Since the disastrous cave-in of the roof of a building at Jagannath Hall at Dhaka University in 1985, no such mishaps have occurred in Dhaka until now. The collapsed segment of the students' dormitory was in a dilapidated condition. Thirty-nine students, guests and others lost their lives in that tragic accident.
That there has been no major collapses of old buildings in Dhaka in the last three decades should not prompt people to feel relieved. There are still nearly fifty of such worn-out concrete structures in Dhaka, especially in the older part of the capital. Chittagong and some other large cities also have dilapidated buildings. Many of them are literally unsuitable for residing in.
Although capital Dhaka is four hundred years old, residential buildings began to be constructed here during the British colonial rule. Remnants from the earlier Mughal era began falling into ruin from the late 19th century. Only a few historic relics, like mosques and forts, from this period survive today. It is the British-era mansions, residential houses, churches, etc., that still remain standing. They have endured a number of earthquakes as well as the ravages of time. A lot of these buildings, as well as many erected in the later times, have long been declared hazardous. Despite repeated warnings coming from the authorities concerned, the structures continue to be used by people.
Town planners and architects feel worried. According to them, although Dhaka has yet to see the start of regular mishaps of dilapidated buildings' cave-in, it ought to brace for them. According to expert views, a building is constructed with a maximum length of survival time-frame assigned to it. Few buildings can cross this deadline. Those which do are exceptional cases. Given the 100-150 years' age of these buildings, many of them in Dhaka are set to wear out in the near future. The relevant government departments are surely aware of this fact. Their orders to evacuate these vulnerable structures and slapping prohibitions on residing there prove it. But some people are defiant, and also desperate. They would not move out of these buildings. In a densely populated city, like Dhaka, plagued by chronic housing problems, this tendency to live in the jaws of hazards is nothing unusual. Notwithstanding this, the authorities cannot shirk their responsibility. It's incumbent on them to convince the people of the danger lurking in these dilapidated buildings. They should also explain to the residents the value of the lives of their own and their close ones. A grim aspect of the episode is that these structures include a number of government staff quarters.
When it comes to demolishing dilapidated buildings, a sensitive issue weighs in. A number of urban experts are opposed to the wholesale tearing-down of time-battered structures. They prefer taking the last-ditch efforts to save these buildings and declare them architectural sites. This particular fact brings before us a dilemma: preservation and man's reality-driven needs vis-à-vis safety. The situation is similar to the old clash between the advocates of nature conservation and those championing expansion of human settlements to forests. When it comes to old buildings, the issue directly involves human lives. It overshadows all other reasons placed in favour of saving heritage sites. Preserving or demolishing unusable and hazardous, but also historic, buildings is a sensitive subject. Few will belittle the value of the need for human safety, yet proper preservation of heritage structures has also to be ensured nationally. It's indeed a great dilemma.
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