the people. Dhaka and
Rajshahi Metropolitan areas are every year affected by seasonal floods. While Chittagong
and Sylhet Metropolitan areas face flash floods every year. As both these metropolitan areas
are mainly hill-locked and do not have effective drainage system, flash floods occur
whenever there is heavy rainfall. Usually continuous rainfalls during the rainy season, water
coming down the hills are the main causes which raises the water level to rise in the adjacent
rivers. But with the decrease of the water level in the rivers, the water in the cities cannot be
drained out properly and water becomes stagnant for a long period. Faulty drainage
management and un-cleaned drains causes such floods. Experts feel that the tendency of
flood in the cities is due to:
• Illegal occupation of the low lying areas;
• Illegal occupancy of the marshy bodies and channels of drainage;
• Decrease of the capacity of the land to absorb excessive rain water.
Causes
Every year the rivers are being filled up by unscrupulous land grabbers. In our country, the
main reasons for flooding are seasonal rainfall, water coming down from Assam, Uttar
Pradesh and Nepal and heavy and continuous rainfall.
Most of the major floods in Bangladesh occurred during August/September (Ashwin-
Kartick). These are called non-seasonal or return flood. At this time, the paddy fields are filled
with ripe crops. So, the loss becomes colossal and hit the farmers very hard. The dams
constructed in Asaam for management of the rivers are mis-managed and so results in
flooding of our country. Although India is being benefitted by managing the flow of water at
source, Bangladesh is adversely affected. Bangladesh is suffering and not getting due share of
water from these rivers. It is facing flood during the rainy season while drought during the
summer season. Most of the major rivers of Bangladesh are dying due to unfair withdrawal of
water at source by India. Beside, siltation of the river beds at an alarming rate is causing floods
regularly during heavy and continuous rainfall.
Flood in 2012
In the year 2012 also Bangladesh could not escape from flood, especially the northern parts.
Beside this, south-eastern, northern, middle and eastern parts of the country was flooded. The
main causes of flooding were monsoon rainfall, continuous and heavy rainfall and rush of

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water from the hilly areas. These resulted in non-seasonal floods and return floods. The most
affected are the areas which were flooded after the Boro season. In 2012, the various regions
of the country were flooded on three occasions. In the first phase, the low lying areas and char
areas were flooded thrice due to heavy downpour and continuous rainfall vis-a-vis rise in
water level in the rivers.
st
1 phase: In June, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Kurigram, Gaibandha,
Sirajgonj and Jamalpur districts were affected by flood waters.
nd
2 phase: During mid-July, due to continuous rainfall and due to rise of water level beyond
danger level, for the second time Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Jamalpur, Sylhet, Chittagong,
Cox’s Bazar was flooded. Fresh areas which were flood affected included Sunamganj,
Netrokona, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat.
3rd phase: Due to renewed rainfall the river waters rose above the danger level and caused
flooding in Kurigram, Jamalpur, Sirajganj and Bogra. Apart from this, in mid-September new
areas which were flooded were Manikganj and Faridpur. Also, flood waters entered into
Rangpur, Patuakhali, Bhola, Sherpur, Habigonj, etc.
Amount of Rainfall
Although there was less amount of rainfall in 2012 Region Normal Actual
unlike other years, flooding was mainly caused by rainfall rainfall
continuous rainfall. The table below shows the amount Chittagong 243.3 568.9
of rainfall in different regions (in mm). Cox’s Bazar 344.0 344.0
Status of Rivers Sylhet 349.7 376.0
Source: Bangladesh Meteorological
Although there was less amount of rainfall in 2012 Department
unlike other years, flooding was mainly caused by
continuous rainfall. The table below shows the amount of rainfall in different regions (in mm).
River Station Danger level Danger level Danger level
(June, 2012) (July, 2012) (Sept.,2012)
Meghna Estuary
Surma Shlhet +68 +29
Surma Kanaighat +147 +99
Surma Sumanganj +55 +94
Kushiara Omalsid +194 +46
Kushiara Shewla +199 +40
Kushiara Sherpur +15 +12
Kangsha Jaria Junjail +37 +113 +15
Khowai Balah +32 0
Bhogai Nakuagaon +175 +55
Someshwari Durgapur +55 +56 +3
Sarigoain Sarighat +138 +4
Jadukata Lorergar 0 +92 +5

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River Station Danger level Danger level Danger level

(June, 2012) (July, 2012) (Sept.,2012)
Southeast Hilly Estuary
Matamuhuri Chiringa +207 +111
Matamuhuri Lama +240 +148
Sangu Dohajari +60 0
Halda Narayanhat 0 +95
Brahmaputra Estuary
Ghagot Gaibandha +63 +10 +26
Brahmaputra Nunkhawa +35 0
Brahmaputra Chilmari +39 0 +47
Jamuna Bahadurabad +106 +32 +96
Jamuna Sirajganj +30 0 +60
Jamuna Aricha 0 0 +44
Dharala Kurigram +20 +18
Teesta Dalia 0 +30
Jamuneshwari Bagarganj 0 0 +54
Ganges Estuary
Kobadak Jhikargacha 0 0 +27
Padma Padma 0 0 +52
Padma Bhagyakul 0 0 +40
Korotoa Char Rahimpur 0 0 +23
In Cities is it Flood or Water logging?

Of the 9 cities in the world lying at the highest risk zone of flooding, Dhaka stands second. The
Coastal City Flood Vulnerability (CCFVI) yardstick was discovered by researchers of the
Netherlands and Leeds University of UK by adopting a new method. The report stated that
although Dhaka stands at only 4 metre above sea level, flood is a regular phenomenon. But
there are no measures available in Dhaka to control flooding. In 2012 Dhaka City was victim
of water logging if not flooding. However, flash flood occurred in Sylhet, Chittagong and
Cox’s Bazar. Government took possible steps to prevent flood from occurring in Dhaka based
on the flooding situation in the previous years.
Chittagong
Usually towards end of May, monsoon winds become active in Bangladesh. Monsoon winds
were weak towards the early half of 2012. So, monsoon winds became very strong and active
from around mid-June as it gathered lot of moisture from the Bay of Bengal. Due to strong
monsoon winds especially in the southern parts of Bangladesh there was heavy rainfall
resulting in flood. The main reasons for such flooding were rainfall and swelling of rivers. This
year, Chittagong recorded maximum amount of rainfall in several years. Due to torrential
rainfall, life became terribly disrupted in Chittagong and adjacent district towns. On June 22,
continuous rainfall, swelling of rivers coupled with high tide in the sea flooded a huge area of
Chittagong city. On June 28, a record high rainfall was measured in 24 hours to be 463 mm.

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rainfalls. This was a record for rainfall The scenario of flood of Chittgong and nearer
in any particular day beating all sub-district of Chittagong
previous records. (Daily Star, 28 June, District/Sub- Extent of damage
2012). Before this, the highest rainfall district
recorded in Chittagong on 11 June, Bandharban 7 Upazilla, 12,125 households
2007 which was 450 m.m. in one and 47,077 people.
single day. Like that period, most of the Feni 30,000 people and 5,000
areas of Chittagong were flooded. households.
Unloading of cargo at the Jetty had to Satkania 100,000 people.
be suspended. Household, educational Lohagara 8 union and hundreds acres
institutions, business establishments, Aman crops.
export-import trading came to a Dohajari 20 unions.
standstill. Airports, railway Fatikchari 16 unions, 10,000 households,
transportation, electricity connections 206 Primary Schools, 1
were stopped. Land transport (for person died.
example, bus, trucks, etc.) could not Patia Several unions, disrupted
ply as almost two-thirds of the road transport communication,
went under water. 41 wards of vegetables and 100 ponds
Chittagong City Corporation were destroyed.
affected by flood. Some Upazilla Raojan One died.
adjacent to Chittagong city were Bashkhali One died.
affected by flood, namely, Satkania, Rangamati 6 upazilla including town,
Feni, Rangunia, Lohagara, Dohazari, closed electricity supply,
Fatikchhari, Patiya, Banshkhali, affected 10,000.
B a n d a r b a n , R a n g a m a t i a n d Khagrachari 8 upzillas, 1,000 households.
Khagrachhari. Water level of rivers
Sangu, Matamuhuri and Bakkhali were flowing above the danger level. On the other hand,
Chittagong City got snapped from other cities due to flooding, irregular rainfall, flood, hill
erosion, swelling of river water, etc. Rail lines were suspended between Chittagong and other
parts of the country because a portion of the bridge between Bhatiari and Comilla collapsed.
During the flood in Chittagong city, crores of Taka was destroyed inside the godowns,
households, shops, educational institutions when flood waters entered up to 4 to 4-5 ft. high.
50 flood godowns were damaged. Thousands of taka worth of fish were washed away, both
inside and outside the city. In Chittagong city alone, every year about 10-12 lac people are
victimized due to occurrence of flood. The situation is getting worse day by day. Even on June
11 when the highest rainfall was recorded for any particular day, such horrifying flood did not
take place. While on 28 June, 2012, only 18 inch of rainfall caused flooding of the city.
Flood Situation in Different Districts
During beginning of March-April, 2012, there were some damage due to rainfall and swelling
of rivers and on-rush of waters from the hills. However, from June 22 onwards, continuous
and abnormal rainfall raised the water level of some rivers thereby causing flood. But in early
July flood waters receded and the water flow came down below the danger level. Again due to

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some cause, water level began to rise from around July 15 and 2nd spell of flooding began.
Some additional areas were inundated.
Finally, from September 15 onwards, due to monsoon winds, rainfall, on rush of water down
the hills- return flood started in the 3rd spell. So, the original areas were flooded for the third
time and some more and new areas were flooded too.
According to data gathered

from Bangladesh Relief and
Rehabilitation office, till 31
July 2012, 10,29,695 families
and 51,48,475 persons were
affected by flood in 76 upazilas
(out of 101 upazillas) of 14
districts. Floods destroyed
3,60,862 houses of which
88,070 were totally damaged.
Crops in 230,421 acres of land
were destroyed and 4,816 cattle
heads died due to flooding. And
according to Disaster
Management Information
Centre (DMIC) total affected
households are 3,52,750 in 10
districts.
Flood affected area

Loss Due to Flood (According to data receives from DRRO)
District Affected Affected Damaged Damaged Damaged Damaged No. of
Upazila Families houses crops cattle source of deaths
(fully) (acre) head water
Chittagong 15 347479 11139 11410 1650 948
Cox’s Bazar 8 1546478 16118 28216 1430 2455
Bandarban 7 30384 7102 9695 850 389 3
Sylhet 11 118521 3328 25797 261 50
Sunamganj 3 50595 365 5140 15 1
Sirajganj 9 55039 2050 54456 481 3
Gaibandha 4 66015 10249 0 1
Bogra 3 27850 10000 12170 4
Kurigram 9 123806 22609 52899 129
Jamalpur 7 55088 5110 30638
Total 76 1029695 88070 230421 4816 10551 13

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Damages of Crops
In 2012, floods, specially flash floods have done lot of damage to farmers. According to Dept.
of Agriculture Extension (DAE) usually floods occur in our country between mid-July and
first week of August. This year, as there was less rainfall, farmers thought that there will be no
flood this year. So, they started to plant ‘Ropa’ Aman seedlings earlier than previous years.
Normally this is planted in the char areas. Thus, the farmers in the char areas and those near
the river banks suffered most during this year’s flood. In 16 districts, only ‘Ropa’ Aman crops
were damaged in 118, 339 hectares. According to data received from DAE, ‘Ropa’ Aman
crops were damaged in the districts as follows: Sylhet-31,000 hectares, Kurigram-29,865,
Sherpur-2,600, Jamalpur-21,235, Bogra-11,370, Rangpur-1,815, Sirajganj-5,871,
Nilphamari-600, Bhola-460, Tangail-3,404, Rajbari-530, Gaibandha-7,146. Beside these,
other crops and vegetables which were destroyed during flood are shown in the table below:
Districts Extent of damage Financial loss
Sylhet Aman crops in 31,000 hectares, Boro crops in 3.5 crore
2,125 hectares. 7 crore 95 lac
Kurigram Aman-29,865 hectare, vegetables-382 hectare, 200 crore
nut 312 hectare, Mashkalai-465 hectare,
Masala-5 hectare, Banana-6 hectare, Jute-3000
hectare. 15 crore
Jamalpur Aman-21,235 hectare 107 crore 70 lac
Lentil-3,130 hectare 8.5 crore
Mashkalai-660 hectare 1 crore 60 lac
Vegetables-1,420 hectare. 1 crore 80 lac
Sirajganj Aman-5,871 hectare, vegetables-337 hectare,
Til-1,610 hectare, Kaun-490 hectare, Aus-760
hectare, Jute-1,055 hectare, Banana-10 hectare,
Lentil-15 hectare, Mashkalai-700 hectare.
Bogra Aman and vegetables-11,370 hectare
Gaibandha Aman-7,146 hectare, vegetables-98 hectare, 27 crore
partial damage to crops in 1, 952 hectare. 84 lac
Lalmonirhat Paddy in 38,655 hectares. 200 crore
Faridpur Aman crops in 400 hectares.
In 9 districts, different crops and vegetables were damaged or destroyed in 164,065
hectares of land worth Tk. 569 crore 489 lac.
Managing Floods in the Coastal Region

With the onset of monsoon, all the rivers start for to swell. This causes flooding in southern
region and coastal areas. Farmers face terrible problem saplings of Aman paddy due to rise in
the water levels in the rivers and river erosion, Flood situation easily turns severe in the
coastal belts for several reasons. It is learnt that after the devastating Sidr, Agriculture
department placed 8 point recommendation to contain flooding. But even after 5 years, no
effective steps have been taken till now. If these recommendations are implemented, these

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will help in reducing flooding in the southern region and also keep the agriculture
management system functioning well. Some of the recommendations are: construction of
‘berri-bundh’, culvert, and sluice gate-with a view to ensure that during flood or high tide,
river waters cannot cross the dams and damage crops in these regions.
How Far Modernization Regarding Flood Alertness has Progressed?
Flooding is not any unusual incident in plain land like Bangladesh. Every year, possibility of
flood begins during rainy season. But still now the flood alertness system is very back-dated.
For example, the water gauze scale was placed at Nunkhawa Point of Brahmaputra River in
1957 to measure the water level. At that time it was decided that danger level will be fixed at
27.89 metre after considering the average height from sea level and reduced level of the
rivers. At present the water gauze scale is no more in Nunkhawa. The gauze was removed
about 12 years ago from Nunkhawa and placed in a channel of Dudhkumar River beside
Jatrapur Bazar, approx. 4 kilometers downstream. The increase and decrease of river level is
still now being monitored based on the measurement at Nunkhawa point by Hydrological
Department of Water Development Board and Flood Forecasting and Alertness Centres are
announcing those water levels. So, at all points where water gauze and danger level statistics
are being announced there is anomaly. According to Water Development Board sources, there
are 310 rivers in Bangladesh. Of these, water level of 150 rivers are measured through 111
stations. Flood forecasting and Warning Centres collect data from 86 monitoring stations on
the water level in the major rivers but announces data of only 52 rivers. The first water gauze
to measure water level of rivers was installed in 1887 and the last one was installed in 1973 in
Baral River of Atgharia in Pabna district. Apart from this, during 1990-95, two types of
telemetering auto gauze was installed at 30 points of Buriganga, Turag Shitalakhya and
Dudhkumar rivers under the technical assistance programme of JICA. The water level could
be measured automatically and sent to the base station at Dhaka immediately. Beside this,
there are 70 important telecommunication stations to measure height of water level, record
the same and then transmit. 13 of these are lying out of order. Previously information was
gathered through wireless sets but since most of these have gone out of order, mobile phones
are being used to send data to base stations. Gauze readers collect information 5 times a day
between 6 a.m and 6 p.m everyday regarding water level-rise or fall. Of this, information
collected at 6 a.m only is being transmitted to the telecommunication station. The data
gathered during the 4 other times are sent to the stations the next day. So, data is not available
with the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centres regarding the rise and fall of water level
throughout the day.
Due to these limitations, people are not getting regular alert messages. Every year they are
suffering. There is no other alternative than to gather information and create alertness with
modern sophisticated equipment.

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Water Logging : The Greatest Disaster of Cities
Bangladesh is an example of fast and speedy

urbanization. Megacity Dhaka has expanded at
a fast rate. With the increase in population, this
city has developed in industrial, commercial
and health related sectors. However, due to
unplanned and uncontrolled growth of
population and unplanned urbanization, living
conditions in Dhaka is gradually becoming a
matter of great concern. One of the glaring
examples is the gradual diminishing of rivers
and water bodies around Dhaka. Previously
these rivers used to help in Dhaka’s sewerage
system, communication, and means of
transport and growth of business. But due to
grabbing of the rivers, filling up, pollution – the
rivers are nearing extinction. These filled up
lands are being grabbed by illegal owners and they are constructing slums, residential and
commercial buildings, factories, industries, brickfields, CNG station and other
infrastructures. Wastage materials from factories and residential buildings are directly falling
into the river and polluting the river water. The rivers and khals around Dhaka have become
dustbins due to industrial waste materials being dumped regularly. This has resulted in
blocking of water flow out of Dhaka and thereby has given rise to water logging in several
areas of Dhaka and this has become one of the most vexing problems at present. Even with
small rainfall, water becomes logged. Also there is flooding sometimes if rainfall is heavy.
The situation turns worse when several organizations start various renovation works during
the rainy season. The situation is constantly deteriorating due to waste products, dirt,
construction materials, unplanned construction works and lack of drainage. Water-logging is
becoming a social menace and is having detrimental effects on the social life, financial
condition and structural casualties.
Reasons of Water Logging
In 2012, a few incidents of rainfall before and after Baisakh have rise to water-logging in
different parts of Dhaka which created a sense of alarm among the city dwellers. The places
which would become water logged in the past several years, now has engulfed more areas and
gave rise to water logging. Experts have stated the following reasons for causing water
logging:
• Old and dilapidated condition of drainage system. In comparison to Dhaka during
1960s, population of Dhaka has increased manifold. The age old drainage system has
collapsed due to unplanned development and construction of buildings as well as due
to population boom.

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• The narrow pipes installed several years ago have mostly developed leaks and so
waste materials mix up with water line and overflows through the drains. Besides, the
suppliers who are responsible for laying pipes use narrow and less costly pipes
unsuitable for sewerage disposal. Therefore, the flow of water faces obstacle and leaks
are created in several places.
• The open drains are stuck and blocked with refuse, dirts. Even with slightest rainfall,
drain water overflows and come up to the roads.
• At several places, Dhaka City Corporation has raised the road level. So, the adjacent
areas have become lower compared to the road. During rainfall, water easily enters
those houses along with water from the sewerage pipes.
• The rate at which rain waters flow is faster than the rate of discharge of drain waters.
This creates water logging.
• At certain points, the surrounding areas are higher than the road level. So rain waters
flow towards the areas where the slope is lower.
• Due to lack of coordination between Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and Dhaka Water
& Sewerage Authority (WASA), the general public suffers terribly. Each agency
suddenly starts digging the roads. Within few days, another agency starts digging at
the same place for laying pipes, etc. So, even slight rainfall gives rise to water logging.
• The canals which previously flew through the capital have been mostly filled and
buildings have been constructed thereon. So, smooth flow of water is hampered giving
rise to water logging.
• The canals which are still flowing are gradually being filled-up with refuse and waste
materials.
• Water logging also results in some places where the road is not connected to a drain
pipe.
• DCC personnel do not regularly clean the drains. Even if they do clean the drains, they
leave the refuse by the side of the drain. Later on, these refuse gradually re-enters the
drain. Beside this, refuse and dirts from nearby houses are stacked beside the road.
When transports ply, these refuse and dirts slowly fills up the drains nearby.
• Residents living within the DND embankment has no means of draining out stagnant
water and results in water logging. Also, their waste products cannot be drained out
due to absence of any drainage system there.
• If the roads are not maintained properly and not repaired in time, holes are created.
During rainfall, water sips in and creates water logging.
Rivers and their Source of Dhaka Metropolitan Area
Central Dhaka is surrounded by three main rivers - Buriganga in the south, Turag in the west
and Balu in the east. Beside these, two other rivers help keep these rivers alive, namely,
Dhaleswari and Sitalkhya. These are known as life line of Dhaka.
Historically there are 54 canals surrounding Dhaka city. These canals help Dhaka in draining
out water and sewerage. At present, most of these canals have been filled-up with waste
materials and refuse, thus hampering drainage system in Dhaka. These canals flow through
several ‘mohollah’. For example, Segunbagicha-Jhirani-Dholai Khal meets up with Balu and

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Buriganga rivers, Ibrahimpur-Kallyanpur

canal meets with Turag river, Dhanmondi-
Gulshan-Ramna-Begunbari canal meets with
Balu river. The remarkable canals flowing
within Dhaka city are: Dhanmondi, Gulshan,
Ramna and Crescent Lake. Their total length
together is 17.4 km while the basin area covers
approx. 70 km. Apart from this, once upon a
time there were several water bodies, most of
which have been filled up. Water in these lakes
or canals have become polluted with waste and
sewerage materials dumped by residents living
around.
The source of water for Dhaka city at present
are- 61.31 sq km which is 20% of Dhaka
Figure 1: River position around Dhaka city Metropolitan area and lie within three types of
water bodies (rivers, canals and lakes). Of this,
Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Tongi canals (including inside canals) covers 12.26 sq km or 4%
of the entire area. 26 sq km (9.44%) covers the age old canals and rivers of Dhaka
Metropolitan area. Also, there are some temporary source of water (shallow water in the low
lying areas) in East Dhaka. These cover an area of 23.07 sq km or 7.54%. Present source of
water is 12.5% which increases to 20% during rainy season (including 4 rivers, recognized
lake, canal and small ponds). Due to growth of population, even the water bodies in low lying
areas of Dhaka are becoming filled up and so giving rise to water logging even when there is
normal rainfall.
Steps Taken to Rectify the Faulty Water Drainage System and Eradicate Water Logging
Even before the start of the rainy season, many areas of Dhaka city become submerged. Even
with normal rainfall, one-thirds of Dhaka city becomes water logged. The stagnant water
becomes breeding place for mosquitoes
and other insects. Although there is a No. of Area/ Department
common consensus regarding the cause of canals Location
water-logging, there are no major plans to 19 To the west Dhaka WASA
rectify the faulty drainage system of of Dhaka
Dhaka. Unplanned drainage system is the 7 Within the National Housing
major cause, according to experts. The city Directorate
open drains and underground drains are 2 Within the Dhaka WASA
connected to one another. Water from the city
roads flow through the narrow drains and 17 To the East Office of the Deputy
meets the big drains. These carry waste of Dhaka Commissioner
water and rain water into the canals and the 11 DND Water Development
canals carry those to the rivers. Except in Board

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the East, Dhaka city is surrounded by flood

embankments on all the other three sides. The
prevailing 54 canals of Dhaka fall under
different Government departments as follows:
Along with Dhaka WASA, Dhaka City
Corporation has constructed open drains as well
as underground drains which carry a huge
volume of household waste to the canals.
RAJUK has constructed drainage system with
the corporation and assistance from Dhaka
WASA. On the other hand, Water Development
Board is taking care of the canals in the DND
region and maintaining the sluice gates placed in
the flood protection embankments. The total area
of greater Dhaka is 350 sq km. Within this,
Dhaka WASA covers 150 sq km area including
10 km box culvert and 65 open channels. There
are 145 km pipe drain having a drainage capacity
of 54.4 cusec water and 3 pump stations which
has a capacity to hold 140 cusec rain water. In
1968, Dhaka Water & Sewerage Authority Figure 2: The present drainage system of Dhaka city
(WASA) undertook a master plan to build
separate drainage system (for rain water and sewerage). But till now, only 110 sq km. sewerage
pipe line and 150 sq km water drainage line has been constructed. This is extremely inadequate.
The only sewerage treatment plant of Dhaka WASA is in Pagla where only 0.12 million cubic
water can be treated which is only 10% of total sewerage. But due to lack of separate and
inadequate sewerage pipeline only one-thirds of the total capacity can be utilized. So, household
and industrial wastes directly fall into the rivers and pollute the sources of water. With a view to
combat water-logging, government has undertaken a project named Dhaka Water Supply and
Sanitation Project with funding from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB). Its
main objective is on drainage system and sewerage management. The project has five parts
which are:
1) To reconstruct and strengthen the prevailing sewerage system: renovating
lifting/pumping station, renovation and expansion of Pagla Sewerage Treatment Plant,
renovation and re-installation of sewerage line and line trunk, and expansion of the lines
which are connected to the Pagla basin.
2) To reconstruct rain water drainage system and strengthen the same: installation of
two pumping stations in high risk areas lying towards the east of Dhaka, namely, Rampura
and Kamalapur with a view to protect the city from floods.
3) To provide social and environmental security: This project will re-excavate selected
canals and will assist in implementation of environment management programmes
thereby assist in implementation of the work plan. The project is aimed at installation of
pump station to drain out rain or flood water, draw up drainage master plan, reclamation of
canals, compensate the affected persons and to raise the standard of organizational
capability of Dhaka WASA, and to undertake and plan various developmental

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programmes. The project was approved in 2008 and was scheduled to be completed by
2013. However, during mid-term review of the project in 2012, the project completion
period has been extended to 2015, that is, by additional 18 months.
Till now, the following activities have been completed under the project:
- re-excavation of canals, installation of two pumping stations to drain out water.
- to prepare master plan regarding management of polluted water of Dhaka city.
- to prepare design and tender documents on a priority basis for implementation of
sewerage and polluted/waste water treatment plant under Dhaka extraction/drainage
plan.
After evaluating the first phase activities, World Bank expressed dissatisfaction over the
progress of the project work. So, World Bank has during the middle stage pulled itself out of
the Dhaka Water Supply and Sanitation Project due to the slow rate of implementation and
due to lack of transparency in documentation of how money was being spent by the project
management. World Bank was supposed to fund 149 million US Dollars out of the total
project cost of 165.7 million USD. However, after making the first installment of only 51
million USD, World Bank has withdrawn its financial assistance worth Tk. 784 crore.
Policies/Techniques and Practical Solutions to Remove Water Logging
Experts have made the following recommendations to solve and reduce the problem of water-
logging in Dhaka city:
• To identify the entire area surrounding Dhaka into special zones by making practical
and implementable land use programmes.
• While creating the land use zones, provision has to be kept for flow of water during
natural floods.
• The areas where zoning will not be possible or feasible, plans has to be made keeping
in mind the basic factors, for example, slope of the land, depth of water body, khal-
beel, rivers- their natural identity must be given due importance.
• Rivers, canals and transportation management must be coordinated with the land use
guidelines.
• An extensive study has to be undertaken of the present drainage system and then
arrange for expansion and reconstruction and this needs to be done immediately.
• To separate the rain water drainage system from the waste water drainage system.
• To arrange for draining out waste products from the drainage lines and canals.
• Development of effective management of pumping stations.
• All interim flood control mechanism should be under sole supervision and
management of Dhaka WASA.
• RAJUK must develop the eastern parts of Dhaka under a Master Plan and the Master
Plan must incorporate provision of land use, rain water management, water supply and
sewerage system.
• A high level Coordination Committee has to be formed which will be responsible to
ensure coordination among all service oriented organizations and departments.

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Chittagong Devastated by Water Logging

Like other cities, Chittagong was also affected by water logging in 2012. Water logging has
now become one of the major problems of Chittagong due mainly to unplanned urbanization,
indiscriminate cutting of hills, illegal possession of canals-drains and natural water-bodies.
Water become stagnant even with normal high tide and rainfall. The main reasons for water
logging of Chittagong has been identified by Chittagong City Corporation to be:
1. Illegal grabbing of canals – drains
2. Throwing of rubbish in drains and pipelines
3. Establishment of slums beside canals
4. Filling up of canals drains due to cutting down of hills by unscrupulous people
5. Filling up of ponds, water-bodies and low-lying lands
6. Problem of removing earth from the side of the canals as there is mostly no specific road
7. Bottom of the Karnaphuli river being filled up with silts
8. Absence of sluice gate at the mouth of the canals
9. Absence of full-fledged town protection embankment
10. Inadequate capacity of the prevailing canals to hold water, etc.
A 15-year Master Plan was prepared in 1995 by spending 15 crore taka to make Chittagong a
planned city. Several experts spent 3 long years to formulate the Master Plan but neither the
Chittagong City Corporation nor Chittagong Development Authority follows its
recommendations to remove water-logging. The Master Plan recommended for excavation of
3 new canals and 20 secondary canals. The other recommendations were:
• Re-excavation of prevailing canals and secondary canals;
• Construction of reservoir;
• Construction of embankment at a higher level from Patenga to Dry Dock on both sides
of Karnaphuli river;
• Construction of retaining wall from Dry Dock to Karnaphuli Bridge;
• Construction of embankment by using sheet piling method;
• Construction of bridge and highway from Karnaphuli to Kalurghat Bridge,
construction of dam from Kalurghat to Halda;
• Construction of dam at the left bank of Karnaphuli river;
• Construction of tidal regulator in the canal adjacent to the dam/embankment;
• Construct navigation gate of Chaktai – Rajakhali canal.
Government had also approved the 15 year Master Plan. But due to severe lack of cooperation
and coordination among Chittagong City Corporation, Chittagong Development Authority
and Chittagong WASA, it could not be implemented in even 15 years. After the death of 127
persons due to landslide in the hills in 2007, the then Caretaker Government took initiative to
prepare a Detailed Area Plan by formulation of a Committee having representatives from
CDA, City Corporation, WASA and Roads & Highway Department. But even after spending
nearly 1,000 crore taka, the Detailed Area Plan could still not be prepared.

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Minimum 6 projects were undertaken by Ministry of Local Government and Chittagong City
Corporation in the last two decades, to remove water-logging. Chittagong City Corporation
removed 45 lac sq ft. of earth from various canals in 2012-23 fiscal year. 7 crore taka was
spent in this respect. In 2012, Chittagong City Corporation staged appeal to the government
for implementation of Master Drainage Plan. In line with this, a new canal is being
constructed at a project cost of 297 crore taka. If the project is approved, then the water-
logging problem in western parts of Chittagong is likely to be removed by 60%.
Water Logging is Turning to be a Devastating Problem to Citizens of Khulna
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh and lies to the East. River Bhairab flows in the
North, Pashur river flows in the South and Moyur river flows to the West of Khulna. These
rivers meet together in the Bay of Bengal. Also the population is rising at a speedy rate in
Khulna. According to Detailed Area Plan of Khulna City and experts, the major cause of
population boom in Khulna City is migration of people from adjoining villages or small
towns. Apart from this, the other causes which are encouraging people to reside in Khulna are:
1. The scope to get a job or opportunities of employment is much higher in the cities than
in the villages. Everyday people migrate from the villages to the towns and cities. So,
there is an enormous pressure of people migrating to Khulna hoping to get a job.
2. Destitute people from different areas are taking shelter in the towns.
3. Due to natural calamities, life is coming to a halt and so people are allured to migrate
and come to Khulna.
4. People are also migrating to Khulna to avoid the followings- different types of fight,
grabbing of land, attack by the pirates in and around the surroundings, communal
fighting etc.
Along with the rise of population, change in the climate is also having its effect on the
residents of Khulna. Natural calamities have increased. Important amongst these are-
cyclone, flood, problem of drainage of rain water and water logging. Change in climatic
condition and population growth is adversely affecting the city’s drainage system resulting in
water-logging. Several areas are facing crisis of water-logging even with slight rainfall. Areas
adjacent to Mayur river in the west of Khulna and canals in the area are gradually being
illegally occupied by unscrupulous and influential people. The authorities are unable to free
those canals and lands from their clutches and so water logging is gradually turning into a
major problem for the people of Khulna. 25 out of 50 canals surrounding Khulna are illegally
occupied. So, when there is rainfall, the water-flow is blocked and cannot reach the river due
to obstacles on the way and thereby causing water logging. The major cause of water logging
is absence of adequate and appropriate drainage system- experts opine. In a survey report of
GIZ Bangladesh on Urban Governance and Development Expert, Good Urban Governance
Programme, the following graphical representation (comparison between 2010 and forecast
in 2050) of the situation of water logging of Khulna City has been shown.

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Figure 3: The Scenario of water logging Figure 4: The scenario of water logging
of Khulna city in 2010 of Khulna city in 2050
Thus, it can be seen that nearly one-thirds of the population is affected by water-logging. This
is having adverse effect on the social and financial condition. During rainy season, even with
slight rainfall, most of the roads are flooded with waist deep water.
Khulna City Corporation has undertaken a 3,000 crore taka project in 2012 titled
“Development of City Areas” to get rid of water-logging of Khulna city. The Project planning
has been made to address the problem of water-logging and development of roads. The
Project will be implemented by Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and
Khulna City Corporation (KCC) with financial assistance of Asian Development Bank
(ADB). The project will run through 2012 to 2016. Under this project the major activities
which will be undertaken are- excavation of Moyur river and 22 canals adjacent to it by
concrete box, construction of footpath on both sides of the river and permanent sealing of the
lands occupied illegally.
Water Logging in Sylhet
Situated towards the North-East of Bangladesh, Sylhet has always been a place of tourist
attraction for its scenic beauty and natural resources. The city is growing rapidly. Sylhet City
Corporation is developing this city without any structural planning. Sylhet city is now facing
environmental problems due to rapid population growth, unplanned urbanization and regular
cutting down of hills. Beside this, under the disguise of urbanization, the drains, ponds and
canals are being filled up indiscriminately. Most of the canals are being occupied illegally and
buildings are being constructed on those.
Even a decade ago, there were 17 ponds in Sylhet city where rain waters were deposited. But
all these ponds have been filled up and being used as: Dhopa Dighi- for construction of

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Usmani Shishu Park, Lal Dighi – for construction of hawker market and Mousu Dighi- for
construction of a commercial private building. Apart from this, some drains used to carry the
water from the upper layers and daily waste materials to Surma river. With fast urbanization,
importance of these rivers is diminishing. There were 9 big and 15 small canals surrounding
Sylhet City locally known as “Chhora”. These canals were 56 metre wide and 55 metre long
and were keeping the drainage system active. But during the last two decades, most of these
have been illegally occupied and there is no system of drainage. So, like other cities, Sylhet is
also facing regular water-logging.
In 2012, almost all areas of Sylhet were subjected to water logging. The main reason for this is
fragile drainage system. Rain waters cannot be removed because most of the drains have been
filled-up with rubbish and waste materials from houses. Water drainage system is blocked,
fragile drainage system and the drains have not been cleaned for many years- these are the
main causes of water logging in Sylhet, according to the experts. Many of the drains has not
been repaired for many years and so has gone out of order. Sylhet City Corporation has not
taken any step to repair the present drains or construct new drains. Also in many places slabs
have been constructed without raising the road level and so drainage of water is facing
obstacles. Dumping of polythene inside the drains and canals are also blocking smooth flow
of water.
Sylhet City Corporation and Urban Engineering Department of Shahjalal University of
Science & Technology have taken up joint ventures- both long-term and short-term plans
have been chalked out and are being implemented. Short-term plans include construction of
waterways to carry the water from the stagnant points to the larger source of water. Later on
there will be long-term plans to get rid of this problem when the main canals will be re-
excavated. Sylhet City Corporation has undertaken a project worth Taka 11 crore to remove
water-logging. The project shall undertake recovery of several canals surrounding Sylhet,
construction of 1,459 boundary pillar, 1,200 metre wall, 1,000 metre boundary wall and 4 box
culverts by renovation and re-construction with an objective to remove water logging.
There is a continuous growth of population in all the cities of Bangladesh. Rivers, canals,
water bodies surrounding most of the cities have been locked. This has resulted from
urbanization and lack of awareness has shattered dreams of the general public to see a city free
from curse of water logging.

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Nor’wester
One of the most common disasters in Bangladesh is nor ’wester or the storm occurring in the
month of Boishakh which hits Bangladesh every year with severe winds and devastation.
Nor' wester begins before the monsoon winds starts to set in. Usually it appears between
March and June. The reason is during summer as the day progresses, the air starts to get
warmer and flows upwards. Moisture also flows upwards and clouds form with lot of
moisture content. So, there is ‘up draft’ and ‘down draft’ inside the clouds. This is known as
thunder clouds. These thunder clouds give rise to rain with thunderstorm and when the
intensity is lighter, then it turns into nor’wester. These seasonal storms not only destroys
many houses and crops, these also takes away many lives and cattle, etc.
The following table shows a list of seasonal storms and Nor’wester which hit Bangladesh
in 2012.
S/No. Date Place Amount of loss
1. 6-11-12 Shyamnagar, Satkhira 200 houses fully and 50 partially destroyed.
2. 26-6-12 Bhurungamari, Kurigram More than 400 houses including 5
educational institutions destroyed.
3. 27-6-12 Several villages of 1 dead, 200 houses destroyed, more than
Kadirjangal and Guzadia 1,000 trees uprooted.
union of Kurigram Upazilla
4. 27-6-12 Bhurungamari & 500 houses, 5 educational institutions, 1
Nageshwari Upazilla of BGB camp destroyed. 400 trees uprooted.
Comilla
5. 13-4-12 Kazipur Upazilla of Class rooms of 9 schools destroyed.
17-5-12 Siranjganj
19-5-12
6. 7-6-12 Netrokona sadar, Atpara & 500 houses destroyed. More than 1,000 trees
Purba Dhala Upazilla uprooted.
7. 2-6-12 Sarishabari in Jamalpur Famous Pogoldia High School destroyed.
8. 4-6-12 Nangolkot in Comilla More than 200 kucha houses, educational
institutions, mosque destroyed.
9. 5-6-12 Gurudashpur in Natore More than 300 kucha houses, educational
institutions, mosque destroyed. Damage to
Women’s College and mango garden.
10. 5-6-12 Noakhali Sadar Upazilla Severe damage to more than 200 houses and
3-6-12 trees. 1 Madrasha, more than 400 kucha
houses, 2 educational institutions destroyed.
Hundreds of trees uprooted.
11 4-6-12 Madaripur Severe damage to more than 200 houses, trees,
1 Madrasha, agriculture land, betel leaf ‘baroj’.
12 4-6-12 Doulatpur, Comilla 2 schools, more than 300 houses destroyed.

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13. 4-6-12 Ramganj (Laxmipur) More than 100 houses and more than 1,000
trees destroyed.
14. 5-6-12 Sirajganj More than 500 houses and numerous trees
destroyed.
15. 5-6-12 Nagarkandha, Faridpur More than 200 houses destroyed.
16. 4-6-12 Nangolkot, Comilla More than 200 establishments including
houses, mosque, shops destroyed and
numerous trees damaged.
17. 3-6-12 Muktagacha, Fulbaria, Severe damage to more than 100 houses,
Nandail in Mymensingh more than 1,000 trees, shops, rice mill, etc.
18. 4-6-12 Gabtoli Upazilla, Sadar 2 persons died. Severe damage to crops. 500
Upazilla, Bogra houses, more than 1 educational institution
destroyed.
19. 4-6-12 Habiganj 1 person died. More than 50 houses and trees
destroyed. Electrical poles were uprooted.
20. 2-6-12 Pabna More than 200 houses and 2 educational
institutions damaged. More than 500 trees
uprooted.
21. 2-6-12 Sarishabari, Jamalpur More than 500 houses and 4 educational
institutions damaged. More than 1,000 trees
uprooted.
22. 2-6-12 Dinajpur Severe damage to Boro paddy. More than 200
houses and educational institutions
destroyed.
23. 2-6-12 Kishoreganj Severe damage to more than 1,000 houses,
trees, markets, standing crops, educational
institutions, religious institutions.
24. 2-6-12 Faridpur, Chandpur Numerous houses and trees damaged
including 1 educational institution.
25. May, Lalmonirhat Sadar 11 educational institutions destroyed. More
2012 than 1,000 family became destitute and
homeless.
26. 13-5-12 Gouripur, Mymensingh Gutiabor College destroyed.
15-5-12
27. May Meherpur Secondary School damaged.
2012
28. 24-5-12 Sarishabari, Jamalpur, 500 houses destroyed. 2 persons struck by
Bobindaganj, Gaibandha, lighting and died.
Rajarhat, Kurigram
29. 23-5-12 Dhunot Upazilla, Bogra 2 schools destroyed.
30. 24-5-12 Mirersharai Severe damage to houses, trees and crops.

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31. 24-5-12 Bogra 2 persons died due to storm. More than 500
houses, factories, educational institutions
and shops destroyed.
Sundarganj & Gaibandha 1 police official died. More than 5,000 houses
and more than 50 educational institutions
destroyed.
Peergachha Upazilla, More than 500 houses, educational
Rangpur institutions destroyed. Severe damage to
trees and standing crops.
Rajarhat, Kurigram More than 200 houses and 1 Madrasha
destroyed. 1 child died.
Ulipur, Kurigram 3,000 houses and more than 1,000 trees
damaged.
Raiganj, Sirajganj More than 1,000 houses and trees damaged.
32. 22-5-12 Lalmonirhat 2 persons died. More than 300 houses and
several trees damaged.
33. 16-5-12 Bhaluka, Mymensingh Educational institutions, kucha houses and
trees damaged.
34. 16-5-12 Mothbaria, Dinajpur, More than 100 houses, school, market,
Gouripur, Mymensingh, madrasha, mosque destroyed. More than
Gopalpur, Tangail 1,000 houses and 50 establishments
damaged. High school building collapsed.
35. 16-5-12 Netrokona 1 person died. Hundreds of houses and
36. 16-5-12 Damrai, Dhaka Numerous trees damaged. More than 100
houses destroyed. Damage to crops and ripe
paddy.
Muktagachha of More than 100 houses, trees and crops
Mymensingh, Gouripur, damaged.
Modhupur, Tangail
37. 15-5-12 Kazipur, Sirajganj 1 person died. More than 100 houses and
38. 15-5-12 Dewanganj, Jamalpur Houses, trees and crops damaged.
39. 15-5-12 Doulatpur, Kushtia Houses, trees and crops damaged.
40. 15-5-12 Kendua, Netrokona 2 persons died. Trees and crops damaged.
41. 15-5-12 Mithamain, Kishoreganj More than 200 houses destroyed including 1
madrasha.
42. 15-5-12 Gouripur, Mymensingh More than 100 houses, educational
institutions and trees damaged.
43. 15-5-12 Netrokona 300 houses destroyed and trees uprooted.
44. 12-5-12 Bhedorganj, Shariatpur 1 educational institution, 50 houses
destroyed. 1 person died.

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Khetlal, Joypurhat More than 100 houses and numerous trees
damaged.
45. 17-5-12 Kazipur, Sirajganj More than 200 houses, 1 educational
institution and numerous trees damaged.
Doulatpur, Kushtia More than 200 houses destroyed. Beside this,
several educational institutions and trees
damaged.
46. 17-5-12 Rajshahi Hundreds of houses destroyed. Beside this,
Boro crops and mango plantation severely
damaged.
47. 3-5-12 Doulatpur, Kushtia Hundreds of houses destroyed. Beside this,
Boro crops and mango plantation severely
damaged.
48. 3-5-12 Chapai Nawabganj Boro crops and mango plantation severely
damaged.
49. 3-5-12 Comilla 1 person died.
50. 4-5-12 Khulna 2 persons died.
51. 4-5-12 Pirojpur Severe damage to Kacha houses, trees and
standing crops.
52. 4-5-12 Munshiganj More than 100 houses, 1 cold storage
destroyed.
53. 30-4-12 Narsingdi More than 200 houses destroyed and 5,000
trees damaged.
54. 30-4-12 Nasirnagar More than 100 houses destroyed and
widespread damage to crops.
55. 30-4-12 Mirzaganj, Patuakhali More than 50 houses and 1 mosque destroyed.
56. 30-4-12 Jagannathpur, Sunamganj More than 1,000 houses and educational
institutions damaged.
57. 21-4-12 Tangail Numerous trees and more than hundred houses
damaged. Severe damage to standing crops.
58. 21-4-12 Bagerhat 50 houses destroyed.
59. 21-4-12 Kalmakandha, Netrokona Widespread damage of Boro paddy, other
paddy, crops and houses. Beside this,
educational institutions, mosque and shops
damaged.
60. 21-4-12 Habiganj More than 500 houses destroyed.
61. 21-4-12 Kamalganj, Moulvibazar 13 houses destroyed.
62. 21-4-12 Nabinagar, Brahmanbaria More than 50 houses, trees and boro crops
severely damaged.
63. 21-4-12 Mirersharai, Chittagong More than 50 houses, trees and boro crops
severely damaged.

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64. 21-4-12 Fulbaria, Dinajpur Widespread damage to Boro paddy and maize
fields.
65. 21-4-12 Dhunat, Bogra More than 100 houses, educational institutions
and standing Boro damaged severely.
66. 19-4-12 Sonargaon, Narayanganj Widespread damage to houses and crops.
67. 19-4-12 Jagannathpur, Sunamganj More than 500 houses, trees and commercial
establishments damaged.
68. 19-4-12 Nawabganj, Dhaka More than 50 houses destroyed. Widespread
damage to crops and trees.
69. 19-4-12 Mithamain, Kishoreganj Damage to more than 100 houses, trees and
crops.
70. 19-4-12 Mirzapur, Tangail Damage to more than 100 houses, trees and
crops.
71. 19-4-12 Munshiganj Damage to houses and 1 mosque.
72. April, Kazipur, Sirajganj 4 schools destroyed.
2012
73. 15-4-12 Thakurgaon 2 persons destroyed. 5,000 houses, crops and
trees destroyed.
74. April, Jamalpur 200 houses, crops, trees and electric poles were
12 destroyed.
75. 15-4-12 Rangpur 2 persons died. 1,000 houses destroyed.
Educational institutions damaged.
76. 15-4-12 Lalmonirhat 3,000 houses destroyed. Widespread damage
to trees and crops.
77. 15-4-12 Dinajpur Numerous houses, crops, trees damaged.
78. 13-4-12 Barisal Houses were destroyed.
Sylhet Damage to Boro crops.
Rangpur Damage to Boro crops.
Patuakhali 2 houses and several trees damaged.
Pirojpur 50 houses and numerous trees damaged.
Barguna 2 houses and standing crops damaged.
Panchagarh Hundreds of houses and trees damaged.
Kurigram More than 500 houses and trees damaged.
Pabna 50 houses and trees damaged.
Nilphamari More than 100 houses, trees and Boro paddy
damaged.
79. 10-4-12 Patuakhali 300 houses and Boro crops damaged.
Gaibandha Damage to Boro crops.
Hatia, Noakhali Damage to houses, standing crops.
Feni Damage to houses and Boro paddy.
80. 10-4-12 Netrokona Houses destroyed and crops damaged.
Brahmanbaria Houses destroyed and trees damaged.

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Hatia, Noakhali More than 1,000 houses destroyed and crops
damaged.
Keshabpur, Jessore, Houses, educational institutions, madrasha
Monirampur, Bogra, destroyed.
Moulvibazar
81. 8-4-12 Dhaka, Gazipur, Sherpur, Numerous houses, trees destroyed and crops
Gopalganj, Jamalpur, damaged.
Barisal, Pirojpur, Bhola,
Brahmanbaria
82. 9-4-12 Muladia, Barisal, More than 2,000 houses, numerous trees
Chitolmari, Bagerhat, destroyed and crops severely damaged.
Bhola, Netrokona, Sherpur,
Madaripur, Faridpur,
Kishoreganj, Mirersharai,
Chittagong, Patuakhali
83. 7-4-12 Satkhira Houses, Boro paddy severely damaged.
Atoari, Panchagarh Crops damaged. Numerous houses including
3 educational institutions destroyed.
84. 7-4-12 Batiaghata, Khulna Houses, educational institutions damaged.
85. 7-4-12 Netrokona Houses destroyed, electricity connection
snapped.
Siranganj Houses destroyed, electricity connection
snapped.
Nilphamari, Parbatipur, Houses destroyed, electricity connection
Dinajpur snapped.
Nilphamari, parbatipur, Houses destroyed, educational and commercial
Dinajpur establishments damaged.
Saidpur, Bhaluka, Widespread damage to houses, crops, trees,
Kulaura madrasha, educational institutions and
commercial establishments.
86. April 6 Gopalganj, Satkhira, Numerous houses, trees destroyed. Educational
& 7, Khulna, Bhola, institutions, commercial establishments,
2012 Sunamganj madrasha, religions institutions and standing
crops damaged.
87. 5-4-12 Jamalpur, Nilphamari, More than 1,000 houses destroyed. Numerous
Satkhira, Chittagong, trees uprooted widespread damage to standing
Laxmipur, Rajshahi, crops.
Mymensingh,
Chuadanga, Chapai
Nawabganj, Narsingdi,
Brahmanbaria, Comilla,
Chandpur, Panchagarh

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88. 7-4-12 Munshiganj, Satkhira, More than 100 houses, trees, crops severely
Doulatpur (Kushtia), damaged.
Kolapara
89. 17-3-12 Dhaka Sadar Trees were damaged, electricity was snapped.
90. 1-3-12 Brahmanbaria, More than 100 houses destroyed. Trees and
Patuakhali, Borguna crops damaged.
91. 1-3-12 Bandarban 50 houses and numerous trees damaged.
Severe damage to standing crops.
In 2012, 37 nor ’wester hit Bangladesh of different intensity. Of these, nor ’wester struck 2
times in March, 13 times in April, 14 times in May, 7 times in June and 1 time in November.
Though the main damage was in Dhaka, Chittagong and Rangpur divisions, widespread
damage was also seen in other regions. The damage by the storm was comparatively less in
Sylhet division. In 2012, there were 59 storms which hit Dhaka, 26 hit Chittagong, 24 hit
Rangpur, 19 hit Barisal, 14 hit Rajshahi and 8 hit Sylhet divisions.
Month-wise storms in 2012 Division-wise storms in 2012

70 59
March 60
April 50
40
12 26
7 May 30 24 21 19
13
20
14 June 8
10
November 0
l
ng
a
ur
ka
et
sa
ln
lh
gp
go
ha
ri
hu
Sy
Ba
tta
an
D
K
R
hi
C
Due to any nor ’wester, normal lifestyle is affected adversely, people are faced with hardship
and misery engulfs people’s lives. It is quite hard to measure losses incurred due to nor'
wester. Because it not only causes death to human being or cattle heads, it destroys partially or
fully several houses, educational institutions, religious institutions and commercial
establishments. Widespread damage to standing crops and trees also take place costing crores
of taka. Beside these, roads, culverts, dams, etc. are damaged and electrical disruption occurs
by uprooting of poles by the strong winds during a storm. There is no end to the suffering of
general people.

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Thunder/Lightning
Recently a new disaster has been added in Bangladesh. This is known as thunder. On an
average, thunders hit Bangladesh between 80 and 120 days in a year. In a research paper
prepared by Professor Dr. Thomas W. Smidlin of Department of Geography of Kent State
University, USA, entitled “Risk factors and social vulnerability”, it is revealed that 40
thunders heat each sq. Km. in Bangladesh between March and May every year. He said that
although death of only 150 people is reported in the newspapers, but in reality the number of
deaths are between 500 to 1,000 every year. In his research findings Dr. Thomas says that
maximum number of people who die by being struck by thunder live in Bangladesh. Due to
high density of population in Bangladesh, number of deaths is also high.
What is Thunder?
It is most natural that lightning lie inside the
clouds in the atmosphere. This lightning occurs
in two ways positive and negative charges.
When two clouds with different charge content
come near each other, lightning occur. The
lower portion of clouds contain negative charge
while the upper portion of the cloud contain
positive charge. When both charges meet, these
give rise to a upward lighting and moves
upwards very speedily. This upward lighting is
known as thunder. The temperature inside a
thunder may be 30,0000 to 60,0000 Fahrenheit. According to scientists, most thunder occurs
in the clouds which move between 25,000 to 75,000 ft. The speed with which thunder come
downwards is 60,000 metre per second. If anybody is struck by thunder, he dies instantly. The
duration of a thunder is one tenths of a second. The wind around a thunder becomes five times
more heated than the surface of the sun. Huge sound captures the surrounding areas. Since
speed of sound is less than the speed of light, so the sound is heard after a thunder strikes.
Thunder is more powerful than an earthquake. One thunder contains approx. 50,000 ampere
of light. Whereas in the households, light content is 15,000 ampere only. Sometimes, a
thunder may strike and hit the sky with 30 million volt of electricity.
Death at the Beginning of the Season
On April 06, 2012, 20 people died and 10 were injured throughout the country. On 7 April 10
people died while on 8 and 9 April 16 persons and another 16 persons died respectively being
struck by thunder. Information gathered from different sources and newspapers state than in
the month of April alone 103 persons had died all over the country of these, 18 were children,
18 were women and 67 were men. In May, out of 73 deaths, 20 were children, 13 were women
and 40 were men. It is worthwhile mentioning here than on 23 May, 2011, 58 persons died all
over Bangladesh due to thunder.

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Year No. of Deaths Injured

Children Women Men Total Children Women Men Total
2100 31 28 120 179 12 27 111 150
2012 61 50 190 301 63 32 124 219
Although there are not many researches on thunder, several studies are being carried out in
Europe, Japan and America. Some of the presenters in International Conferences and
Seminars has shown that thunder is closely related to air pollution and environment pollution.
“Thunderstorm, lightning and Climate Change”, a research paper submitted by Collin Price,
Profession of Geography Department in Tel Aviv University at the 29th International
Conference on Lightning Protection held in Sweden in 2008, revealed the above statement. In
the research paper it is stated that while air pollution is increasing due to thunder, similarly air
pollution has increased the devastation and number of thunders all over the world. Scientist
David Edwards of National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has shown the
increase of thunderstorms in the world. In 2004, National Geographic has termed thunder to
be the second most dangerous killer (Samakal, April 26, 2012).
No. of deaths/injured by thunder in 2012 (based on reports published in different
newspapers)
Months No. of deaths Injured
Children Women Men Children Women Men
March 1 1 1 1 1
April 18 18 67 15 13 38
May 20 13 40 15 9 29
June 11 7 22 15 5 17
July 1 3 9 0 4 4
August 4 2 21 1 9
September 3 5 23 3 1 21
October 3 1 5 9 5
Total 61 50 190 63 32 124

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River Erosion : A Natural Disaster
River erosion is a common disaster in riverine Bangladesh. Every year thousands of

Bangladesh is rendered homeless due to river erosion. Also educational institutions, medical
centres, roads, dams and other establishments are engulfed by the rivers and this brings in
disaster in the lives of the people affected.
Bangladesh is a deltaic plain land surrounded by rivers like the Padma, Ganges and Jamuna.
So, while these rivers carry alluvial soil they are also responsible for river erosion. Floods and
river erosion is regular phenomenon in Bangladesh and like in other years, in 2012, these
were the major form of disasters which hit Bangladesh.
In 2012, the following districts were affected by river erosion- Kurigram, Gaibandha,
Jamalpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, Tangail, Pabna, Manikganj, Rajshahi, Kushtia, Natore, Faridpur
and Dhaka.
Due to erosion of the three rivers, 3,694 hectare lands were affected. Beside this, following
were affected severally: houses in 587 hectare land, 5.6 km dam, 3.3 km roads in the districts,
2.1 km roads in the Upazilla and 3.3 km roads in the villages. Also 23 educational institutions,
20 mosques, 1 government office, 1 private office and 3 medical centres were affected by
river erosion.
Table showing damages caused due to river erosion
Affected district Land (hectares) Houses (Hectares) Roads (Km) Dam (Metre)
Kurigram 442 51 502 761
Gaihandha 262 15 110 160
Jamalpur 268 74 1642 0
Bogra 325 38 1659 1727
Sirajganj 806 102 371 3738
Tangail 188 26 452 0
Pabna 77 14 381 0
Manikganj 212 49 961 0
Nawabganj 153 25 0 0
Natore 2 2 0 0
Rajshahi 81 9 0 0
Rajbari 178 25 166 0
Kushtgia 81 28 235 0
Faridpur 230 3 0 0
Shariatpur 152 40 200 0
Dhaka 174 65 5685 0
Manikganj 56 20 405 0
Chandpur 7 1 0 0
Total 3694 578 8769 6386

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The infrastructural amenities required for prevention and rehabilitation of affected facilities,
for example, educational institutions, shops, medical centres, etc. is very costly. To curtail the
losses which may be incurred by possible river erosion the method is known as “Possibility of
erosion” and this can play a vital role in this respect. Bangladesh Water Development Board,
Bangladesh Water Resources Planning Agency and UNDP has been implementing projects
since 2004 to find out the possibilities of erosion of the major rivers.
According to data regarding possibility of erosion in the future, 2,200 hectares land, 338
hectare houses, 6 km dams, 2.9 km roads in the districts, 1.7 km roads in Upazilla and 2.9 km
roads in the villages are at risk of erosion. Beside these, lying in the vulnerable area of river
erosion is: 48 educational institutions, 35 mosques, 6 markets and haat, 1 government office,
3 private offices and 4 medical centres.
A comparative scenario depicting river erosion in 2010, 2012 and 2013 is shown below:
8473 meter
8769 meter
7684 meter
7650 meter
6386 meter
3850 meter
3694 hectare
352 hectare
2199 hectare 338 hectare
1665 hectare 587 hectare
Land homestead road embankment
2010 2012 2013
Source: CEGIS

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Possible scenario of erosion by river Jamuna
The Sundarban Facing Possible Threat

According to Prof. A K Fazlul Haque of Period Erosion (km) Construction (Km)
‘Centre for Study on the Sundarban’, the 1973-1989 116 104
organization involved in research and 1989-2001 113 36
study on the Sundarban, erosion and 2001-2010 103 62
reconstruction is a common Total 332 202
characteristic of the Sundarban. Erosion
of this mangrove forest created by alluvial soil from the river Ganges is a natural occurrence.
But this largest mangrove forest is gradually becoming smaller in size due to global warming
and climatic change. In addition, rise in water level in the sea, environment pollution,
indiscriminate cutting of trees in the Sundarban are having derogatory effects on this forest.
The erosion is more visible in the East than in the west. While 203 km forest have been eroded
(at a rate of approx. 6 km per year for last four decades) only 104 km forest has risen from the
seabed which is not even half of the eroded amount.

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Coordinated Steps Taken to Stop Erosion

Ramgati Upazilla of Laximpur was threatened with erosion of river Meghna. The affected
included: 19 educational institutions, office of the Upazilla Parishad, Upazilla Health
Complex, Upazilla Sadar, Alexander Market, Ramgoti Haat, Bibir Haat, Ramdoyal Market
and four unions. the people living in the area made a coordinated effort and started to
construct a dam by themselves using geo bags filled with sand. With financial assistance from
the local people, work was undertaken to build six dams with geo bags and the construction of
dam in East Alexander was inaugurated. The project cost has been estimated at Taka 2.8 crore.
Of this, construction works of 2 dams has already started by collecting Taka 30 lac and 15,000
geo bags.
A dam was constructed by the villagers themselves on their own initiative in order to save
Charpara village of Birampur Upazilla in Dinajpur district, from erosion by river Korotoa.
They purchased bamboo, window and constructed the dam in 15 days of voluntary work. Due
to erosion by Korotoa river, every year agricultural land, houses, educational institutions and
roads in Binod Nagar Union was affected and Chandpara village was the most vulnerable
point of erosion. So, the first dam measuring 40 yards was constructed here at the initiative of
the villagers by providing voluntary efforts.
Local people constructed bamboo piling at the mouth of river Teesta on own initiative and by
providing voluntary services. Teesta River was threatening Lalchamar village of Sundarganj
Upazilla in Gaibandha district. The educational institutions, ‘beri bandh’, market were
threatened of erosion by the river. So, the bamboo piling works were undertaken to save the
above establishments as well as to force the river to change direction.
Conclusion
Flooding and river erosion is becoming a vexing problem in the South Asian countries. This is
becoming more acute due to weakness in disaster management and less use of scientific and
technologically advanced methods. Also flood related loss or damage is more here because of
weakness in management of dams. People living in the South Asian countries have earned
more practical experience of fighting natural disasters like flood and river erosion. But
climate change and global warming is making the situation critical day by day. Floods and
river erosion are potential threats to Bangladesh economy both financially and socially. As a
result of occurrence of these two phenomena general people are becoming homeless and
destitute. This is creating more destitute people clustering the slums in the cities. So, practical
programmes has to be taken in light of the social and political conditions of the country,
necessary work plans need to be chalked out accordingly depending again on practical
experience. Otherwise the economic and social problems facing the South Asian countries
will turn into massive disaster and will pose to be great challenge and threat to the
development of the countries of South Asia.

Disaster Forum
Landslides
Landslides is now a common feature for the people of Chittagong. Even after so may people
have died due to landslides, the destitute people does not want to move away from the hills, as
they do not have any other place to go. Nobody bothers about their rehabilitation. Deputy
Commissioner of Chittagong says, “Knowing fully well about the dire consequences and risk
of death, these people do not move. Even if they are evicted, soon they come back”. Monjurul
Kibria, Associate Professor of Department of Zoology, University of Chittagong and a
renowned environmentalist said, “if government does not take initiative to rehabilitate these
people permanently, this problem will pursue. They Total 120 hills were totally destroyed
become homeless and penniless due to river erosion in last 30 years. In Chittagong division
and then come and take shelter in the hills. In total 13,295 square miles hill areas are
whichever hill they take shelter, that becomes a going to annihilate gradually.
death trap.”
On June 27, 2012, 102 people died: in Bandarban (46 persons), Cox’s Bazar (41 persons) and
Chittagong (31 persons) due to landslide. Of these, 7 died due to thunderstorm (Cox’s Bazar-
6, Chittagong-1), wall collapse-7 persons (Chittagong-3 children & 1 male and in Cox’s
Bazar-3 persons). 6 persons drowned in Cox’s Bazar during this time, the rest 82 persons died
due to landslide.
Year No. Of Death

2007 127 No. of Death
2008 11 140
127
2009 19 120
2010 60 100
80 82
2011 17
60 60 No. of Death
2012 82
40
20 19 17
11
0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
List of death people due to landslides in 2012

Date Place No. of deaths Remarks
June 13 Sylhet, Jaintapur 2 (Children) Due to torrential rain, houses
collapsed from the top of the hills.
June 27 Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, 82 Due to heavy rain, landslide
Bandarban occurred.
November 27 Comilla, Lalmai 1 While cutting the hills, landslide
killed 1 person.
Total 85

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June 27, 2012, Night of Destruction

It was raining heavily during the night of June 27, 2012. With the intensity of rain,
representatives of Chittagong City Corporation started miking (announcement) that the
people residing under the hills should move away to safer places. But as they had no other
place to go, these people refused to move and instead embraced death. On that night, 82
persons died due to landslide in Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban. Of these, 24 died in
Chittagong (including 17 children, 5 women and 2 men). 22 died in Cox’s Bazar (including 12
children, 6 women and 4 men). 36 died in Bandarban (including 18 children, 10 women and 8
men). Due to collapse of hills vehicle movement became difficult and so rescue operation was
hampered. Torrential rain and landslide forced roads, railways and even airline services to be
disrupted. Electricity connections were snapped in many places. Thousands of people
became water logged.
Many areas in Chittagong City were water logged. Crores of taka worth of household goods
were destroyed due to on-rush of standing water. Hundreds of vehicles including bus, minibus,
auto rickshaw were drowned in water. More than one lac people in 7 unions of Lama Upazilla in
Bandarban was trapped by on-rush of water from hills. Upazilla sadar went under 14-15 ft. water
due to flood water. On the other hand, more than 10 lac people became trapped in water in 7
Upazillas of Cox’s Bazar sadar, Ukhiya, Kutubdia and Moheshkhali. 20,000 people took shelter
in different cyclone shelters. Shrimps worth nearly 300 crore taka from 500 enclosures were
washed away in Chokoria, Teknaf, Moheshkhali, Kutubdia and Cox’s Bazar Sadar Upazilla.
Assistance for the Affected People
Family members of each head person received Tk. 20,000 for the death of their relative from
the government. Beside this, Disaster Management and Relief wing of Ministry of Food and
Disaster management of Government of Bangladesh allocated the following relief: 20 lac
taka and 300 MT rice in Chittagong, 30 lac taka and 500 MT rice in Cox’s Bazar and 10 lac
taka in Bandarban.
Construction of House on Top of Hillock to combat Landslide!
The hillock is 70 ft. high. No one can
understand what lies at the top. If someone can
climb to the top, he will find that there are big
& deep holes where houses have been built. In
order to avoid disaster, seven families are
residing here. A few of these are tilting while
some others seem to be falling down any time.
Its name is Pathan Tilla. This Tilla belongs
jointly to Bangladesh Railway and private
ownership. It is situated to the North of
Maizgaon playground in South Fenchuganj of
Sylhet district. It covers an area of nearly 2 acre. 37 families have been residing there for
more than a decade. In 2011, Sylhet Zilla Parishad cut parts of the Tilla and constructed
gallery for the playground. As a result, with the onset of rainy season in 2012, it became very

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vulnerable for the residents staying there. Since there was no other alternative, seven
families dug huge holes and constructed their houses and started to live there. Parul Begum,
one of the residents, told that a part of her house collapsed. They are forced to stay there as
they have no other alternative place to stay. A senior official of the Department of
Environment said that it is all the more risky to dig hole on top of the hillock. There is a
possibility that if there is a landslide, the whole house will collapse and be buried under
earth (Prothom Alo, June 23, 2012).
Construction of Road by Cutting Hills in Sylhet Division

A very influential land developer built a road by cutting through the highest hill in Jaflong, the
place of tourist attraction in Sylhet without taking any permission from the local
administration or Department of Environment (DoE). Almost 72% of the hilltop was
transformed into plain land and a long road of 1,100 ft. was constructed there. Director of
Sylhet Division of DoE said that this was one of the largest hills of Jaflong. On one side lies
India’s Dauki to Piain river estuary and on the other side lies Tamabil land port and Border
outpost of Bangladesh Border Guard. If this hill is destroyed, the natural environment of
Jaflong will be effected (Prothom Alo, December 12, 2012).
A case was filed and the land developer was fined 7,87,000 taka. Director of DoE passed this
order. At the same time he was ordered to bring back the look of the original landscape of the
hill. The convicted person paid the fine but could not bring back look of the original
landscape.
DoE also fined a teacher of a government college in Pathantula as he cut a hillock and made
his house. A fine of Tk. 1,02,000 was imposed on him. Director of DoE said that because of
cutting of hills and hillocks in Sylhet, the natural environment is being destroyed and the
animal species are being harmed severely. Huge amount of fine is being imposed but it is not
possible to bring back the original landscape, so preventive and strict measures must be taken
against the perpetrators.
Court Case, Imposing of Fine but Still Cutting of Hills has not Stopped
In Sylhet hills cover an area of approx.186 sq.km. Mostly the hills are cut for building
residential accommodation. In order to avoid the exaction provisions of Environment Act,
different unique techniques are taken to evade those provisions. Legal actions against hill
cutting began after the regional office of DoE was opened in Sylhet in 2005. 157 cases are
pending with DoE of similar nature. When hill cutting could not be stopped even after filling
suits, then with the help of Enforcement of mobile courts, fines started to be imposed and
realized. the following table illustrates the scenario.
Place Date Name of Fines Remarks

organization imposed
Sylhet February Greenland Tk. 22,00,000 The company was fined because it
26, 2012 Housing had cut the top portion of the
Company hillock and built housing plots.

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Place Date Name of Fines Remarks

organization imposed
Sylhet June 21, Shalimar Tk. 10,00,000 Fine was imposed because a pond
Molaitila 2011 Housing Ltd. was dig on top of the Molaitila.
According to DoE, a fine of nearly
1 crore taka was realized from 19
incidents where hills/hillocks were
cut (2011-2012).
Sylhet December Lohani Tea Tk. 7,00,000 Through a press release of DoE it
Sadar 12, 2012 Garden was announced that owner of
(Debpur Lohani Tea Garden wanted to build
Mouza) 100 ft. long and 8ft. wide Bangalow
in Debpur Mouza of Sylhet sadar
upazilla. The hill was cut around
end of November, 2012. Upon
confirmation of the incident, DoE
imposed this fine against the owner
on December 12, 2012.
Chittagong July 02, Abul Khair Tk. 40,23,000 With a view to upgrade Dhaka
2012 Group Chittagong highway into four
lanes, district administration gave
permission to cut approx. 13 acres
of hills owned by Abul Khair
Group. This press release was
given by DoE. But since they cut
1.85 acre additional hills, the fine
was imposed against them.
Chittagong December South Khulsi Tk. 3,45,000 DoE imposed this fine against one
09, 2012 Residential person as he indulged in cutting a
Area hill in south Khulsi Residential
Area.
Notification to Preserve all Hills in Chittagong Division
On August 23, 2011, a Writ Petition was filed by Bangladesh Environment Lawyers
Association (BELA) regarding preservation of all hills in Chittagong Division. The petition
wanted a stay order against indiscriminate and illegal cutting of hills. It also wanted directive
of the High Court against the people who had violated the guidelines and instructions of
Building Construction Act, 1952, Environment Protection Act, 1995 and Chittagong
Development Authority Ordinance, 1959. The Hon’ble High Court listened to the prayer
stated in the Writ Petition filed in 2011 and ordered for preservation of the environment and
animal life. Further, it also ordered that it would be made mandatory to obtain Environmental
Certificate and Environment Influence Association (EIA) if anyone wants to cut hills. Since
then DoE may either allow or not allow any application made towards cutting of hills.

Disaster Forum
Earthquake & Collapse of Walls and Buildings
Among the natural disasters which are likely to increase due to climate change, earthquake is
a serious factor. During the last few years several light to wild tremors have jolted
Bangladesh. Whether these jolts are forecasting a major earthquake is becoming a concern to
most people as well as the experts. According to statistics of Earthquake Observation Centre
of BUET, between January 2006 and May, 2009, 86 earthquakes hit Bangladesh which
measured at more than 4 on the richter scale, while Meteorological Department says that 9 of
these measured at 5 on the richter scale. The region-wise seismic map, produced by BUET,
shows that 43% of Bangladesh are highlands, 41% are of medium height and 16% are low and
vulnerable. Experts opine that Dhaka and Chittagong are likely to be affected most if an
earthquake should hit because of the thick density of population, dilapidated buildings and
modern buildings made without following proper guidelines of Bangladesh Building Code.
Some Mentionable Incidents of Earthquake in 2012
At 8:56 am on March 18, 2012, Sunday,
capital Dhaka and its surrounding areas
were shaken by earthquake. Its epicenter
was at Dohar Upazilla of Dhaka.
Observation from Meteorological
Department pointed out that this was the
first time in 162 years that an epicenter of
an earthquake was so near to Dhaka. This
was a medium range earthquake. Data
since 1850 confirms this observation.
People from their houses came out in and
surrounding areas. Students started to run
around in the Halls of Dhaka University
and in the Dhaka University Library. One BANGLADESH
building tilted at Savar. Observation from 2012 03 1802.56:10 UTC 23.66N90.18E Depth: 15.7 km
2
Peak Ground Acceleration(m/s ) with 10% Probability of Exceedance in 50 Years
US Geological Survey Department says
that the source of earthquake was 15.7 km deep inside the earth. Since the epicenter was 24
km from Dhaka, 34 km South-West from Tongi, 106 km. towards West and North-West of
Comilla, many Southern districts also were hit. It is worthwhile mentioning here that the
earthquake which hit on November 2, 2011 and measured at 4.1 on the richter scale had its
epicenter at Matlab of Chandpur.
Experts Opinion
According to Professor Dr. Mehedi Ahmed, Professor of BUET and the founder Secretary
General of Bangladesh Earthquake Society, by the nature and location of epicenter it seems
that there may be a crack near Dhaka. But the possibility of a major earthquake originating
from here is not very prominent. This crack may give rise to earthquake having light to
medium intensity. He also says that even a medium intensity can bring in huge destruction in

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Dhaka. Because 47% residential area in the capital has been constructed by filling up water
bodies and built on soft soil. So, we should be much more careful regarding construction of
any building or structure. He further said that there is a trend of unplanned urbanization in
Dhaka, Narayanganj, Savar and Gazipur. But the buildings do not have necessary readiness to
face earthquake. On the other hand, nearly 50% lands of these places are quite soft. This has
been coupled with building of residential houses. He further said that government Building
Code is being implemented by RAJUK but the earthquake protection part still remains
neglected. RAJUK should ensure that while every building is being constructed, its
earthquake preparedness should be ensured. If this government owned organization wants, it
can ask the private entrepreneurs to monitor construction of buildings.
Prof. Mehedi also said that we have seen that building owners use low quality rod and cement
to save money. Therefore, a building may be constructed by following the structural drawing
but the risk of earthquake remains. It is necessary to ensure if the foundation laying has been
done correctly and also if the soil has become earthquake tolerant.
The recent trend of keeping the ground floor as parking space and free in the high rise
buildings is a positive aspect but there is also problem in this design. The columns in the
basement or parking area must be made stronger than the top floors. But owners do not follow
this while constructing a building. So, these types of buildings are risky buildings.
Earthquake may strike any where any time. Many cities in the world are at the risk of
occurrence of earthquake. But the extent of damage depends on the readiness of a particular city
and the method used in construction of the buildings and infrastructural facilities. For example,
in the devastating earthquake which hit Chile in 2010 only 500 people had died although the
intensity was measured at 8.8 on the richter scale. Only a few building collapsed. This was
possible due to proper implementation of law and the preparedness of the government of Chile
regarding earthquake. On the other hand, when an earthquake with 7.2 intensity on the richter
scale hit Haiti around the same time, 2,20,000 people died. 60% of the buildings of capital Port
Au Prince collapsed due to the earthquake. Even the house of the President collapsed.
April 11, 2012
People became panic stricken throughout the country including Bangladesh around mid day on
April 11, 2012 due to shaking. Before people could be free from panic due to the earthquake at
2:43 p.m, another earthquake hit at 4:48 p.m. This was felt in many places of the country and in
many places in the water bodies, river and sea shaking started. The epicenter was in Sumatra,
Indonesia. Tsunami alert was sounded in the countries lying along the Indian Ocean including
Indonesia. Bangladesh also sounded Tsunami alert. Later on the alert was withdrawn.
Survey by BUET
Civil Engineering Department of BUET conducted a research on “Determining the danger of
buildings of Dhaka city in the case of an earthquake”. The result reveals that nearly 50%
buildings constructed in the posh residential areas of the city and not being constructed as
being free from the danger of destruction by earthquake and so these will not withstand if an
earthquake strikes. During the course of survey, they inspected 150 buildings constructed
between 2008 and 2011. Engineers of the Civil Engineering Department found out that there

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is no preparedness programme in 60 mosque and educational buildings in old Dhaka. These

buildings will be severely damaged or even destroyed if there is an earthquake with intensity
ranging between 6 and 7 on the richter scale. These 150 buildings were selected on a random
basis. Under the same study, in 2005, BUET checked the earthquake resistance capacity of all
residential halls of Dhaka University and in 2007, 46 buildings of BUET were checked for
identifying earthquake resistance capacity. It was found that except Ekushey Hall of Dhaka
University, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, new staff Quarter for teachers
and Accident Research Institute (ARI) – none of the rest 43 buildings had earthquake
preventive measures. It has been observed that approx. 5-10 taka per sq. ft. is additionally
required to make a building earthquake preventive. But the construction companies are not
keeping these provisions as it would become costly for them. Also, in some cases, earthquake
preventive measures are not installed on the plea that these might diminish the beauty of a
particular house or buildings.
During the survey, 150 building constructed by real estate companies in Banani, Mirpur,
Ibrahimpur, Lalmatia and Uttara were examined thoroughly. The major emphasis was placed
on three subjects. Firstly, whether the building will shake at the same rate that the soil
underground will shake. If the building shakes in the same manner, then it is likely to be
damaged. Secondly, to make a building earthquake resistant, rights made of rod has to be
placed at the intersection of each beam and column at an interval of every 4 inch. But after
examination it was found that in more than half of the buildings, rights of rod were place at 7
to 8 inches interval. So, the foundation of the building is not strong. Thirdly, most of the
building had free space in the ground floor as parking space for cars. In such buildings the
beams at the ground floor must be more heavy and thick. But in 90% cases, the beams on the
ground floor has the same circumference like the other floors. Since there is no wall
constructed in the ground floor (except the boundary wall demarcating two buildings) and the
space is mostly empty, it becomes weak. If the above three conditions are not adhered to, then
an earthquake measuring between 6 and 8 on the richter scale will be enough to destroy these
buildings, conceited Prof. Mehedi Ahmed Ansari (Prothom Alo, March 24, 2013).
There is no system to prevent earthquake in 25 mosques and educational institutions in Ward
No. 68 of old Dhaka. Most of these buildings are 50 to 100 years old.
Crack on the Ground at Modhupur

A huge crack occurred beside the pucca road on April 07, 2012.
This crack developed by the side of Kakraid-Barabazar Pucca
road near Bokarbaid of Aushnara Union of Modhupur district.
The local residents became panic stricken when they saw this 500
yards long and half an inch wide crack. Commenting on this, Md.
Emdadul Haque, Associate Prof. of Soil Science Department of
Jahangirnagar University said that Modhupur Garh is comprised
of many faults. Due to natural reasons, these faults may become
separated from one another. A new fault has developed where the
crack has developed. As a result an earthquake may occur
measuring 4 to 5 on the richter scale. But there is nothing to worry.
He also said that due to occurrence of this crack, soil in some areas
may go down or may also rise in some places.

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The Statistics of Earthquake in 2012

Date Epicenter Richter scale Duration Remarks
February 25 K u c h b i h a r i n 3.8 to 4.2 8-10 seconds Shaking was felt in
We s t B e n g a l , Lalmonirhat,
border region of Nilphamari and
Lalmonirhat Rangpur
March 18 24 km. West- 4.6 10 seconds One building tilled
South West of i n S a v a r. T h e
Dhaka near earthquake could be
Dohar felt in Dhaka, Tongi,
Norshingdi,
Gopalgonj and
Comilla
April 11 West coast of 8.7 But in 0 Tsunami alert was
North Sumatra, Bangladesh, the sanded in the coastal
434 km South intensify in most areas. In the coastal
East of Banda places was 3.8 areas at 2:43 pm and
A c h e h o f a t 4 : 4 8 o n
Indonesia. The earthquake hit.
epicenter was Beside this water
2,426 k. away started to shake at
from office of 2:55 pm. The whole
Meteorological country felt the
Department shock.
Collapse of Building/wall
In 2012, 12 children 1 man and 1 woman died. Beside this, 60 persons were hurt or injured.
The Statistics of Collapse Building are given below:
Place Date Dead Injured Remarks
Children Women Men
Dhaka, December 1 3 The wall of a tin shed semi
Hazaribag 30, 2011 pucca building 50 years old
collapsed at 3 am.
Dhaka, January A number of pillars
Shantinagar 16, 2012 collapsed with big sound
on the Circuit House Road
in Shantinagar. A privately
owned building was being
constructed. While piling, a

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Children Women Men
Portion of the piling and
adjacent road caved in. The
house was being built on a
one bigha plot. 50 ft. long
pillars were being put into
the earth by piling within
30 area.
Sylhet, January 12 Sultanpur Govt. Primary
Fenchuganj 29, 2012 School building’s floor and
verandah caved in. It
occurred in Fenchuganj
Upazila’s Sultanpur.
Chittagong, March 15, 1 1 While walking with mother
Bayzid 2012 through the narrow way,
Police t h e w a l l o f Wa j d i a
Station road Madrasha collapsed. The
child died and mother was
injured.
Chittagong, March 4 While playing beside the
Lal Khan 30,2012 children u n d e r c o n s t r u c t i o n
Bazar building on Chandnari
Road, 4 children were
injured as the wall
collapsed all of a sudden.
Tangail, April 06, 1 2 Due to collapse of a wall of
Baruria 2012 the Puja Mondop.
Village
Nilphamari, April 06, 1 child the boundary wall of an
Dimla 2012 influential person who
illegally grabbed khas land
in Gayabari village and was
constructing a building,
collapsed and fell on the
roof of the tin sheds
adjacent to it. One child
was injured.
Dhaka, May 06, A semi pucca building
Tejgaon, 2012 caved in at Madhya
Madhya Kuripara in Dhaka. One
Kunipara part of the building was

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Children Women Men
Made of bamboo and tin. It
was built on bamboo polls
on the jheel. It can be
termed a wooden ‘tong’. It
was built on 2 kathas of one
of. In one side, pucca
rooms were also built.
Chittagong, May 26, 8 Ceiling of a godown (under
Halishahor 2012 labourers construction) collapsed
and 8 labourers were
injured. It was being
constructed with funding
from the government.
Jessor Sadar May 09, 3 3 The inmates were sitting on
Upazilla 2012 the verrandah of their
house. Suddenly the wall
made of earth collapsed
and fell on the three
children who died
instantaneously.
Brahmanbaria June 04, Due to collapse of a wall of
2012 a high rise building a
school teacher was killed.
Comilla, June 30, 3 3 students were injured
Debidwar 2012 when plaster of roof top
beam of a non-govt.
primary school building
fell down accidently.
Chandpur, July 14, 1 A child died when a
Faridganj 2012 abandoned wall of Nilkuthi
of the European era
collapsed & fell on the child.
Jessore, July 16, 1 The girl died when a wall
Keshabpur 2012 collapsed of a room.
Brahmanbaria July 16, 1 A child was injured when a
Sadar 2012 wall fell on him while he
was passing by the adjacent
road. He was taken to the
hospital in a critical
condition where he was
declared dead.

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Children Women Men
Comilla, August The roof above the
Debidwar 05, 2012 verandah of Debidwar
poura Auditorium collapse
before inauguration. This
was being built at a cost of
Tk 1.25 crore with funding
from the World Bank.
Madaripur, September 17 3 teachers and 14 students
Rajoir 08, 2012 of Kadampur union college
were injured when the wall
collapse due to storm.
Manikganj, September 3 3 students of class III were
Saturia 24, 2012 Children hurt when roof of a govt.
primary school collapsed.
Dhaka October 2 An abandoned 6 storey
Shakari 01,2012 building titled and fell on
Bazar two buildings adjacent to it
in Shakari Bazar, Dhaka.
Cox’s November 1 1 While working inside the
Bazar, 01, 2012 house in Tutorbir village of
Ukhiya Rajapalong Union, a
mother and her child were
trapped under a wall which
suddenly collapsed and fell
on them.
Total 9 1 1 59
Source: Daily Newspapers

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Heat Wave : A New Shape of Nature
Heat wave started from the last week of March, 2012. Even before it started to get warm,
capital Dhaka took a devastating look. Before advent of summer season and towards the last
part of spring, the temperature and humidity all over Bangladesh start to rise. An analysis of
last 10 years weather condition shows that temperature is rising in continuous manners. This
is accompanied by increasing number of low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. According to
Meteorological Department (MD), during previous years, temperature varies between 32 to
34 degree celsius towards the end of spring season but last year it varied between 370 to 390
celsius. According to the Storm Warning Centre of Meteorological Department, last year
there was 51.2% less rainfall in March than is usually the case. This resulted in uneasy hit and
the temperature went high. Meteorologists feel that this unfriendly weather condition may
increase in the future. Executive Director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies and
Member of United Nations Climate Change Inter-regional Panel (IPCC), Dr Atiq Rahman
said, this heat is not a natural one. Usually temperature comes down in the evening but the
situation was otherwise, during night too the temperature remained warm. With this new
shape of nature, some regions of Bangladesh including Dhaka is becoming a warm city.
According to Meteorological Department, there is a 0.00390 celsius general rise of
temperature in Bangladesh. Earlier Rajshahi was termed as a warm city. But now, Jessore,
Ishwardi and Bogra are becoming warm city. Temperature in the South-Eastern region is
fluctuating around 400 celsius. In 2009, the highest temperature recorded in the country in the
last 10 years was recorded in Jessore as 43.20 celsius (Samakal, April 05, 2012).
May is usually considered to be the month of heat wave. During May, the average temperature
0 0
varies between 34 celsius and 38 celsius in different regions. But if we analyze the record for
the last 12 years, it can be seen except in 5 years (2000, 2001, 2005, 2006 & 2011), highest
temperature recorded was more than 400 celsius. Reduction in the number of trees has
affected amount of rainfall. In May, normal rainfall is 339 mm in Dhaka, but in 2012, the
amount of rainfall recorded in Dhaka was 137 mm. although 298 mm in Chittagong is usual
rainfall, in 2012 it was only 114 mm in Patenga and 188 mm in Ambagan. In Rajshahi normal
rainfall is 136 mm but rainfall recorded in 2012 was only 17 mm. In Rangpur while normal
rainfall is 294 mm, maximum recorded was 212 mm. In Khulna rainfall recorded was only
63mm. while normally it is 200 mm. In Barisal, only 104 mm rainfall was recorded in May,
2012 while normally it is 232 mm of rainfall.
0
Year Date Temperature ( C) Place
2000 May 08 39.5 Ishwardi
2001 May 14 38.2 Sylhet
2002 May 20 43.4 Satkhira
2003 May 28 41.4 Rajshahi
2004 May 13 42.2 Rajshahi
2005 May 13 40.0 Ishwardi
2006 May 12 39.9 Chuadanga

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Year Date Temperature (0 C) Place

2007 May 31 40.5 Bogra
2008 April 23 40.4 Ishwardi
2009 May 09 43.2 Jessore
2010 April 10 42.5 Ishwardi
2011 May 09 37.8 Jessore
2012 May 42.2 Ishwardi & Chuadang
Source: Meteorological Department
Warm City Dhaka : A Survey by BUET
Architectural Department of BUET started conducting a survey since 1995 on condition of
“climate in the cities and use of electricity”. It was supervised by Professor Shabbir Ahmed of
Architecture Department. It was found that the maximum rate of increase of temperature is in
Dhaka. In eight locations the temperature accumulated during the day is remaining the same
0
at night. The average temperature of these eight locations is 3-4 C higher than at other points
or locations. It was also observed that Motijheel and Tejgaon turned into heat islands in 1995
when the number of trees became less due to cutting down and number of water bodies
became less due to filling up. Since high rise buildings were constructed there without
keeping adequate provision of free movement of air, the temperature has risen as there was no
provision of cross-ventilation. These eight locations are: Motijheel, Tejgaon, Banani, DOHS,
Gulshan, Uttara, Mohakhali, Panthapath and from Karwan Bazar to Farmgate. The use of air-
conditioners is much more in these posh residential areas and commercial areas. So, the
temperature is naturally higher in the open places in these locations. Experts are blaming the
unplanned construction of high rise buildings without keeping provision of cross-ventilation
and free flow of air. Temperature is being stored in these buildings made of brick, sand and
cement. Because these are tall and as there is no open place, the temperature cannot go out
(Prothom Alo, March 30, 2012).
Reduction in Number of Water Bodies is Another Cause of Rise in Temperature
In the Ph.D thesis of Ishrat Islam, Associate Professor, Urban Area Planning Department of
BUET, it has been observed that the major reason for rise of temperature is the reduction in the
number of water bodies. Quoting photographs taken by satellites, she has shown that if the
water bodies are filled up at the present rate, then after 2035 there will be no water body in
Dhaka. In her thesis it is observed that in 1989, water bodies in Dhaka was 28.5% of the total
area of Dhaka city. In 1999, it accounted for 25% and in 2005 only 16.9% water body remains
in Dhaka of the total area of Dhaka city, that is, between 1989 and 1999, every year 502 acres
of water bodies have vanished. From 1999 to 2005, the reduction has been 1,922 hectares. In
2012, 2,500 hectares of water bodies have been covered up. Only 10% water bodies now
remain in Dhaka city out of the total area (Prothom Alo, March 30, 2012).
Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) conducted a study on the transformation of
agriculture and water bodies in Dhaka. In this research work, the transformation of the city’s
landscape were identified covering the period from 1600 to 2011. The findings point out that
till the 1980’s capital Dhaka was expanding on the East and North of the Buriganga. Most of

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the areas covering North-Western Dhaka, namely, Badda, Satarkul, Khilkhet, Rampura,
Uttarkhan and Dakshinkhan were once water bodies. Of these, 90% area have been covered
and filled up with sand and transformed into residential areas.
Prof. Shabbir Ahmed told that the way warm lands are expanding, soon the whole capital city
will be turned into a heat island. To combat that, government should immediately take
necessary measures to preserve the water bodies and greeneries of Dhaka as laid down in the
DAP (Detailed Action Plan). Instead, many satellite towns after being constructed all around
Dhaka. Due to this rapid urbanization, once Dhaka will be so much heated that it will become
unfit for human habitation (Prothom Alo, March 30,2012).
Paribesh Bachao Andolon (PABA) has revealed through a survey that there are about 200
species of foreign plants including Eucalyptus, Kekaranda, Long u, Royal Palm, Mehogoni,
African Tulip, Ipilipil but they are not able to cool the city from effects of global warming. In
this regard, Prof. Dr. Jashim Uddin, a Botanist told that in all places of Dhaka on the roads,
avenue, park we find foreign plants. In a study conducted by Arboriculture Department of
Ministry of Housing, it is seen that 80% of the trees in Chandrima Udyan is Ekashia trees.
Trees which affect the environment, even local birds and animals do not live on those. So, the
environment imbalance is evident. On the other hand, Dhaka has not become urbanized in
such a way by keeping in mind the enormous amount of air pollution from the innumerable
number of vehicles plying on the city roads and the number of vehicles being added to the list
everyday. If urbanization is not done in a planned and coordinated way, soon Dhaka will be
turned into a place unfit for human habitation.
Living Becoming Intolerable Due to Heat wave
Normal living is becoming intolerable due to heat wave. Throughout Dhaka, people are
suffering from heat stroke, diarrhoea, typhoid, cough, cold fever. Frequent load shedding
aggravates the situation further. It starts from 7 a.m and continues with 1 hour duration per
load shedding till late at night. People suffer tremendous in this heat coupled with non-
availability of electricity. Load shedding also hits hard the small and middle income
entrepreneurs. Water pumps cannot be operated normally and so water crisis looms, specially
the scarcity of water. The underground water level goes down at a maximum in Bogra,
Jaypurhat, Natore, Noagaon, Pabna, Sirajganj, Rajshahi and Chapai Nawabganj districts.
According to Public Health Engineering Department, the water level goes down by 45 to 50 ft.
at times.
Date Place Women Men Children Remarks
April 17, 2012 Rangpur, 1 1
Narayanganj
April 19, 2012 Chatmohar, 1 1 1. After returning home
Pabna from work in the field,
died from heatstroke.
2. A lady died of heatstroke
while working at home.
Another 10 persons felt
ill.

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Date Place Women Men Children Remarks

May 13, 2012 Chatmohor, 1
Pabna
May 14, 2012 Jibonnagar, 1 2 Died of heatstroke.
Chuadanga
May 17, 2012 Nitiganj, 1 Died while he came to buy
Narayanganj goods.
May 23, 2012 Faridganj, 1 Fell while working.
Chuadanga
June 15, 2012 Doulatpur, 3 a. 2 Persons died due to
Kushtia heatstroke while working
in a betel leaf garden.
b. 1 person died at night.
Disaster in Agriculture Due to Extreme Heat & Drought

The production of lentils, mug pulse, water melon, ‘futi’ and ground nut faced disaster due to
drought and heat wave in 11 Southern districts, namely, Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalokathi,
Borguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Gopalganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Faridpur and Rajbari. If there
is no rain at the time of harvesting of rabi crops and due to drought, the rabi crops are
adversely hit and production goes down. Due to lack of adequate rain, rabi crops shrinks and
does not grow to its full length. The terrible heat and drought damaged many rabi crops. On
the other hand, the lichi fruit also suffered in Ishwardi due to continuous terrible heat as those
could not survive the temperature. So, lichi production was hampered.
Even till middle of Srabon, there was not much rainfall in the districts towards West of
Bangladesh. So, canals, ponds, bill, rivers did not fill up adequately. Thus, the farmers could
not give the required ‘jug’ or proper warmth for ripping of the jute plants. In many instances,
farmers had to take lease of ponds to do the necessary activities.
For leasing a pond for ‘jug’ of 1 bigha jute, the farmers had to pay 500 Taka at the minimum.
According to data provided by Department of Agriculture, Jessore Regional office, jute is
cultivated in : 21,446 hectares in Jessore, 21,065 hectares in Jhenaidah, 30,455 hectares in
Magura, 22,302 hectares in Meherpur and 34,900 hectares in Meherpur and 34,900 hectares
in Kushtia. But due to scarcity of water farmers could not give ‘jug’ properly.
Production of Young Fish (Renu Pona) Hampered
Due to excessive heat in Jessore, fisheries production specially production of ‘renu pona’ was
hit terrible and was reduced by 42%. The outside temperature increased the temperature
inside the hatcheries and as a result many ‘renu pona’ died. During May, production goes
down by 70%. According to semi scientific officer of Jessore sweet water sub-centre,
0
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, if water temperature goes beyond 28 to 31 C, then
production of ‘renu pona’ is hampered. Due to climate change, during summer season, for the
last 5 years, the temperature remains more than 350C. As a result, the sperms of the fish are
getting weaker and their reproductive ability is curtailed by 30 to 40 percent. Statistics from

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Jessore branch office of Meteorological Department, the highest average temperature in April
over the last 10 years was 340 to 36 C, and in May and June it was recorded 36 C. Statistics
0 0
also reveal that temperature starts to rise from March-April and starts, to full from second
week of June. For the last 5 years, the temperature in Jessore is constantly recorded to be near
the highest level. The District Fisheries officer says that the Jessore there are 825 hectares of
salt water shrimp ‘gher’. Since amount of sweet water supply is becoming less, so in many
areas salt water is infiltrating. This is helping the temperature to rise. If adequate sweet water
cannot be supplied by dredging of the rivers, fish production is likely to be hit adversely
(Prothom Alo, June 06, 2012). According to Report of Meteorological Department, summer
season in 2012 has come in the form of terrible heat wave. This has been further aggravated by
humidity. The most affected areas are Rajshahi and Chuadanga. A comparative statement
shows the amount of rainfall in Bangladesh in the month of June from 2000 to 2012 in the
following table.
Year Amount of rainfull (mm)

2000 14,881
2001 24,708
2002 20,135
2003 23,244
2004 16,778
2005 12,224
2006 12,270
2007 18,839
2008 15,251
2009 9,704
2010 17,857
2011 16,684
2012 17,640

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Cold Wave
In 2012, from the beginning of January, the whole country was gripped by cold wave. Again
cloudy sky accompanied by drizzles in December added to the intensity of cold wave. Normal
life became disrupted. Specially people belonging to the low income group, deprived from
social privileges and amenities, old and the children are most hit by cold wave. Due to heavy
and dense fog, it becomes difficult to travel by rivers, air and also on the roads.
In many districts lying in the North, cold Lowest temperatures in 2012
wave becomes very biting and intense. Date Place Lowest temperature
Human being, animals as well as crops 14 January Jessore 7.20 C
are affected due to cold wave. Boro seed 29 December Jessore 7.80 C
beds also are affected. Source: Daily newspapers
Death Due to Cold
According to reports published in various newspapers, 121 persons died in 2012 due to cold
weather. Of these, 45 were children, 25 were women and 51 were men. With the intensity of
cold, number of patients affected by pneumonia, diarrhoea and breathing problem increases.
Children admitted in Dhaka Medical College Hospital were mostly suffering from cold-
related diseases. Due to cold, mothers do not want to feed their baby with breast milk. It is
observed that usually children and old aged people die more due to cold. The table below
shows the number of deaths in different parts of the country in 2012:
Place No. of deaths Place No. of deaths
Children Women Men Children Women Men
Kurigram 18 6 12 Borguna 0 0 1
Gaibandha 18 1 1 Naogaon 0 0 1
Mymensingh 0 1 1 Barisal 0 0 1
Chuadanga 0 1 6 Kishoreganj 1 0 5
Netrokona 1 0 0 Lalmonirhat 3 0 2
Brahmanbaria 0 1 1 Jamalpur 0 0 3
Pabna 1 1 5 Pirojpur 2 3 3
Sherpur 0 0 1 Agailjhara 1 0 1
Satkhira 0 1 0 Sirajganj 0 1 1
Faridpur 0 0 1 Patuakhali 0 3 0
Jessore 0 5 3 Dinajpur 0 1 2
Total 38 17 31 Total 7 8 20
Source: Daily Newspapers
Cause of Dense Fog

According to experts, apart from the cold wave, the main reason for severe cold is dust
pollution due to unplanned urbanization, moisture in the air is surviving along with dusts.
Movement of free air is restricted by the construction of several buildings one after the other.

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So, it takes time for the fog to clear and cold season gets longer. In a recent research finding it
has been revealed that due to continuous production of different crops in the agricultural
lands, the cloud above the Asian countries is containing increased dust particles. The study
was carried out by India and World Environment Science Association jointly. This dust-filled
cloud starts to move eastwardly from mid-December and again takes a u-turn towards the end
of February. So, sunrays cannot come down due to the dust. Therefore, in a few days due to
lack of proper sunlight, cold wave is formed. During this time in spite of becoming cloudy,
there is minimal rainfall (Samakal, 29 December, 2012).
Bee Farming Affected
It becomes difficult to collect honey due to severe cold and dense fog. The honey traders faced
hardship in Tangail and Gazipur areas due to severe cold in 2012. Fogs damages mustard
flowers and bees cannot collect honey. So, the total honey collection was much lower than
anticipated. The bee farming was affected adversely.
Disaster in Agriculture
Like the past years, there was loss in 2012 to winter vegetables. Due to severe cold, several
crops including IRRI, Boro seed beds, potato, mustard, maize, tomato were affected. Winter
vegetables were most affected in Rangpur, Joypurhat, Naogaon, Gaibandha, Jhenaidah,
Sirajganj, Chalan Beel and Narayanganj. Due to dense fog and cold wave, the paddy seed
beds were attacked by cold injury. The seed beds turned yellow and pale and ultimately died.
During this time, in Rangpur alone, seed beds in 15,000 hectare lands were totally destroyed.
In Chalan Beel, maize seeding and Boro seed beds in hundreds of acres were damaged.
Winter vegetables were damaged in Araihazar of Narayanganj. Farmers did not get due price
for their vegetables because mostly those were damaged even with high demand for winter
vegetables. So, they increased financial loss.
Disruption in Communication
Due to severe cold and dense fog, entire transportation system is affected adversely. Dense
fog forcibly shut down ferry services in Mawa-Kawrakandi route for 10-12 hours on several
occasions. This resulted in huge traffic congestion on both sides of the ferry. On the other
hand, ferry services were suspended for 8-10 hours in Paturia-Doulatdia route and as a result
huge traffic congestion was experienced. Thus, the bus drivers, helpers, passengers were
stranded for a long time. Road transports were also affected due to fog. With the nightfall,
roads were gripped by heavy and dense fog. Fog lights also were not sufficient for driving. So,
number of accidents rise during such condition.
Things to Do during Cold Wave
Regarding Health
In order to develop preventive capacity of the body, lot of fresh vegetables and seasonal fruits
must be taken regularly. For the growth of children, foods should be cooked with two
spoonful additional oil. Foods must be warmed properly before eating. Usually people of old
age, children and sick people have less capacity to fight diseases and their preventive capacity

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is also less. So, additional care has to be taken towards them. To increase body temperature,
carbohydrate and protein should be taken in more quantity.
If possible, necessary repair to houses should be made before the onset of winter so that bitter
cold cannot hurt much. To prevent diarrhoea following measures has to be taken:
1. Oral rehydration salt (ORS) or saline must be started immediately when diarrhoea
attacks;
2. Children who are breast fed should continue to be breast fed, it must not be stopped;
3. Apart from saline, tea without milk but mixed with sugar and salt, lemon ‘surbat’ with
hot water, flattened rice, etc. may be given to the patient.
Regarding Agriculture
The Boro seedlings should be submerged throughout the night and then in the morning should
be brought out from water. This way the normal temperature can be maintained in the land. To
safeguard seed beds from dew or fog, those may be covered properly. In case of paddy, if 1%
seed bed can be saved then 8% seeds can be planted. It is also advisable to keep some seed
beds as reserve so that once cold wave passes, new seed beds may be planted.
Regarding Livestock
Proper attention must be given towards three aspects to reduce financial loss due to cold wave
regarding livestock:
1. food management, 2. animal health management and 3. general management.
If there is effective coordination among the above three components, then the death rate of
livestock can be reduced and also their diseases. We have to take pragmatic measures to deal
with cold wave.
(Source: Practicable steps to preserve health and livelihood, a publication of Disaster Forum).

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Food Security
Food security was defined clearly in the World Food Conference in 1996. Food security may
be defined as a state of affairs when people of all walks of life can physically and
economically ensure adequate supply of safe and nutritious food which will keep them
healthy and active.
Although all food items are classified into 11 categories, most important are crops (rice,
wheat), vegetables, fish, meat, milk and egg for good health and normal living. In Bangladesh
context, the most important is rice, because 23% of a man’s demand is met by rice. 75% of the
calorie comes from intake of rice. Survey conducted by International Food Policy and
Research Institute (IFPRI) reveals that cost price of rice has come down in the last 25 years
and since cost of other food items have almost gone out of buying capacity of general public,
people have become more dependent on rice. As rice has become their main staple food, rate
of malnutrition amongst the poor people have increased.
According to statistics of Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations, in
2010, the number of hungry people was 925 million. But every year one third of the food
produced in the world is either damaged or wasted, the total quantity being 1.3 billion ton.
According to World Food Safety Index 2012, Bangladesh’s position is 81 out of 105 member
states. According to IPC, Bangladesh will lose its productivity by 2050 – by 8% in rice and
32% in wheat. That is, production of rice and wheat will decrease by 8% and 32%
respectively. This is very alarming for Bangladesh. Another study of FAO reveals that till
2008 the rate of malnutrition was lower while from 2012 rate of malnutrition has started to
rise.
Table showing food security status of Bangladesh according to FAO statistics.
Description 1998-2000 2002-2004 2006-2008 2010-2012
Trend of malnutrition 20.70% 15.70% 15.50% 16.80%
Trend of want of food 29.60% 23.80% 24.60% 26.80%
Cultivable land under irrigation 47.50% 57.10% 64.50% 66.70%
facilities
From the table it may be seen that since 1998-2000, the quantity of cultivable land has
increased in Bangladesh. But environmentalists think this as a negative influence. Because
the additional cultivable land must have come either from cutting of trees in the forests or by
filling up the available water bodies. So, this is going to be a great threat to the environment in
the future.
Main Reasons for Food Insecurity
According to National Food Policy, there are three recognized regulating elements:
availability of food, ability to get food and organic use of food. In order to ensure food safety it
is imperative to keep the market stable and food should be within buying capacity of the
general people. If prices rise, it goes beyond the purchasing capacity of general public. So,

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malnutrition becomes prominent due to inadequate food intake. According to Bangladesh

Bureau of Statistics, in 2012, the prices of milk, fish and meat were beyond the purchasing
capacity of general public. On the other hand, according to statistics of Trading Corporation
of Bangladesh, between 2011 and 2012, there was increase in price of different commodities,
for example, price of egg increased by 55.56%, ‘ruhi’ fish- 25%, broiler chicken- 18.37% and
milk powder Tk. 50-85 per kg. and cost price of salt increased by 44%. Since some firms were
shut down for infection of bird flu, cost of farm chicken and egg marked significant increase.
Cost of milk powder and packed foodstuff increased too. However, cost hike of electricity and
fuel affected the market adversely on all products. Because, as a result of this hike, cost of
transportation, preservation and processing of foodstuff has also increased significantly.
Although the wholesale price of rice was stable during November, 2011 and November, 2012,
price of wheat increased by Tk. 8 per kg.
Wholesale price of foodgrains

40
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
November 2010 November 2011 January 2012 November 2012
Rice Wheat
According to a report published in ‘Banik Barta’, it has forecast that in 2013, there will be a
shortfall of 17 lac 80 thousand tons of meat, 146 crore 30 lac egg, shortfall of milk will be 15
lac 90 thousand ton and shortfall in fish production will be 6 lac 30 thousand ton.
Availability alone cannot ensure food security. According to 6th 5 year plan of 2010 the
number of poor people is 31.5% of the total population. The poor people cannot afford to
always buy safe and nutritious food which is needed to keep people active, healthy and
productive. This is not possible to buy such high cost food items on the part of the poor people.
So, they stay out of the food security.
Even within the same family, women and children do not get the same food like a man. So,
they are subject to malnutrition. Also, nutrition content in food diminishes, if those are not cut
properly, are washed too much and also due to excessive heating.
In the villages, nowadays there is a tendency to use chemical fertilizer than the manure of the
cows. This results in reduced fertility of the cultivable land and productivity also goes down.
According to Agricultural Department, cow dung contains chemical, organic and physical
ingredients. If the use of this fertilizer goes down, then there will be dearth of oxygen in the

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soil, salinity increases and the soil becomes more acidic. All these results decrease
productivity of the soil and ultimately leads to deficit of food.
Another major cause of food deficit is the spraying of harmful and poisonous pesticides by
rival group and thereby damaging the standing crops. This type of incident has increased at an
alarming rate in the Barind area. Being one of most productive agricultural lands in the
country, it has detrimental and negative effect on the overall food production in the country.
Due to personnel feud and rivalry, yields in hundred of acres are being destroyed by spraying
harmful and poisonous insecticides and pesticides. Overall food production decreases and
food security is jeopardized. FAO sources state that in 2012, 1.3 million agricultural workers
were hit by flood. The agricultural infrastructure was damaged and production reduced.
Measures Taken
During 2011-12, 34.88 MT crops were produced in Bangladesh which is 1% more than 2010-
11. The crops included Aus, Aman, Boro paddy and wheat production. But target fixed by
Bangladesh Agriculture Directorate shows that while production of other crops will increase
in 2012-13, production of Aus paddy will decrease. On the other hand, it is planned to produce
2.04 million MT maize and 60 MT potato. If this plan is implemented, it will greatly
contribute to attain food security.
A comparative chart shows the crops production between 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.
2011-2012 2012-2013
Boro Aman Aus Wheat Boro Aman Aus Wheat
3% 3%
6% 6%
37% 54% 37% 54%
One of the main pre-requisites to ensure food security is to maintain the purity of the food.
With this in mind, a laboratory was established in the Institute of Public Health in Dhaka. This
laboratory will check genuinity of the food and will ultimately assist in maintaining quality of
the crops produced in the country.
Rubber dam will be constructed at two points, namely, Bampura and Baghguzara in
Matamuhuri river of Chokoria Upazilla in Cox’s Bazar district at an estimated cost of 52 crore

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taka. If the rubber dam is constructed, then farmers will be able to irrigate their agricultural
lands every year by storing the sweet water. Nearly 6 lac agricultural workers of Chokoria and
Pekua Upazilla will be benefitted due to uninterrupted possibility of cultivation and irrigation
facilities. Food deficit of the area will be ensured and food security will also be ensured in the
area. Bangladesh Government and FAO have signed a Project Proposal in this regard. Under
the Project Proposal, the Netherlands Government will provide assistance of US Dollars
25,00,000 to ensure food security in the Southern coastal regions of Bangladesh.
The major commitment of the Bangladesh Government to ensure food security was the
formulation of National Food Policy-2006. The Policy was formulated with three objectives:
• to ensure adequate and well-coordinated, secure and nutritious food supply;
• to ensure availability of adequate food crops and to increase standard nutrition for all,
especially for women and children;
• to ensure standard nutrition for all, especially for women and children.
In light of the National Food Policy, other Ministries, NGOs and development partners of
Bangladesh will ensure appropriate and effective food security programme for all levels of
people.
Necessary Measures to be Taken in the Future
According to Professor Abul Barakat, for success of modern agriculture methods, finance,
risk and intellect of the entrepreneurs is needed coupled with a people oriented agriculture
based cooperative system. He feels that for agricultural emancipation, there is no other
alternative than to ensure food security and alleviate the property of 15 crore people in the
country.
At a Workshop conducted by Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), the speakers said that
side by side with supply of adequate food to the people, it is necessary to create employment
opportunities. By providing relief alone it is not possible to ensure food security. Instead of
food relief, we should try to create resources, to make poor people be able to undertake
challenges and to develop appropriate infrastructural facilities.
Bangladesh agriculture is now becoming dependent on hybrid technology. Due to mass scale
use of hybrid seeds to earn profit quickly, farmers are being allured and as a result our local
seeds and crops are becoming extinct. Our scientists have found out through research several
methods to combat food deficiency without using high breed technology as follows:
i) Invent new variety: capable of high yield, drought tolerant, flood tolerant, salinity
tolerant, short life span, insect tolerant species to be invented. Some of the species
invented by Bangladeshi scientists include: flood tolerant paddy BRRI 51, BRRI 52,
IR 64, drought tolerant paddy Narico 1, Narico 10, BRRI 56, BRRI 57, etc.
ii) Inter-crops cultivation: cultivation of more than one crop in the same land
simultaneously is known as inter-crops cultivation. For example, sugarcane
production can take place simultaneously with cultivation of onion, ginger, garlic,
pulse, vegetables, oil seeds, wheat.
iii) Cultivation of mixed crops: Buds come out from the root of many crops after those

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are cut. From these buds, crops can be cultivated without further cultivation or
additional expense. For example, sugarcane, banana.
iv) Increase density of crops: the present density of crops in our country is 100% which
was 165% in 20 years ago. On lands where only crop is grown now, the yield should
be doubled by doing two or three crops each year. So, it is desirable to invent crops
requiring short harvest period. Beside this, efforts should be made to irrigate more
lands, layout of crops and vertical use of lands.
v) Cultivation in fallow lands: The amount of fallow lands in Bangladesh is 7.3 lac
hectares, of these 3.23 lac hectares are cultivable fallow lands. These should be
cultivated by taking lease from the government or by own initiative in privately
owned lands and also in consultation with various agricultural developmental
agencies.
vi) Modernized cultivation methods: Production of crops may be increased by
following various modernized methods of cultivation, namely, plant crops at a
particular distance from each other, controlling of weeds, use of balanced fertilizer,
seasonal cultivation, use of good quality seeds, ‘guti’ urea, cultivation by ‘tray’
method, etc. More crops can be cultivated within short time by using organic
technology.
vii) Use of organic methods: By only using organic methods of cultivation, crop yield
can be increased by additional 3 crore MT, says the agricultural scientists who
attended the International Organic Technology Conference. By using organic
technology, more crops can be produced in short period of time.
viii) Providing irrigation: By using proper irrigation methods, crop yield can be
increased by 3 to 4 times. Only 58% cultivable land is under irrigation network in
Bangladesh. The crop production in the country can be increased to a great extent if
the balance 42% cultivable lands can be brought under the country’s irrigation
network.
ix) Other methods: In addition to cultivation in the houses, in the hills in saline areas, in
char areas, efforts should be made to undertake project on agricultural forestry.
Beside these, other efforts should be undertaken to increase yield of the available
agriculture lands which will in turn assist in ensuring food security in the country.
Some of these are: crop diversification, proper utilization of natural resources, use of
agricultural lands on the basis of National Agricultural Policy, introduction of crop
insurance, use of modern techniques of agricultural production, provide technical
and financial assistance to poor and marginal level farmers on zero interest rate basis,
introduce a system of forecasting weather and let those be known to the farmers, to
make the agricultural advisory centers more effective, to ensure processing,
preservation and marketing of the crops and finally ensure payment of fair price to the
farmers against their crops, etc.

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Brickfield : Aiding Modernization or Threat to Environment
Infrastructural development is a must in this era of globalization. Development of any

country depends mostly on the transportation network and infrastructural facilities available
to the general public. As a developing country, the main aim of Bangladesh is to reach the
stage by 2020 where it can be called a middle income country. For these, bricks play an
important role. Abundant establishment of brickfields in and around the major cities and also
in the rural areas have made life easy for the general mass.
At present nearly 8,000 brickfields are there in the country. Most of these are permanent
establishment having a chimney as high as 120 ft. Nearly 1 lac 8 thousand sq.ft. land is
required to build one unit of brickfield of this type. Beside this, for each brick field nearly 5-6
acres of land is needed to: store earth, place of burning, making the kutcha bricks and drying
those, keeping the produced bricks in stacks and arrange for transportation of the bricks.
Normally, coal and wood is the main fuel for brickfields. In each brickfield, approx 250
labourers work in each season and 30-32 lac bricks are made in each brickfield. Based on the
degree of burning, bricks are classed into first, second and third class respectively.
Brickfields not only Aids in Development, It has Detrimental Effects to
• The main raw material to prepare bricks is earth. Usually earth from around the
brickfield is used as the main raw material in brick production. The main agricultural
soil lies within 8 to 12 inches from the surface. Due to the use of top soil for brick
production, it loses its natural fertility for nearly 20 to 25 years. In each brickfield
every year 10 to 15 lac cft. of top soil is used for brick production (Prothom Alo,
15/11/12). Big holes are created because of cutting soil indiscriminately. So, disaster
looms in the lives of the residents living near these brickfields and also farmers are hit
hard.
• The smoke that is emitted from the brickfields contain fluorine gas, nitrous oxide,
carbon di-oxide, carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gas, which is harmful to
human body as well as crops. Even these may create breathing problem and may lead
to heart problems. Usually each brickfield emits nearly 30 metric ton of carbon each
year.
• Date trees are cut in huge quantity for use in brickfields. So, the production of molasses
from date has gone down significantly in the whole country.
• Brickfields are constructed without approval from Department of Environment. In
many instances, brickfields are constructed on agricultural lands, banned drum
chimneys are used and huge quantity of wood is used as fuel. Normally 2,500 maunds
of wood is required to produce 1 lac bricks. According to sources from Forest
Directorate, every year 2.4 crore trees are cut for making brick which is very
destructive to environment.
• 144 out of 179 brickfields constructed in 2012 in Chittagong Sadar district were
constructed illegally. 116 out of 119 in Meherpur, 45 out of 115 in Pabna, 103 out of
246 brickfields in Barisal were constructed illegally. On the other hand, although it is
mandatory to use 120 ft. pucca chimney, most of the chimneys are made of tin and also

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the height is less than 120 ft. So, the emission of black smoke is higher and has bad
effect on the environment (Samakal, 18/12/12).
• Control of Burning Bricks (Amendment) Act 2012, sub-clause clearly states that
nobody can construct or burn bricks without obtaining necessary license. Brick fields
cannot be built within 3 kms. of residential or commercial region, fruit garden or
agricultural land. But no action has been taken against the persons who have
constructed brickfields in Monirumpur of Jessore, Amtoli in Barguna by the side of
Gungurupara Government Primary School in Bandarban and the brickfield built by
cutting hills in Faitong in lama.
• In some brickfields child labourers are being used which is extremely dangerous and
inhuman.
• In some instances, labourers receive injury due to accidents and may even die. 3
labourers received burnt injury while working in an explosion in a brickfield in
Nandail in Mymensingh. Also, there are instances where labourers are confined within
the brickfields (Ittefaq, 7/3/12, 17/12/12).
• Smoke and chips of coal which are emitted from the brickfields makes the houses and
water bodies around it dirty and polluted. Due to smoke, bees and butterflies cannot
come near the plants and so fertilization cannot take place, also fruits cannot be
produced there. So, production of vegetables, fruits is reduced gradually. In 2012,
glaring example could be seen in Natore, Paba Upazilla of Puthia in Rajshahi. The
mangoes there were affected and diseased due to a nearby brickfield. Its scientific
name is ‘blacktip’. Due to this virus, the seed inside the mango dries up and dies.
• The standing crops in various fields were burnt by hot black smoke from the
brickfields in Manda of Naogan, Shahjahanpur of Bogra, Nandail of Mymensingh and
Khansama Upazilla of Dinajpur districts.
• In the brickfields of Paikgachha, in Khulna, trees from the Sundarbans were cut
illegally and used as fuel. Earth was excavated from river Padma in Chapai Nawabganj
and from river Kobadak in Jessore for use in the brickfields. As a result navigation in
those places was hampered. Brick fields have also posed threat to natural beauty and
heritage as some of those have been constructed adjacent to reserve forests in
Bandarban, Rangpur, Tangail and near Garo villages in Mymensingh.
Measures Taken in 2012 Against Some Brickfields which were Illegally Built and
were Dangerous to Public Health
• Department of Environment imposed a fine of Tk. 5 lac against a brick field and asked
the owner to shut it down totally in Mediashulai of Kaliakoir Upazilla as it was built on
an agricultural land.
• A mobile court imposed fine of Tk. 80,000 against two brick field owners.
• Department of Environment imposed a fine of Tk. 14 lac on 2 brickfield owners in
Bogra.
• In Singair, Manikganj, a brickfield was evicted as it was constructed on an agricultural
land. Beside this, 8 brickfields were fined to the tune of Tk. 32 lac.
• 5 brickfields were declared as illegal by mobile court in Jagannathpur village of Sadar
Upazilla in Thakurgaon district.

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• License of 6 brickfields were canceled because those had expired in Damurhuda

Upazilla of Chuadanga.
• 2 brickfield owners were fined Tk. 8.75 lac because these were illegally built by
grabbing Bishkhali river and also obstructing the flow of river water.
• Department of Environment ordered shut down of 4 brickfields in Gazipur Sadar
Upazilla and fined the owners Tk. 25 lac.
• Department of Environment fined Tk. 4 lac against a brickfield for environment
pollution in Boalmari Upazilla in Faridpur district.
By a notification of the Bangladesh Government, licenses of brickfields having old chimneys
will no longer be renewed with effect from September, 2012.
Development of Brickfield Industry & Use of Environment Friendly Technology
Bangladesh Government has taken many steps to develop the brickfield industry. It has
created a US Dollars 5 crore fund to build environment friendly brickfields. This is being
funded by Asian Development Bank and the objective will be to increase the efficiency of the
brickfields and proper use of fuel vis-a-vis reduce the emission of carbon into the atmosphere.
To transform from fixed chimney klin to improved Zigzag klin US Dollars 3 crore will be
spent. US Dollars 2 crore will be spent to construct new vertical shaft brick klin, hybrid
Hoffman klin and tunnel klin.
One of the main methods to reduce loss due to brickfields is to build Zigzag brickfields. The
bricks in this system are laid down in a Zigzag fashion; these are separated from each other by
thin paper and a coating of mud. Holes are kept in the same position on both sides of a
chamber so that fire air from one chamber can flow. Thus, fire flows in a Zigzag fashion and
burns all bricks on its way in a synchronized manner. That is why it is called Zigzag field.
Since air is blown through blower fans it is also known as ‘air field’. The motor in the middle
of the brickfield is rectangular. There is no system of burning of bricks in this method and less
coal is required. So, it is an environment friendly technology developed by Germany and
Australia.
In the last few years, 7 brickfields have been built by using fuel efficient technology and
hybrid Hoffman klin technology through a project funded by UNDP with assistance from
Global Environment Facilitator Fund. Some more projects are in the pipeline. Under this
method, fuel is being utilized to its maximum capacity and so only 13-14 ton coal is needed to
produce 1 lac bricks. Everyday 45-50,000 bricks can be produced in a smoke and dust-free
environment. Bricks can be built in these types of plants round the year in an uninterrupted
fashion and so it can produce 5-7 times more bricks than a normal brickfield. These pilot
projects are proving to be very fuel efficient and environment friendly.
Through a widely published circular in 2010, Department of Environment stated that with a
view to contain the environment pollution and diminishing soil fertility by the brickfields,
henceforth brickfields may be built only by using hybrid Hoffman kiln, Zigzag klin and
vertical shaft klin methods. No new brickfields with chimney can be constructed any more.
Licenses for the 120 ft. chimney brickfields may be built only one more year. On the other

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hand, Ministry of Forests & Environment through a circular (sub-section 4 and 5) has made it
mandatory to obtain No Objection Certificate from Department of Environment before
license for a new brickfield can be issued.
Conclusion
The developed world has reduced its dependency on natural resources for production of
bricks. In many countries, bricks are not used in constructing houses and buildings. Small
houses are constructed with environment friendly materials while large buildings are
constructed with steel, iron modified from steel, etc. Electric furnaces or ovens may be used
with a view to reduce the loss of natural resources. Bangladesh, being an earthquake prone
country, can be much benefitted if these technologies are used in production of bricks.
Already there have been changes in technology of brick production in Dhaka and other large
cities. The brick manufacturing can be made an environment friendly industry by proper
implementation of prevalent laws, government’s financial assistance in setting up brickfields
and awareness of the general public.

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Death by Drowning
In a Report published by UNICEF in 2011, it is stated that in comparison to children’s death by

polio, whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria, etc. more children die by drowning in countries
like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Of the number of deaths by drowning in
Bangladesh every year, out of 4 every 1 is a child less than 5 years old. By analyzing
newspaper reports, it is seen that out of 253 drowning cases in 2012 in Bangladesh, 65 were
children between 0-4 years and 122 were children aged between 5-12. Due to lack of
awareness and observation, most children die in water bodies within 20 metres of their houses.
Of the 187 children who died in 2012, 73 died while playing or by slipping accidentally into
the water. Sometimes death occurs while trying to pick up something from the water, for
example, ball or toy. But, if children are kept continuously under observation and if the main
entrance gate is kept closed, then the number of incidents can be reduced by 70%.
No. of deaths in 2012 due to drowning
Girls 96
Boys 157 No. of death
Total 253
11%
Death list according to age
26%
Age No.of death 14% 0-4
0-4 65 5-12
5-12 122
13-18
13-18 34
19-59 27 19-59
49%
60 5
Total 253
Maximum number of deaths by drowning in 2012 occurred in ponds. Since the ponds are
situated near the houses, many try to take
Place Death Place Death
bath in the ponds even without knowing how
Ponds 124 Flood water 10
to swim. In the cities, 7 persons died in
Rivers 61 Beel 9
reserve tank, reservoir. 5 of these were
Canals 14 Reserve tank 8
children who died in the water while playing.
The table shows that out of 253 deaths by Marshy Lands 11 Others 16
drowning 124 died in ponds.
Time and Location of Death
38 persons died by drowning while they went for holidays. Most of them died when they went
to visit relatives and then drowned accidentally. 3 students from Dhaka went to see the
waterfall in Moulvibazar and died by drowning. Besides, 1 person from Dhaka and 2 persons
from Cox’s Bazar drowned at the sea and these were published in the newspapers.
During rainy season, water bodies like rivers, ponds are usually flooded with rain water. Even
courtyard, walking path becomes submerged with water. Since the number of pond or river is

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more and since weather is warmer during rainy season, there is a natural tendency to go near
the water bodies. So, maximum number of deaths occurs during rainy season (June-
September). In 2012, 182 persons died during rainy season (June-August).
In comparison to the number of deaths reported in the newspapers actual number is much
higher. In most cases, the deaths are not publicized or reported. These children are not
registered in the Register Book. Beside, these deaths are not due to health reasons and are
merely accidental, their records is not maintained in the MIS. Recently a random survey was
conducted on the number of persons who died during last one year, it is seen that the number
of deaths on an average is between 5 and 7.
Monthwise death list by drowning in 2012
Month No. of deaths
Monthwise death list
January 3
80
February 0 70
60
March 25 50
April 21 40
30
May 18 20
10
June 23 0
July 70
ne
ch
r
er
ec er
r
y
ry
ay
ly
t
il
us
be
be
ar
pr
ob
b
Ju
ua
Ju
ar
August 52 ug
em
em
em
nu
A
M
ct
br
A
Ja
pt
ov
Fe
Se
D
N
September 37
October 0
November 4
December 0
Total 253
In Dhaka, most of the accidents occurred during this year. Due to construction of buildings
ponds are being grabbed and also there are not many places to go for swimming lessons. So
most accidents occur when people get down into the ponds. Out of 109 who died in Dhaka
division, most died because they did not know how to swim.
Division wise death list by drowning in 2012 14
18
Dhaka 109 20
25
31
Rangpur
36
Rangpur 36 36 109
Khulna 31 Sylhet
Rajshahi 14
Chittagong 25 20
Dhaka
Rajshahi 20 109
Barisal 18
Khulna
Sylhet 14 31
Barisal
Chittagong
25
18

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In 2012, 53 persons died in the major cities. Most of these were caused due to lack of
knowledge on how to swim or when they were visiting relatives. Because of lack of adequate
number of water bodies, most residents of the cities do not know how to swim. So, they have
to accept death by drowning.
Practical Solutions
• By merely learning how to swim, the
number of deaths can be significantly
reduced.
• Many children die even before attaining
the age to learn swimming. If
arrangements could be made to keep
these children in localized day care
centres between 9 am and 1 pm, then the
number of deaths could come down.
• It is possible to reduce a child’s chance
of falling while he learns to walk.
Playing pan can also become an easy
solution.

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New Technology : A New Way to Reduce Misfortune
A. Agriculture
1. System to lower expenses in Agriculture
For cultivating paddy, the use of ‘guti’ urea, alternative dry and humid system, pipes buried
under earth, etc. have been going on for many years in our country. Through use of these
methods, cost of cultivation can be reduced by one fourth. Also, according to agricultural
scientists, coordinated use of these methods can increase production of paddy by 10-25%.
Furthermore use of area fertilizer can be reduced up to 40%. Alternative dry and humid
system will help reduce the use of water in the agricultural land by 40%. But if these methods
are used at all levels, it requires huge funding. Also the people should be made aware of the
benefits of all these methods.
• ‘Guti’ urea
International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC), USA, with the assistance of Bangladesh
Directorate of Agricultural Extension introduced the ‘guti’ urea technology in Bangladesh in
1980. This is planted once every year and seeds are planted in a straight line. While it reduces
the quality of weeds agricultural productivity is increased and the use of urea in the cultivable
lands can be reduced.
• Alternative dry and humid system
According to experiments conduct by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), it has been
observed that by using the above system, cost of production is reduced by 15%, 25% less cost
of irrigation while productivity increases by 10%. In this process, a perforated pipe is inserted
into the earth to measure the depth of water level. Once the pipe reaches the water level, then
cultivation is done. In this method, water requirement for irrigation can be reduced by 50%.
• Burying pipe into earth technology
Bangladesh Agricultural Development Directorate introduced this system in 1980. Under
this method, a concrete pipe is laid down on the ground and on it there are some open places as
required. This method reduces requirement of water for irrigation by 50% and overall costs of
production is also reduced by 10 to 15%. This method is widely need is Rajshahi and Rangpur
region.
2. Fertilizer and insecticide from shell of sugarcane
Five scientists of BCSIR (Bangladesh Centre for Scientific & Industrial Research) has
invented liquid natural fertilizer and insecticide from shells of sugarcane. According to them,
if these are used in the earth no additional chemical fertilizer is required. After conducting
experiments, productivity has increased by 21% and there is less attack of pests. Also
production cost is decreased. Although the method seems to be encouraging but its success
will depend on mass scale production and distribution of the liquid natural fertilizer and
insecticide.

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3. Possibility of crops production in soil with high salinity

Soil Research Institute, situated in Batiaghata upazilla of Khulna, has invented a technique of
crop production in soil with high degree of salinity. According to Institute’s sources,
approx.10,56,000 hectares of cultivable land in 93 Upazilla of 18 districts in Bangladesh are
contaminated with high salinity. The level of salinity is 15-20 DS milligram. In some research
lands, this has been kept under control at 8-9 DS milligram by using soil management
techniques. Through use of this method, production of til, mug, spinach, ladies fingers, sweet
gourd and korolla has been possible.
4. Possibility of cultivation of Kenaf
Research work is being undertaken by Agro Technology Discipline of Khulna University
regarding cultivation of salinity resistant Kenaf and its diversified use. Kenaf is a kind of jute
crop which can withstand 17-22 DS salinity. These are 12-15 ft high and yields twice than
jute. Its leaves may be used for producing green fertilizer and animal feed. It is more resistant
to diseases and it is tolerant to water logging. Production of Kenaf can also lead to re-opening
of the Khulna Newsprint Mills. If this is successful, then dependency on ‘gewa’ wood for
producing paper will no longer be needed. Kenaf can not only feed Newsprint Mills with raw
materials, it can also be exported to India, China, Thailand, Nigeria, Malaysia and foreign
exchange will be earned by such export.
5. Durable method of paddy cultivation
• Drought resistant paddy and food safety
Huge area of cultivable land in Bangladesh is turning into drought prone areas. In
Bangladesh, right now more than 1 million hectares have become hit with drought. If the
drought continues for long, then standing crops may be totally damaged. In order to continue
to produce the desired crops Bangladesh Rice Research Institute has invented BRRI 56 and
BRRI 57, which are drought resistant. The crops of these types can be cut within 110-120 days
of planting. This type of paddy got recognition in 2009 as Shehbagi paddy in India and in 2010
as Suka paddy – 3 in Nepal. These are being cultivated in the drought hit areas of India and
Nepal extensively. These breeds can endure up to 27 days of drought. Another major
advantage is that before insect can attack the plants these are ready to be cut. So, insecticide is
not needed, is environment friendly and irrigation is not needed and farmers do not need any
additional expense.
Besides this, drought resistant paddy Narika 10, imported from Africa, was cultivated in
Madarganj and found that the yield can go as high as 3.5 ton per hectare. This plant can gather
water from 1-1.5 metre beneath the ground.
• Flood resistant paddy
The Department of Agriculture Extension has supplied flood resistant paddy BRRI 51, BRRI
52, IR 64, Sambamasuri, Chiarang Sub-1 to farmers of Kaliganj in Moulvi Bazar. Newly
invented Chiarang Sub-1 plants can endure flooding even up to 8 days without being
damaged. So, if such variety of paddy is used in flood prone Bangladesh, then it will be easy to
face the food crisis.

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• Three rice from one paddy seed

A new variety of paddy is being experimented in Birampur of Dinajpur where from each
paddy seed 2 to 3 rice is being produced. The height of the plants is 4.5 to 6 ft. The rice is like
Kataribhog and the smell is like polao. However, its per acre yield is comparatively lower. But
if further research is carried on this unnamed barred then there is possibility of huge
production.
• Cultivation of paddy by tray method
Through experimentation conducted by Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation it
has been found that productivity may be doubled by following Tray method. A research
conducted jointly by BADC and Golden Burn Kingdom (GBK) has revealed that by cultivating
Boro and Aman paddy following Tray method in various regions, the productivity has increased
by 45%. Under this method, seeds are planted on special types of trays made from polythene
where fertilizer is mixed. After administering specific amount of chemical fertilizer, the plants
are preserved for 15 days. Then the plants are packed in bundles and planted in the fields. In this
way, a farmer can sow paddy plants in 15 bighas in 1 day. Since the plants do not need to be
pulled up, the roots are not torn and so long roots easily and quickly gets into the soil and the
plants stand upright soon. The plants also grows quickly and healthy. Since these take small
place, even can be placed inside the houses. Even during rain, storm or hailstorm these can be
saved by bringing those inside the rooms and cultivate. Japan is the pioneer of such type of
cultivation. This was followed by Taiwan, China and recently Bangladesh has started to follow
this type of cultivation. In their reports on crop cutting, BADC, BRAC, GBK and Directorate of
Agricultural Extension has found that a comparative analysis of normal cultivation versus tray
cultivation of BRRI 49 paddy, the yield is 45 to 47% more in tray method.
Since there is a rapid growth of population and decrease in amount of cultivable land, this type
of cultivation is appropriate and timely. This will address the crisis of reduction of agricultural
land and also cost of production will be much less. If this variety or method of cultivation can
be made popular through demonstration plots to farmers, they will be very much interested
and ultimately we will become self-sufficient and also may become one of the major
exporters of rice.
B. New Variety of Fruits & Vegetables
1. Cherry
With a view to revive the cultivation of 52 species of local fruits which were almost extinct, a
fruit garden has been established in Kaptai Agriculture Research Centre on a two acre land.
Cherry is one of the major fruits. Cherry is quite popular in many parts of Bangladesh and
since its cost is high, it can be considered as one of the potential fruits.
2. Nalim
In Magura, a new type of fruit Nalim is being produced. While the cost of production on 1
bigha land is 8,000 taka, the produced fruit is sold at taka 35,000. Also the quantity of
production is quite high. Since Nalim is in great demand, 40-50 families has become self-
sufficient by cultivating this fruit.

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3. Seeta bottle-gourd
Scientists of Raikhali Agriculture Research Centre of Kaptai Upazilla have invented a new
variety of bottle-gourd. Once planted, bottle-gourd will be available from the same plant for
10 years round of the year. If a platform is constructed for the plant to spread and if it is
properly nurtured, bottle-gourd will be produced almost every day.
4. Revolution by tomato cultivation
By cultivating tomato during summer season, the poor farmers are now well off financially in
Balarampur village of Bagharpara Upazilla in Jessore district. If someone produces tomato in
15 decimal land, it will cost Tk 1 lac while the produce will be sold at Tk. 2 lac. This explosion of
tomato cultivation has spread in the adjacent villages too. This is how the economic condition of
the landless farmers and day laborers is changing fast. In 1995, Dr. Shahabuddin, an Agriculture
Scientist, was the first person to motivate farmers towards tomato cultivation. Salinity resistant
tomato cultivation has proven to be economically viable in Tala Upazilla of Satkhira district.
Many farmers have become financially solvent through cultivation of tomatos.
5. Cultivation of vegetable by ‘Dhap’ method
The inhabitants of Deulbari Dobba, Kolar Doania, Boldia of Pirojpur district and Kidarkandi
union of Barisal district who live near the water bodies are practising the local ‘dhap’ method
of cultivation. During rainy season, in the flooded lands, different types of plants are forcibly
rotten and after three weeks of nursing, seedlings are grown like in any nursery or garden. A
5ft. wide and 100-180 ft. long floating bed is created. Usually bottle-gourd, papaya, brinjals,
banana, balsam apple, spinach, beans are grown on these beds.
Coordinated Effort
1. Bumka village dam
A dam was constructed on the Dharala river in Lalmonirhat by hundreds of local villagers. It
was constructed in Bumka village of Mogolhat union in Sadar Upazilla. Alongside the men,
women of five villages also spontaneously came and joined this modest venture. Their main
aim was to construct a road by constructing a dam on the river. So, they went to all homes and
collected polythene bag to be filled in by sand and bamboos to aid in construction of the dam.
2. Construction of Bridge through voluntary labour
A bamboo bridge over Shalta River was constructed voluntarily by inhabitants at Baitahara of
Magurkhali Union, 20 kms. away from Dumuria Upazilla Sadar in Khulna.
3. Bamboo bridge
A 90ft long and 6ft wide bamboo bridge has been constructed over Dholai river to help
movement of people on both sides voluntarily. This is located at Purbadhala Upazilla in
Gouripur of Mymensingh under the social empowerment programme of BRAC and was lead
by a women development organization named Palli Samaj.

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4. Wooden bridge
A 50ft long wooden bridge was constructed voluntarily by women of Shiali village of
Patuakhali Sadar Upazilla. Under the auspices of Shiali Women Village Samaj, 64 women
took part in construction of the wooden bridge. This ended their long time peril.
1. Food Bank
Livelihood of people of Barind area mainly depends on agriculture. Since there is absence of
any factory or industrial establishment, people are fully dependent on agriculture. Since they
are very poor and landless, the farmers are mostly terminal farmers and lease farmers. Since
the main crops include amon and boro paddy and so the farmers do not have much to do after
Ashwin-Kartik and Falgun-Choitro months. So, to lead their life during the other months,
they have to take loan from the ‘Mohajans’ at very high rate of interest (almost 1.5 times more
than the original amount), the local name of this system is ‘dera’ or 1.5 times. If the farmer
fails to return the money on time, they have to surrender their crops to the money lenders.
With a view to overcome the situation the villagers of Sonadighi village of Mahadebpur
Upazilla in Naogaon, have set up ‘Food Bank’. During crisis period, they take loan from this
bank and while returning they return the original quantity plus 5 kgs. More paddy and this is
registered against each of their names. To maintain the accounts, a committee is set up with
50% female members. Now, the number of members is 28. Because of the establishment of
the Food Bank, nobody had to go to the money lenders during ‘monga’ and now they are
financially in a better condition.
2. New Venture
• Win over Monga by broom: varied use of bamboo of the char land
Many families of Paikan Hajipara village of Alam biditor union of Gangachhara Upazilla of
Rangpur district were victims of river erosion and lived in a great state of misery.
Unemployment and absence of crops made their lives miserable. About 50 families of that
village are now fighting monga and are becoming financially solvent by mere selling of
brooms. Both men and women are involved in this trade. Women make those brooms and men
sell those by going to different villages. Many use ‘Kashia’ which come in the trolleys from
India instead of 'Kash' that is Produce Testa char. One trolley Kashia costs 15,000 taka and
8,000 brooms can be made from those.
3. Designed caps changes destiny of women
There is a great demand of designed caps from Bangladesh in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
and some countries of South Africa. About 10,000 women of Bhola has become financially
solvent by producing the designed caps. Oman is a big market for Bangladeshi products, one
cap sometimes cost 3,000 to 4,000 taka even. Female workers of Bata, Kachia, Dhania, Ilisha
and West Ilisha union of Bhola Sadar Upazilla are earning 2,000 taka per month by producing
these caps. Usually every village has one agent under whose guidance these caps are
manufactured and sold.

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The Disaster Management Act 2012

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Bangladesh Gazette
Supplementary Issue
Published by the Authority
Monday, September 24, 2012
Bangladesh Jatiyo Sangshad
Dhaka, 24 September, 2012 / 09 Ashwin, 1419

The following Act, adopted by the Parliament, and consented by the President on 24
September, 2012 / 09 Ashwin, 1419 is hereby published for the information of the public.
Act 34 of 2012
Whereas it is expedient and necessary to have in place an effective disaster
management system which is more coordinated, objective driven and
capable of handling all kinds of disasters
To reduce the disaster risk of the vulnerable population arising from different hazards
including climate change to a manageable and acceptable humanitarian level by reducing
overall risks through disaster risk reduction programmes, to provide moral support and
emergency humanitarian assistance, to undertake rehabilitation programmes more
effectively for the disaster stricken community, and to develop an effective disaster
management structure to respond to large disasters in a more efficient manner through
coordinated, objective driven and robust disaster management practices and programmes,

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Now therefore it is enacted as follows:

Part-1: Preliminary
1. Short title, extent and commencement:

(1) This Act shall be called The Disaster Management Act 2012.
(2) It shall take immediate action.
2. Definition: In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context
otherwise requires:
(1) Department: means Disaster Management Department as mentioned in
Section (7)
(2) Hazard: means an abnormal event which has the potential to cause colossal loss
to human life and livelihood and which can be either natural, human induced,
biological or technological in nature.
(3) Committee: means a body, group, platform or taskforce formed under Sections
(14), (17) and (18) of this Act
(4) Council: means the National Disaster Management Council as contemplated
under Section (4) of this Act.
(5) Climate Change: means a change of climate which is attributed directly or
indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere
and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable
time periods.
(6) Water Vessel: means any type of ship, boat, tug-boat, ferry, launch, speed-boat,
fishing boat or other vessel either mechanically or manually propelled that is
used for transportation of passengers or cargo and goods or for any other purpose.
(7) Risk: means the measure of the likelihood of harmful consequences arising from
the interaction of hazards, vulnerable elements and the environment and level of
capacity to cope with such consequences.
(8) Schedule: means schedule(s) under this Act.
(9) Relief: means food, clothing including blankets and winter clothes, shelter,
medicine, baby food, safe drinking water, cash, fuel, seeds, agriculture inputs,
cattle, fish fries, CI sheets and other building materials or any other assistance
from public or private sources provided to people and communities to overcome
the effects of a disaster event.
(10) Disaster Area: means an area declared as such under Section (22) of this Act.
(11) Disaster: means natural, environmental and human induced hazards as listed
below the consequential impact of which requires a significant coordinated
response by the Government and other entities to help the community recover
with external assistance as it is not able to do so with its own resources and
capabilities:
a. Cyclone, nor’wester, tornado, tidal surge, abnormal high tide, earthquake,
tsunami, excessive rain, drought, flood, river erosion, coastal erosion,

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excessive salinity, excessive arsenic pollution, building collapse, landslide,

hill-slide, thunderstorm, flash flood, heat wave, cold wave, prolonged water
logging etc.;
b. Explosion, fire, water vessel capsize, major train and road accident,
chemical and atomic radiation, oil and gas leakage or any other act of mass
destruction;
c. Pandemic influenza, bird flu, anthrax, diarrhea, cholera etc.;
d. Harmful microorganisms, toxic substances, biological wastes
contaminated with live microorganisms and contamination with/by
contaminants;
e. Damage of essential services or inactivity of disaster resistance
infrastructure and;
f. Massive damage and destruction of assets and loss of life by an unnatural
event or act of nature.
(12) Standing Orders on Disaster: means Standing Orders on Disasters issued by
the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (then Ministry of Food and
Disaster Management currently converted into a new Ministry named Disaster
Management and Relief Ministry), the Government of Bangladesh.
(13) Disaster Management: means the procedural institutional framework for
undertaking disaster risk reduction and other post-disaster activities including
the following:
a. determination of the duration, magnitude and vulnerability of a disaster;
b. planning, implementing and coordinating disaster management activities;
c. disseminating alert messages and warning signals, danger and great danger
signals and evacuating vulnerable people and their belongings to safer
places;
d. undertaking post disaster search and rescue operation, carrying out damage
and need assessment and initiating relief, response, recovery, rehabilitation,
reconstruction and development measures; and
e. carrying out any other relevant and related activities.
(14) Disaster Management Plan: means National Disaster Management Plan or
local disaster management plans as contemplated under Section (20) of this Act.
(15) Rehabilitation: means measures taken to:
a. restore the condition of the damaged infrastructure to its original state or
build back better;
b. bring back normalcy into the life of the affected people by restoring their
physical , mental and economic well-being;
c. if required, relocate the affected people elsewhere enabling them to return to
normal life;
d. ensure proper medical treatment for the affected livestock, fisheries and if
possible restore them to original condition;

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e. ensure safe drinking water for human beings as well as for livestock by
removing dead bodies, animals and purifying contaminated water;
f. undertake any other necessary measures for removing debris and other
contaminations.
(16) Preparedness: means measures that are designed and undertaken to increase
awareness and capacity of the people to better cope with possible impact of
hazards through enhancing their knowledge and understanding of risk
environment and reducing the probable damage caused by disaster.
(17) Rules: means rules framed under this Act.
(18) Vulnerability: means measurement of elements at risk that are exposed to
specific hazards both natural and human induced, and that have a low level of
resilience to cope with the impacts or characteristics of that hazard.
(19) Person: means and includes company, society, association and organization as
applicable.
(20) Armed forces: means Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force.
(21) Response: means activities undertaken for saving lives and properties and
meeting the basic needs of the affected community in the event of an impending
disaster, during disaster and immediately after the disaster event
(22) Service: means services that are provided for disaster management programme
which include shelter, food, safe drinking water, clothing, medical treatment,
electricity, gas, telecommunication, sanitation, energy and transportation, fire
service, security, search and rescue and other services prescribed by the
Government.
3. Preference of this Act:
Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, the
provisions of this Act will get preference over those of the other laws.
Part -2
Institutional Framework for Disaster Management

4. National Disaster Management Council:
(1) There will be a National Disaster Management Council to fulfill the objective of
this act in guiding the relevant authority and personnel towards formulating
disaster management principles, plans, programmes and other relevant aspects.
(2) The Council will comprise of the following members:
1) Prime Minister who will also be the Chair of the Council
2) Minister, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives
3) Minister, Ministry of Agriculture
4) Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs
5) Minister, Ministry of Communication

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6) Minister, Ministry of Health and Family Planning

7) Minister, Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (Ministry of Disaster
Management and Relief)
8) Minister, Ministry of Water Resources
9) Minister, Ministry of Water Transport
10) Minister, Ministry of Housing and Public works
11) Cabinet Secretary who will also be the member secretary of the council
12) Chief of Army
13) Chief of Navy
14) Chief of Air Force
15) Principal Secretary of Prime Minister’s Office
16) Principal Staff Officer of Army
17) Secretary, Finance Division
18) Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture
19) Secretary, Local Government Division
20) Secretary, Health and Family welfare
21) Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs
22) Secretary, Ministry of Defense
23) Inspector General of Bangladesh Police
24) Secretary, Ministry of Education
25) Secretary, Primary and Mass Education
26) Secretary, Road Division
27) Secretary, Railways
28) Secretary, Water Resources
29) Secretary, Ministry of Water Transportation
30) Secretary, Ministry of Information
31) Secretary, Bridge Division
32) Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief
33) Secretary, Ministry of Food
34) Secretary, Ministry of Land
35) Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Public Works
36) Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock
37) Director General, Border Guard Bangladesh
38) Director General, Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion
39) Director General, Ansar and VDP
40) Director General, Bangladesh Coast Guard
41) Chairman of the National Disaster Management Advisory Committee

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(3) If there is no minister available as contemplated at subsection (2), the State

Minister or the Deputy Minister in charge will be designated as the Council
member.
(4) If necessary, the Council can co-opt anyone as the member of the Council.
(5) The Government may increase or decrease the number of the Council member by
issuing a gazette by notification.
5. Meeting of the Council:
(1) Subject to the other provision of this Act, the Council can frame rules and
procedures for its meetings.
(2) The meeting place and time will be decided by the Chair of the Council.
(3) There must be at least one meeting of the Council every year.
(4) The Chairman will chair all the meetings of the Council.
(5) In absence of the Chair, a member of the Council nominated by the Chair will
preside over the meeting.
(6) Presence of at least two-third of the members will required to fulfill the
requirement of the quorum.
(7) Decisions will be taken on the basis of majority votes of the Council members
and the Chair will have the power to cast the decisive vote.
(8) No action of the committee will be void merely due to the absence of a Council
member or anomalies relating to its formulation.
6. Roles and responsibilities of the Council:
(1) Roles and responsibilities of the Council will be as follows:
A. To provide strategic direction in connection to formulation of disaster
management rules and planning;
B. To provide implementation related guidance related to disaster
management laws, regulation and planning;
C. To ensure strategic guidance over existing disaster risk reduction and
emergency response and subsequent review and evaluation;
D. To evaluate emergency preparedness and provide guidance to the relevant
authorities and stakeholders v. To recommend post disaster recovery and
rehabilitation related development to relevant quarters;
E. To review the progress of Government projects/programmes on disaster
rehabilitation;
F. To advise the relevant authorities in connection to creating awareness,
arranging seminars, workshops regarding the rules, regulation, principles
of disaster management and
G. To take other related measures to fulfill the objectives of this Act.
(2) Disaster Management and Relief Division will act as the Secretariat in carrying
out the functions of the Council and will be responsible for implementations of its
decisions.

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7. Establishment of the Department:

1. There will be a department called, “Disaster Management Department” with a
view to fulfilling the objective of this Act.
2. Existing Relief and Rehabilitation Department under the Ministry of Disaster
Management and Relief will turn into Department of Disaster Management to
fulfill the objective of subsection (1) as soon as this Act comes into effect.
8. Headquarter of the Department, etc:
1. Headquarter of the department will be located at Dhaka.
2. The Government may establish branch or sub-office under this Department
anywhere outside of Dhaka.
9. Roles and responsibilities of the Department: To fulfill the requirements of this Act, the
responsibilities and functions of the Department of Disaster Management will be as under:
A. To reduce the overall vulnerability from different impacts of disasters by
undertaking risk reduction activities;
B. To administer emergency humanitarian assistance, early recovery and
rehabilitation programmes for the disaster affected community effectively and
efficiently;
C. To strengthen and ensure coordinated and target oriented risk reduction and
emergency response programmes undertaken by various government and non-
government organizations;
D. To execute and implement government directives and recommendations
concerning disaster management;
E. To execute the national disaster management policy and national disaster
management plan and
F. To undertake any programme as may be considered necessary for instituting an
effective disaster management infrastructure pertaining to all kinds of disaster.
10. Director General:
(1) There will be one Director General of the Department who will also act as its
Chief Executive.
(2) Director General will be appointed by the Government and the conditions of his
service will be determined by the Government.
(3) Director General will -
A. perform all administrative and financial responsibilities;
B. supervise and guide the officers and staffs of the Department;
C. execute and exercise power as per this Act in accordance with the directives
of the Government or the Council from time to time;
D. take necessary action on the basis of fax, letter, email communication
regarding Disaster Management sent to him/her by any member of public;
and
E. undertake all other activities as may be considered expedient and necessary.

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(4) In the event of any vacancy occurring in the position of Director General due to
absence, illness, or any other reason, the Government can entrust any officer to
carry out the functions of the Director General temporarily for the interim period
till a new incumbent is appointed or the existing incumbent resumes his/her duties.
11. Recruitment of officers and officials: For the smooth functioning of the Department, the
Government can appoint the required number of officers/officials as it may deem fit and
their service conditions will be determined in accordance with the applicable rules.
12. Establishment of National Disaster Management Research and Training Institute:
(1) To fulfill the requirements of this Act, the Government may set up a National
Disaster Management Research and Training Institute which will undertake
research on the impacts of disaster and climate change, capacity building of
disaster management processes and other related functionaries.
(2) The Institute established under subsection (1) will be functional and operational
as per the applicable rules and regulation.
13. Formation of National Body of Volunteers for Disaster:
(1) The Government can form a body of national volunteers involving different
stakeholders and determine their functions to provide speedy and effective
emergency response applicable to pre-disaster, during disaster and post- disaster
phases.
(2) The responsibilities and related matters like, training, attire, facilities, functions
and operational procedures of the national volunteer body formed under
subsection (1) will be determined by the rules and the regulations.
(3) Irrespective of what has been provided for under subsection (1), any volunteer
body formed earlier before this Act came into force for purposes of undertaking
identical functions and responsibilities it will be deemed to have been formed
under this Act and they will be liable to comply with the duties and the
responsibilities as per the directives of the Government.
14. National Disaster Response Coordination Group:
(1) In order to carry out the response activities in an effective and efficient manner
following a large scale disaster, a National Disaster Response Coordination
Group will be formed comprising the following members:
1. Minister, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief who will act as its
Chairman
2. Minister, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and
Cooperatives
3. Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces Division
4. Secretary, Finance Division
5. Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs
6. Secretary, Ministry of Information
7. Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
8. Secretary, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications
9. Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources

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10. Secretary, Ministry of Education

11. Secretary, Ministry of Water Transportation
12. Secretary, Ministry of Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation
Division
13. Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief who will also be its
Member Secretary
(2) National Disaster Coordination Group may co-opt any one if necessary in the
Group.
(3) Through gazette notification the Government may increase or decrease the
number of members of this Group.
(4) National Disaster Coordination Group may invite any individual or organization
in its meeting for the effective operation of national disaster response and once
invited the respective individual or organization will be obligated to attend such
meetings and assist the Group.
15. National Disaster Response Coordination Groups meeting:
(1) Subject to other provision of this section, the National Disaster Coordination
Group will be able to determine the working procedures of its meeting.
(2) The Chairperson of the Coordination Group will chair all the meetings and will
decide the venue and time, provided that in the absence of the Chairperson any
member designated by the Chair will preside over the meeting as needed.
(3) As necessary, the Coordination Group can meet on any prescribed date and time:
provided, however, that presence of at least two-third of the members will be
necessary to fulfill the requirement of the quorum.
(4) Decisions at any meeting will be finalized on the basis of majority votes and the
Chairperson will have the right to cast a decisive vote.
(5) No action or decision of the Group will be void merely on the ground of absence
of any member or any deficiency in the formation of the Group and no question is
to be raised in this regard in any court of law or any other quarter.
(6) Disaster Management and Relief Division will provide the Secretarial support to
the National Disaster Coordination Group.
16. Duties and responsibilities of the National Disaster Coordination Group: The
responsibilities and duties of the National Disaster Coordination Group will be as under:
1. To evaluate the state and extent of disaster and activate the response and recovery
mechanism speedily;
2. To ensure availability of resources to the disaster affected areas for response;
3. To ensure dissemination of relevant warning signals;
4. To coordinate response and rehabilitation activities speedily;
5. To supervise post disaster rescue and search activities;
6. To coordinate post- disaster relief activities;
7. To ensure immediate dispatch of equipment and accessories in the
telecommunication disrupted areas;

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8. To determine priorities and issue directives for mobilization of relief, fund and
vehicles;
9. To coordinate deployment of armed forces and communication facilities as well
as additional manpower and resources in the disaster affected areas;
10. To maintain and establish uninterrupted communication during the disaster;
11. To implement the decisions of the Council and keep the Council informed about
the progress from time to time;
12. To prepare and update guidelines for the Multi-agency Disaster Incident
Management System;
13. To recommend measures on matters related to disaster preparedness and risk
reduction;
14. To issue directives in matters related to requisitioning of assets, services,
buildings identified as emergency shelters, vehicles and other amenities needed;
15. To recommend the involvement of armed forces in coping with a severe ongoing
disaster or a potential disaster and
16. To recommend for obtaining advance clearance from the ECNEC for
procurement of goods and services for one year or more to cope with an imminent
disaster scenario.
17. National Disaster Management Committee, etc:
(1) The following Committee, Board, and Platform will be in place at the National
level to fulfill the objectives of this Act:
A. Inter- Ministerial Disaster Management Coordination Committee;
B. National Disaster Management Advisory Committee;
C. Policy Committee of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme;
D. Implementation Board of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme
E. Earthquake Preparedness and Awareness Raising Committee;
F. National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and
G. Disaster Warning Signal Dissemination and Strategy Formulation and
Implementation Committee.
(2) Composition, functions and responsibilities of the Committee, Board and
Platform formed under subsection (1) will be determined by rules and
regulations.
(3) The Government may, if necessary, form any Committee, Board or Platform
through gazette notification in addition to the ones mentioned in subsection (1)
and prescribes their roles and responsibilities.
(4) Responsibilities and functions of the Committee, Board, Platform, Group or
Taskforce formed earlier under the Standing Orders on Disaster will be deemed
to have been formed under this Act and they will continue to perform the duties
and the responsibilities under the said Standing Order until new rules and
regulations are framed under subsection (2) for fulfilling the requirements of
subsection (3) through gazette notification.

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18. Local Disaster Management Committee and Group:

1. In order to fulfill the objectives of this Act, the following Disaster Management
Committee or Disaster Health Management Committee, as applicable, may be
formed:
A. City Corporation Disaster Management Committee
B. District Disaster Management Committee
C. Upazilla Disaster Management Committee
D. Pouroshava Disaster management committee
E. Union Disaster Management Committee, and
F. If necessary, District or Upazilla Disaster Health Management Committee
2. To fulfill the objectives of this Act, the following Disaster Response
Coordination Group will be formed:
A. City Corporation Disaster Response Coordination Group
B. District Disaster Response Coordination Group
C. Upazilla Disaster Response Coordination Group
D. Pouroshova Disaster Response Coordination Group
3. Responsibilities and functions of the Committees and Groups mentioned under
subsections (1) and (2) will be determined by the rules and regulation
4. Government can form one or more Committees and Groups at the local level in
addition of those mentioned in subsections (1) and (2) and determine their
functions and responsibilities through gazette notification.
5. Responsibilities and functions of the Committee, Board, Platform, Group or
Taskforce formed earlier under the Standing Orders on Disaster will be deemed
to have been formed under this Act and they will continue to perform their duties
and responsibilities under the said Standing Order until new rules and regulations
are framed under subsection (3) for fulfilling the requirements of subsection (4)
through gazette notification.
19. Formulation of National Disaster Management Policy: With a view to fulfilling the
objectives of this Act, Government can formulate National Disaster Management Policy
considering the need of different community, geographical location, hazards and sectors
in conformity with international and regional disaster management frameworks.
20. Formulation National and Local Disaster Management Plan:
1. In order to fulfill the objectives of this Act, Government can formulate National
Disaster Management Plan
2. In keeping with the National Disaster Management Plan mentioned at subsection
(1), the Local Disaster Management Committees will formulate their own Local
Disaster Management Plan in the context of prevailing hazards in their respective
constituency.
3. Irrespective of what has been stated at subsection (1), National Plan for Disaster
Management 2010-2015 formulated by the then Ministry of Food and Disaster
Management will continue to be in force with necessary amendments and

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modifications until the National Disaster Management Plan has been formulated
in compliance with the provisions of this Act.
21. Roles and responsibilities of different Ministries, Departments and Organizations:
The Government can determine the roles and responsibilities of different Ministries,
Department, Directorates, Offices, Non-Government Organizations on matters relating to
disaster management through issuance of Government orders.
Provided that till such orders issued in terms of the provision of Section (21), roles and
responsibilities of different Ministries, Department, Directorates, Offices, Non-
Government Organizations enumerated in the Standing Orders on Disaster will hold good
and remain effective as if they have been prescribed under this Act.
Explanation: For the purposes of fulfilling the requirement of this section, ‘Resource’ will
mean and include, among others, relief goods, man power, transports, water vessels,
machineries, land, establishments, materials and equipments used for removal of debris
and conduction of search and rescue operation, air craft, medical and construction
materials, shelter and housing materials, services and technical knowhow which are made
use of in undertaking disaster management activities effectively and carrying out
livelihood options by the disaster affected community.
Part-3
Declaration of Distressed Area, participation of different forces
22. Declaration of Distressed Area:

(1) If the President in the exercise of his own judgment or upon receipt of
recommendation as per subsection (3) is satisfied that a disaster striking in any
part of the country is so grave that it calls for additional measures to cope with the
situation and to prevent the damage and disruption and for which application of
special power is absolutely necessary then he can declare relevant area as the
distressed area through gazette notification.
(2) Local Disaster Management Committee, Group or Organization through District
Commissioner can make recommendation to the government to declare an area
as distressed area if it calls for additional measures to cope with the damage and
disruption and exercise of special power by the President is considered
absolutely necessary.
(3) The District Commissioner after receiving any recommendation under
subsection (2) will review and justify the same and forward the proposal to the
Government with his/her recommendation and the Government in its turn,
subject to endorsement by the Disaster Response Coordination Group, will
recommend to the President to declare a particular area as distressed area.
(4) If any notification is made declaring a particular area to be a distressed area, the
duration of such declaration will be two months unless the time limit is reduced or
extended or the notification is recalled by the President before expiry of the two
months period.

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23. Directives concerning the Distressed Area:

(1) Government can direct the relevant Ministries, Departments, Directorates,
Government, Non-government Organizations and Committees formed under
this Act to execute the following tasks whenever any area is declared as
distressed area as per Section (22) subsection (1) namely:
A. To ensure the availability of resources under Government and Non-
government custody in the disaster affected area to cope with the disaster
situation in the distressed area;
B. To ensure availability of additional resources, if needed;
C. To ensure the safety and security of common people and maintain law and
order;
D. To undertake appropriate measures for reducing damage of properties ,
environmental degradation and loss of lives and
E. To undertake necessary actions as needed as per the Local Disaster
Management Plan.
(2) Officers from relevant Government Ministry, Department, Directorate as well as
Non-government Organizations are obliged to execute the directives under
subsection (1).
24. Delegation of authority for execution of special functions in distressed area: The
Government can authorize and direct the concerned District Commissioner instantly in
writing or if necessary through fax, phone, mobile or other means to execute and monitor
the special functions referred to under section 23 in the distressed area.
25. Involving of non-government organization and individuals in the distressed area:
(1) The Government, where necessary, can issue directives to involve any non-
government organization or individuals to participate in disaster management
activities in the distressed area.
(2) The Government can avail of the services offered by any autonomous body, non-
government organization as well as medical facilities operated by non-
government organizations as part of the disaster management and all the officers,
staffs and nurses of those hospitals and clinics shall be obliged to provide their
assistance as per the demand of the Government or local authorities.
(3) All expenses relating to services provided under subsection (2) will be paid by
the Government as per the applicable rules.
26. Requisition:
(1) The Deputy Commissioner, in accordance with directives of the National
Disaster Management Coordination Group, may place requisition with any
authority or person for resources, services, buildings identified as emergency
shelter, vehicles and other facilities.
(2) The relevant authority or individuals shall be obliged to comply with the
requisition made under subsection (1).
(3) Appropriate rules and regulations pertaining to requisition will be made by the
Government to fulfill the objectives of subsection (1).

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27. Assistance to disaster affected and vulnerable individuals:

(1) The Government can take appropriate measures to rehabilitate the vulnerable and
affected community and for reducing the risks resulting from a disaster as per the
applicable rules and procedures. Provided that while extending such assistance
and support priority will be given to the people who are extremely needy and who
are deprived of any kind of facilities especially: elderly people, women, children
and person with disability.
(2) As per the rules, the Government can provide necessary assistance and support to
officers, officials or individuals affected by disaster while carrying out disaster
response activities for their rehabilitation and risk reduction under the coverage
approved by rules and regulation.
Explanation: For meeting the objectives of this section, disadvantaged
community will mean those sections of the population who are deprived from
socio-economic benefits, members of the tribal community and other
disadvantaged and marginalized groups.
28. Measures to be undertaken concerning disaster related information: The Chairman
or a member of any national or local committee, being informed by any individual or
organization and being satisfied that a disaster situation is imminent, will inform the
matter to the relevant committee immediately for taking appropriate measures.
29. Irregularities, negligence, mismanagement, appeal etc.
(1) Any disaster affected individual, family, community can lodge complains with
the National or Local level Committee about any irregularity, negligence or
mismanagement and the relevant Committee will be obliged to resolve such
allegation within 30 days after proper probe into the matter.
(2) If any individual is aggrieved by the decision of any National or Local level
Committee in terms of subsection (1), he/she can prefer an appeal with the
Government, District Commissioner or Divisional Commissioner respectively
and in both cases the decision given by the Government or the Divisional
Commissioner/District Commissioners will be treated as final.
30. Participation of Armed Forces in emergency response:
(1) National Disaster Response Coordination Group can recommend to the
Government to obtain the assistance of Armed Forces in case of a severe
imminent disaster or during any ongoing disaster of higher magnitude.
(2) After receiving the recommendation from the National Disaster Response
Coordination Group in terms of the provisions under subsection (1), the
Government can direct the Armed Forces Division to provide necessary
assistance to Civil Administration.
(3) District Disaster Response Group can recommend to the District Commissioner
to obtain assistance from Armed Forces regardless of what is mentioned in the
subsection (1) when there is a possibility of a major disaster or during the ongoing
disaster.
(4) District Commissioner after receiving the recommendation from the District
Disaster Response Coordination Group can submit a requisition to Armed Forces

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Division through Disaster Management and Relief Division. Provided that in

case of emergency situation District Commissioner can seek assistance from the
local Armed Forces authority directly. However, in such circumstances, the
matter should be taken up with the Disaster Management and Relief Division and
the Armed Forces Division in writing or through other means of communication
i.e. fax, email etc as soon as possible.
(5) The Armed Forces Division or the local Armed Forces authority after getting
instruction or requisition as appropriate will act on priority basis and come
forward to assist the relevant requisitioning authority.
31. Participation of law enforcing agencies in emergency response operation:
District Commissioner can directly ask for the assistance of the law enforcing agencies in
case of an imminent disaster or ongoing disaster and the local law enforcing agency will
be obliged to provide the required assistance on priority basis.
Explanations: For purposes of this section, Law Enforcing Agencies will mean and
include, Bangladesh Police including Rapid Action Battalion, Coast Guard, Border Guard
Bangladesh, Ansar and VDP including semi-armed and non-armed forces.
Part-4
Disaster Management Fund, Relief Depot etc.
32. Constitution of Disaster Management Fund, Relief Depot:

(1) To materialize the objectives of this Act, the Government will constitute two
separate funds namely ‘National Disaster Management Fund’ and ‘District
Disaster Management Fund.’
(2) Money collected from sources, mentioned below, will be deposited to the funds,
for instance:
A. Government donation
B. Donation from any foreign government, organization or any International
Organization with Government approval
C. Donation from any local authority
D. Donation from any respected individual locally
E. Receipts from any other legal sources.
(3) The proceeds of the National Disaster Management Fund and the District
Disaster Management Fund shall be deposited to any state owned commercial
bank approved by the Government.
(4) The National Disaster Management Fund shall be operated under the supervision
of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief; and the bank account shall be
operated by the Secretary and Joint Secretary (Relief) of the Ministry of Disaster
Management and Relief as joint signatories.
(5) The District Disaster Management Fund shall be operated under the supervision
of the District Disaster Management Committee; and the bank account shall be

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operated by the Deputy Commissioner and District Relief and Rehabilitation

Officer as joint signatories.
(6) Management process of ‘National Disaster Management Fund’ and ‘District
Disaster Management Fund’ shall be determined by the rules made under this
Act. Provided until rules are framed, these funds shall be managed and utilized in
accordance to the Government’s financial rules and regulations.
(7) During a disaster or immediately following a disaster event, the Ministry of
Disaster Management and Relief shall be authorized to accept foreign donation
or other assistance directly. Provided that the matter shall be intimated to the
relevant Ministry.
(8) To attain the objective of this Act, the Government will set up and manage
Central Relief Depot and District Relief Depot in addition to constituting funds
under subsection (1).
(9) Irrespective of the provisions of subsection (8) and until the Central Relief Depot
is established, the existing Central Relief Depot and warehouses at district level,
will be used and managed in such a way that these infrastructures have been
established and managed under the provisions of this Act.
33. Urgent procurement for disaster response:
(1) The National Disaster Response Coordination Group can request the Ministry of
Disaster Management and Relief to take approval from the Cabinet Committee
on Economic Affairs for advance procurement for one year or more in order to
ensure supply, delivery and utilization of goods and services required during
and/or post disaster situations.
(2) Subject to approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in term of
subsection (1), the Director General, the District Commissioner and the UNO can
make advance procurement for one year or more in compliance of the provisions
of the Public Procurement Act 2006 and Public Procurement Rules 2008.
34. Directives to Mass Media and Broadcasting Centers: With a view to fulfilling the
objectives of this Act, the Government can ask the controlling authority or the person
responsible for administering the affairs of any radio, television, satellite television
channel, print media or any electronic media, telecommunication, cable network or any
other telecasting agency to broadcast/telecast any information, footage, news and visuals
aimed at creating public awareness in early warning, disaster preparedness and the
relevant authority/individual will be obligated to adhere to such directives.
35. Immediate tasks in Disaster Management:
(1) Everybody is bound to follow the directives concerning disaster management
mentioned in the schedule of this Act and, where necessary, appropriate measures
must also be taken as per the directives. Provided the Government will be
required to issue public notification with a view to informing the directives to the
concerned quarters.
(2) Necessary steps will be taken by the Government and the local administration to
encourage individuals, institutions, organizations, owners or authorities of any
organization to follow the directives mentioned in the notification; and the same

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bodies will also monitor regularly the implementation of the activities and
initiatives taken in this regard.
Part-5
Offences, Penalties etc
36. Penalty for creating hindrance or obstruction in the discharge of duties:

(1) Any act by an individual like intimidation, undue influence, abuse, insult or any
kind of hindrance in the way of performing the assigned tasks by any designated
official/individual related to disaster management will be treated as an offence
and the person committing such offence will be punished with rigorous
imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or with a fine of maximum of
BDT 100,000 or both.
(2) Any attempt by an individual like intimidation, undue influence, abuse, insult or
any kind of hindrance in the way of performing the assigned tasks by the
designated official/individual related to disaster management will be treated as
an offence and the person committing such offence will be punished with
rigorous imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or with a fine not
over BDT 50,000 or both.
37. Penalty for defying or negligence in obeying directives: If an individual disrespects the
directives issued by the Government or the National Disaster Coordination Group
deliberately or does not carry out such directives willfully, then he/she will be treated to
have committed an offence under this Act and will be liable to punishment with rigorous
imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or a fine up to BDT 100,000 or both.
38. Penalty for raising false or baseless claim:
If an individual or organization raises any false or baseless claim with a motive of deriving
personal benefits or gains out of any disaster management programme or initiative
implemented under this Act, such an act on the part of the individual or the organization
will be treated as an offence under this Act which will be liable to punishment with rigorous
imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or a fine up to BDT 100,000 or both.
39. Penalty for misuse of resources and fulfilling self-interest:
If an individual, vested with responsibility of managing and controlling the resources
meant for purposes of disaster management, misuses such resources or utilizes the same
for personal gains or instigates someone to do so then he or she will be treated to have
committed an offence under this Act for which he/she will be liable to punishment with
rigorous imprisonment for a period of not exceeding one year or a fine of maximum
amount of BDT 100,000 or both.
40. Penalty for increasing of price of essential commodities in the distressed area:
If an individual increases the price of essential commodities or creates a conditions for
price hike illegally in order to gain personally, then he/she will be treated to have
committed an offence under this Act for which he/she will be liable to punishment with
rigorous imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or a fine of maximum amount
of BDT 100,000 or both.

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41. Penalty for creating salinity or flood or obstructing flow of water or damage of
embankment etc:
If an individual willfully for own interest gets himself/ herself involved in the conduct of
certain acts that results in salinity or flood in a particular area or cause obstruction in the
normal functioning of sluice gate, obstruction to the flow of water, cut or cause any
damage to an embankment leading to disaster like situation and loss of lives and
properties, then he/she will be treated to have committed an offence under this Act and will
be liable to punishment with rigorous imprisonment for a period of maximum of 3 years/
minimum of one year or a fine not over BDT 200,000 or both.
42. Penalty for mass media or broadcasting centers for non-compliance of the provisions
of Section (34):
If an individual defies the directives stipulated under section 34 or encourages others to
defy the directives then he/she will be treated to have committed an offence under this Act
and will be liable to pay a penalty up to BDT 500,000 for committing such an offence.
43. Penalty for disobeying of directives concerning Disaster Management:
If an individual disobeys the directives mentioned in Section (35) or does not take any
initiative to act in accordance the directives then he/she will be treated to have committed
an offence under this Act for which a penalty up to BDT 500,000 could be imposed and in
the event of non-realization of the penalty he/she will be liable to suffer simple
imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months.
44. Failure of the Government officials in discharging duties:
(1) A Government Official will be held liable if he/she fails to discharge the assigned
duties under the provisions of this Act or rules made there unless he/she can prove
that such a failure was without his/her knowledge and beyond his/her control and
could not be avoided despite best endeavors.
(2) If a Government Official is held liable as per the provisions of subsection (1),
then disciplinary proceedings shall be initiated against him/her under the
Government Employees’ Disciplinary and Appeal Rules.
45. Taking cognizance of an offence:
No courts will take into cognizance any case for trial unless the District Commissioner or
his/her representative submits written allegation to that effect under this Act.
46. Non cognizably, bail ability, non -arbitral of offence:
All offences under this Act will be treated as cognizable, bailable and non-arbitral.
47. Exercise of Act V of 1898 :
Provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898(Act V of 1898) will be applicable for
purposes of filing a case, inquiry, trial and appeal of offences under this Act.
48. Exercise of Act 59 of 2009:
Regardless of what is provided for in this Act, offences committed under Section (43) will
be subject to trial under the provisions of Mobile Court Act, 2009(Act 59 of 2009).
49. Compensation for human induced disaster:
(1) If an individual by his/her willful act or due to negligence causes any harm to the
environment which may become the cause of any disaster and ultimately cause loss

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and damage to life, property resource, infrastructure and business establishments

of some other person then the aggrieved person or the affected organization will be
eligible to file a suit in the appropriate court of law claiming compensation from
individual or organization responsible for causing such loss or damage.
(2) For purposes of dealing with the compensation suit under this section, the
provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Act no. V of 1908) will be
applicable.
(3) If a compensation suit is filed in terms of the provision under subsection(1) , the
court, after taking into account the proof of evidence, may order the award of
compensation which is either equal to the value of the damaged property or any
other amount which is considered to be just and fit by the court.
50. Photograph, recorded conversation etc. as evidence:
Regardless of whatever is provided in Evidence Act, 1872 (Act No I of 1872), video
footage, still photograph, recorded tape or discs or will be accepted as evidence for the
purposes of considering any offence committed or attempts made for committing any
offence by any individual responsible for disaster management or any member of law
enforcing agencies or any other person as the case may be during the examination or cross
examination in the trial.
51. Offence committed by Company:
If any offence is committed under this Act or under rules framed there under by a company
or an organization under this Act or rules framed there under , then the concerned director,
partner, executive, manager, secretary or any other officer or staff of that company or
organization who are directly involved in committing such offence will be treated as
offender unless they can prove that such an offence was committed without their knowledge
and it could not be avoided despite their best endeavors.
Explanation: In this section
a. “Company or Organization” will mean an establishment or organization
including company, organization, partnership business, society or organization
comprising more than a person and
b. Director means partner or member of the Board of Directors.
Part-6
Miscellaneous
52. Award, Recognition of Service and Honorarium, etc:

(1) The Government could avail of this opportunity to award any persons or any
organization to recognize his/her/ their outstanding contribution towards disaster
management in Bangladesh.
(2) An official who has actively participated in the whole range of activities
beginning from observation and monitoring of disaster situation as well as
dissemination of early warning in the pre-disaster phase and carrying out

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response and recovery measures in the post-disaster phase could be granted with
special allowance / honorarium by the Government.
(3) The procedure and formalities for grant of award, recognition of service and
financial benefits under subsections (1) and (2) will be prescribed by the relevant
rules and procedures.
53. Authority for conducting International and Regional Accord:
(1) In order to fulfill the objectives of this Act, the Government for conducting relief
operation during disasters can seek cooperation from or extend possible support
to foreign country, government and international and regional organizations in
the areas of disaster management related information, analysis, research and
usage of satellite station.
(2) In an attempt to accomplish the objective of subsection (1), the
country/government can direct its efforts towards conclusion of any accord,
MoU, contract, convention, treaty, or sign other legal document with any state,
government and regional and international organizations.
54. Protection for action taken in good faith:
No suit or legal proceedings could be brought under the Code of Criminal Procedure or the
Code of Civil Procedure against any Government/Government official or member of the
council, committee, group or platform for any action taken by them under this Act or rules
framed there under in good faith and without negligence.
55. Application of Standing Orders on Disaster (SOD) etc:
(1) Till such time rules are framed as per stipulation of this Act, the regulations and
stipulation prescribed in the SOD published by the Government will be enforced
with necessary modifications to fulfill the requirements of this Act.
(2) Pending formation of any council, national volunteer organization, disaster
response coordination group, committee, platform and taskforce under this Act,
the committee, national volunteer organization, disaster response coordination
group, platform and taskforce formed earlier under auspicious of the SOD will
remain in force and will be deemed to have in force under this Act .
56. Authority of the Government in resolution of anomalies and complications:
In the event of any difficulty in enforcing any provision of this Act due to ambiguity and
lack of clarity, the Government through gazette notification can issue necessary directives
clarifying and explaining the provision.
57. Responsibilities of the Government in execution of the Act:
The Government will take all measures and issue necessary directives for effective
execution of this Act.
58. Authority for formulation of rules and regulations:
The Government through issuance of gazette notification could make rules and
regulations to realize the objectives of this Act.
59. Publication of English version of the Act:
(1) With the passage of this Act, the Government thorough gazette notification could
bring out an authentic English text following the Bengali text of the Act.

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(2) If any question arises with regard to interpretation of any provision of the Act, the
Bangla version will get preference over the English version.
60. Dissolution, Transformation and Preservation of Department of Relief &
Rehabilitation (DoRR) and Disaster Management Bureau (DMB), etc.:
1. Consequent upon the enforcement of this Act, the erstwhile Executive Orders
bearing number RRD-Sec-Admin-i/67/82/35 and sec-Admin-II/5/84-3 dated
9.01.1983 and 29.01.1994 respectively will be treated as repealed and the
existing Department of Relief and Rehabilitation will stand abolished.
2. The Department since abolished under subsection (1), will be converted into the
Department of Disaster Management under Section (7) and the abolished
Department 's :
A. all assets, authority, privileges, moveable and immovable property, cash in
hand and in bank, projects, rights and obligation of the defunct Department
of Relief and Rehabilitation will stand transferred to and vested with
Department of Disaster Management.
B. All cases filed against or cases filed by the erstwhile Department of Relief
and Rehabilitation will be deemed to have been filed against or filed by the
C. All kinds’ of loans and liabilities and agreements concluded by or made on
behalf of erstwhile Department of Relief and Rehabilitation will be treated
as the loan and liabilities of Department of Disaster Management.
D. All records files, papers and documents maintained by erstwhile Department
of Relief and Rehabilitation will be transferred to the Department of Disaster
Management and the later will preserve such records and documents as per
the Government rules and procedures.
E. Subordinate and branch offices set up under the Department of Relief and
Rehabilitation in whatever name they may be called and wherever they may
be located will continue to function as subordinate and branch offices under
the Department of Disaster Management till such time new subordinate and
branch offices are set up under this Act as if they have been established and
set up under this Act.
F. All orders and directives issued by and rules and instruments made by the
erstwhile Department of Relief and Rehabilitation will remain in force till
such time new orders and directives are issued and new rules and
regulations are made by the Department of Disaster Management and such
orders and directives as well as rules and regulations will be deemed to have
been issued and made by the Department of Disaster Management.
G. All actions, decisions, trainings and any other programmes initiated by the
erstwhile Department of Relief and Rehabilitation will be continued and
executed in such a manner as though these programmes and initiatives were
initiated by the Department of Disaster Management.
H. Officers and staff appointed by the erstwhile Department of Relief and
Rehabilitation will be treated to have been transferred to Department of

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Disaster Management under the same terms and conditions and they will
been entitled to receive pay, allowances and other benefits as before as
officers and staffs of Department of Disaster Management; and
I. Existing service rules and other terms of appointment of the officers and
staffs since transferred from Department of Relief and Rehabilitation to
Department of Disaster Management will remain valid until further orders
and till such time their service rules and terms and conditions are repealed or
amended subject to the condition that these officers and staffs will continue
to be guided by their respective service rules as if these rules and terms and
conditions were framed under this Act.
3. Once this Act comes into force, the office memo number–relief/admin-
1/27/13/260 (65) dated 08/05/93 of the erstwhile Ministry of Relief will stand
repealed and the Disaster Management Bureau constituted under the said office
memo will consequently stand abolished.
4. With the repealed office memo and abolition of the Disaster Management Bureau
under clause (3):
A. All resources, authorities, privileges, movable and immovable properties,
cash in hand and in bank, projects, rights and obligations of the Disaster
Management Bureau since abolished will stand transferred to and vested in
B. All cases filed against or cases filed by the erstwhile Disaster Management
Bureau will be deemed to have been filed against or filed by the Department
of Disaster Management.
C. All kinds of loans and liabilities and agreements concluded by or made on
behalf of erstwhile Disaster Management Bureau will be transferred to the
D. All records, files, papers and documents maintained by erstwhile Disaster
Management Bureau will be transferred to the Department of Disaster
Management and the latter will preserve such records and documents as per
the Government rules and procedures.
E. Subordinate and branch offices set up under the Disaster Management
Bureau in whatever name they may be called and wherever they may be
located will continue to function as subordinate and branch offices under
the Department of Disaster Management till such time new subordinate and
branch offices are set up under this Act as if they have been established and
set up under this Act.
F. All orders and directives issued by and rules and instruments made by the
erstwhile Disaster Management Bureau will remain in force till such time
new orders and directives are issued and new rules and regulations are made
by the Department of Disaster Management and such orders and directives
as well as rules and regulations will be deemed to have been issued and
made by the Department of Disaster Management.
G. All actions, decisions, trainings and any other programmes initiated by the
erstwhile Disaster Management Bureau will be continued and executed in

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such a manner as though these programmes and initiatives were initiated by

the Department of Disaster Management.
H. Officers and staffs appointed by the erstwhile Disaster Management Bureau
will be treated to have been transferred to Department of Disaster
Management under the same terms and conditions and they will be entitled
to receive pay, allowances and other benefits as before as officers and staffs
of Department of Disaster Management; and
I. The existing service rules and other terms of appointment of the officers and
staffs since transferred from Disaster Management Bureau to Department
of Disaster Management will remain valid until further orders and till such
time their service rules and terms and conditions are repealed or amended
subject to the condition that these officers and staffs will continue to be
guided by their respective service rules as if these rules and terms and
conditions were framed under this Act.
5. The Department will prepare and maintain a combined gradation list as early as
possible for the officers and staffs transferred from the abolished Department as
per subsection (1) and abolished Bureau as per Section (3) after determining their
inter-se-seniority taking into consideration the following:
A. The seniority will be counted from the date of joining in the relevant post;
B. If more than one officer or staff are appointed at a time, the inter-se-seniority
will be determined on the basis of their merit list prepared by the relevant
selection committee or the appointing authority;
C. In respect of promotion, seniority in the promotion post will be counted
from the date the promotion order or the date of notification.
D. If more than one officer/staff are promoted on a particular date, the seniority
in the promotion post will be counted on the basis of their respective
seniority in the feeder post.
E. If on a particular date certain appointments are made by direct recruitment
while others by promotion, the incumbent appointed on promotion will take
seniority over the incumbent appointed on direct recruitment;
F. For determining seniority on the basis of principles enumerated above, if on
a particular date more than one officer or staff is to be considered with the
same service tenure, the date of birth would be the determining factor
implying that one who is senior in terms of age will get seniority over the
others.
Schedule
(See Section (35) and (43))
Emergency actions and responsibilities called for saving lives and properties in
managing disasters
1. Providing for firefighting, search and rescue equipment and keeping those
equipment operational in all hospitals, clinics, community centers, shopping

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malls, cinema halls, restaurants, factories, workshops, go down, etc according to

the risk of fire hazards.
2. Providing for the emergency exits for all hospitals, clinics community centers,
shopping malls, cinema halls, restaurants, factories, workshops, warehouses, etc.
keeping in view the occupant load and the location of the emergency exit which
shall be properly indicated by floor marking.
3. No hindrance/ obstacle shall be created to ensure uninterrupted movement of fire
extinguishing transports and rescue vehicles.
4. Adequate number of life buoy, transistor, whistles, and torch light and other
disaster preparedness tools shall be kept in all riverine transports, sea going
fishing boats and trawlers.
5. With the broadcast of warning signal #4, all water transports below 150 feet
length which are not capable to withstand wind speed of 61 km/h shall
immediately return to a safer shelter.
6. No obstacle or hindrance shall be created in the matter of free flow of water or no
development initiatives shall be undertaken which would cause water logging or
sufferings to the general public.
7. Danger signals shall be inscribed on the electric poles and establishments with
high risk and sensitivity.
8. No highly inflammable chemical or dangerous chemical shall be stored or sold in
any residential premises or common market place without making adequate
arrangements for safe keeping and proper storage.
9. No sand or trees shall be lifted of felled from the coastal areas.
10. Any unnatural situation which is likely to give rise to a disaster event shall be
reported immediately to the Chairman or the Member of a local Disaster
Management Committee or to the nearest Police Station.
11. No hurdle shall be created in carrying out directives in the matter of shifting the
residents and establishments including dwelling houses, shops and business
firms from the foothills to any safer places in pre-disaster, during disaster or post-
disaster situation.
Vim Charan Roy

Additional Secretary (HR)

Urban Hazard Nor’wester
Climate Change : Doha Conference & Bangladesh Thunder/Lightning
Air Pollution River Erosion : A Natural Disaster
Sound Pollution Landslides
Radiation from Mobile Phones Earthquake and Collapse of Walls and Buildings
Industrialization vs. Death of Rivers Heat Wave : A New Face of Nature
Waste Disposal : Unhygienic Future Cold Wave
Sufferings from Tannery Food Safety
City Life and Junk Food Brickfield : Aiding Modernization or Threat to
Road Accident Environment
Fire Accident Death by Drowning
Insecurity at Workplace New Technology : A New Way to Reduce
Flood in City Misfortune
Water logging : The Greatest Disaster for Cities Bangladesh Disaster Management Act 2012 (Full Text)
The views expressed herein should not be taken, in anyway, to reflect the official of
the BDRCS, IFRC and WaterAid.
RED CRESC
H
S
EN
International Federation
GL A D E
T SOCIETY
BAN
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

BD R CS

Bangladesh Disaster Report 2012

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Bangladesh

of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

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Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Bangladesh Meteorological Department

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Gawher Nayeem Wahra

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

The present world is a world of urbanization. Extensive growth of industries, globalization

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012 9

10 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012 11

Recommendations/Some Possible Measure

12 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012 13

Climate Change : Doha Conference & Bangladesh

14 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012 15

disagreement on the issues of providing funding, distribution of compensation received,

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PM 10 Emissions - Dhaka PM 10 Emissions General Sector Distribution - Dhaka

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012 17

PM10 Emissions Activity Distribution - Dhaka

Figure 4: PM10 Emissions Activity Distribution for Dhaka from 1990-2030.

NOX Emissions Activity Distribution - Dhaka

50 Heavy fuel oil

Figure 7: NOX Emissions Activity Distribution for Dhaka from 1990-2030.

18 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Sulphur dioxide SO2

SO2 Emissions, Dhaka SO2 Emissions General Sector Distribution - Dhaka

SO2 Emissions Activity Distribution - Dhaka

Heavy fuel oil

40 Medium distillates (diesel, lightfuel oil)

30 Gasoline and other light fractions of oil

produced when sunrays mix with nitrogen oxide 25

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012 19

Lead Pb: Lead produces high degree of air pollution.

20 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Factories & Industries

Traffic Jam is a Major Problem

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22 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

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24 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Physical Damage Due to Sound Pollution

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012 25

26 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Places with Higher Sound Pollution

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28 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Sound Pollution in Hospital & Educational Institutions

Environment Protection Act, 1995 and 10

fixed at 45 decibel. In a 5-day work week, Points/Places

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30 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Radiation from Mobile Phones

Due to the stiff competition among the mobile phone

Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012 31

General Procedure of Installation of Towers

32 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012

Adverse Effect on Pregnant Women

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34 Bangladesh: Disaster Report 2012