Experts warn of earthquakes in Bangladesh

DHAKA - Scientists at the Dhaka University Earth Observatory have recorded 10 tremors in the last one week and warned that more earthquakes can hit the country anytime.

The warning comes after a moderate quake, whose epicentre was at the India-Bangladesh border, shook parts of Bangladesh last Friday.

Two of the milder ones with the epicentre near the national capital Dhaka and others with the epicentre at Chandpur in southern Bangladesh were also recorded on Eid day, according to the New Age newspaper.

Experts at Dhaka University’s geology department and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology said the intensity of the recent earthquakes measuring between 2.0 and 4.8 on the Richter scale signalled a major earthquake.

They also fear that a major earthquake with the epicentre in and around the capital could hit the country any time, causing devastation.

“As India and Burma tectonic plates are moving towards each other, Bangladesh’s landmass is being squeezed by 6mm every year, which gives adds to strength accumulation within the earth-crust in the Bengal basin,” Syed Humayun Akhter, a professor of structural geology in the university, said.

Experts have also warned that disaster-prone Bangladesh, which has been facing floods and cyclones in the recent past, is not ready to tackle earthquakes.

They say most of the country’s hospitals, police stations, disaster shelters and school buildings that have been set up for disaster relief are themselves not earthquake-proof.