The recent tremors should therefore be treated not as isolated events but as a message -- a reminder that nature occasionally sends before delivering its harshest blows.
Earthquake scientists consistently warn that Bangladesh is overdue for a major earthquake. We cannot predict when it will occur -- but we can and must prepare for it. Our future depends on it.
What is needed is neither complacency nor catastrophizing, but a sober, hard-headed assessment of the threat and a realistic and tough-minded plan for how we should deal with it.
Dhaka’s earthquake threat lies in poor construction, not geology. We need to be concerned about and plan soberly for what would happen if a 6.0 quake hits instead of catastrophizing doomsday scenarios.
The November 21 earthquake was unprecedented in our recent memory. What does this mean for the future of the city, how prepared are we, and what needs to be done now?