Earthquake signals and fears
The world is going through a natural disaster. Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, and other natural disasters are happening. The most devastating earthquake among natural disasters. Suddenly the whole area trembled. According to experts, the surface is divided into several layers. Again each layer is divided into multiple plates. When these substantial tectonic plates collide with each other, the bottom of the earth vibrates. And we feel earthquakes on the surface. Volcanoes also cause earthquakes from within the earth’s crust. In some areas, excess water or oil extraction from deep inside the surface causes variation in the surface position. Earthquakes do not have any forecast or early warning.
The recent six-magnitude earthquake in Sylhet has caused panic in the country. The people concerned are looking at this earthquake as a warning of a big earthquake. However, many people in Sylhet are reluctant to accept this earthquake as a natural earthquake. Some say a foreign oil company has repeatedly caused such tremors due to an underground mine explosion for their survey work.
According to the geological structure, Bangladesh is located at three dynamic plates — Indian, Eurasian, and Burmese. Therefore, the two primary sources of energy that have been stored for 500 to 1000 years will come out sooner or later. Eight recent earthquakes in Sylhet indicate that the stored energy has been released. The Earth Observatory has been established at Dhaka University for joint research with Columbia University in the United States. According to the Earth Observatory, the epicenter was reported at Daiki Fault in the Jainta area of Sylhet. The Daiki Fault extends about three hundred kilometers east-west and is covered with silt within Bangladesh. Strong earthquakes have accumulated in the topography of Bangladesh. The way energy has been stored in two regions inside Bangladesh can cause earthquakes up to eight magnitudes for a long time. It can happen once, it can break again, or it can happen again and again. But to what extent it is not possible to realize in advance.
Sylhet at risk of earthquakes in the overall analysis of data. Recent mild earthquakes have exacerbated that level of risk. As a result, an unknown panic has spread. On the one hand, the epicenter of the Sylhet earthquake is just 200 km away from Daiki Point. On the other hand, the Shahbazpur Fault (gap of the underground plate, it is under Habiganj-Comilla area) is also near Sylhet. That is why the risk of earthquakes is very high for Sylhet. Experts say that there are three earthquake risk zones in Bangladesh. Sylhet is the riskiest place in the first zone. A magnitude 8–9 earthquake can occur in this region. According to a 2009 survey conducted by the Disaster Management Program (CDMP), there are 52,000 buildings in the Sylhet region. Of these, 24,000 buildings are at risk of earthquakes. The last major earthquake in the Sylhet region was on June 12, 1897. On the same day, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused extensive damage to 3,75,550 square kilometers of paved buildings. In Sylhet alone, 545 buildings collapsed. Countless people died. That catastrophic earthquake is known in history as the ‘Great Indian Earthquake.’ As such, it is time for a catastrophic earthquake in the Sylhet region, as it could happen again in high-risk areas a century later. As part of a long-term plan to protect the country from possible earthquake damage, it is essential to provide training on how to get to a haven quickly through a combination of planned urbanization and related government-private organizations.