Bangladesh Building Collapse: Damage done, BRAC's response, reforms for the future

I will be working with BRAC in Dhaka (Bangladesh) for my PE experience in the field of microfinance. Dhaka is currently undergoing severe unrest due to police clashes that has led to a death count of 37 so far. In addition, on April 28, a commercial building in Savar near Dhaka collapsed and led to the death of over 800 individuals, marking the largest industrial calamity the nation has seen. The reason for the collapse of the building is that the owner added three additional floors that were not approved. Bangladesh, in specific Dhaka has been the epicenter of many earthquakes in the past of magnitudes of over 5. This, complemented with weak building enforced by the Bangladesh National Building Code has made this threat even worse. To make matters worse, Dhaka is growing fast and is densely populated with 45,508 people per square kilometer. Due to this, any disaster, natural or man-made has an exponential effect in this region. Over 3000 individuals have been rescued so far with the collaborative efforts of the government, community and non-profits such as BRAC. The organization is not only providing immediate relief by rescuing those in the rubble but also working towards long term mitigation through their existing programs such as microfinance, health and nutrition and disaster programs. The organization is also providing psychological counseling for those who have been traumatized. Sir Fazle Abed's take on this incident is on a more institutional level wherein he asks for collective action amongst the workers through unions as well as at a policy level. He describes the issue about how the government is influenced by corrupt businessmen and employees who capitalize on weak policies in developing nations such as Bangladesh. He also discusses regulation issues regarding the garment industry and Westerners’ perspective on Bangladeshi products. He claims that Westerners who have inherent negative connotations about Bangladeshi (a former British colony) exports and render these products inferior. He argues that Westerners should not boycott these products or reduce margins but focus rather on better safety standards. In order to reform the mindset, one must unlearn standard colonial infraction to make room for new information. In specific, he argues that the government does not provide proportional resources to the garment industry in Bangladesh that employs 3 million people but only has 18 individuals that regulate it. This refers directly to the ‘capability approach’ that argues economic growth is simply a mean to human development, not an end. Besides income, HDI also accounts for life expectancy and education levels. This approach requires economic, political and as well as legal changes. As mirrored by Sir Abed, he too begs for longer-term paradigm shift as opposed to band-aids such as financial compensation for the victims and their families. Once the debris from this incident has been cleared, Bangladesh's government, corporations and municipalities should review not only the policies that currently exist but also assess current buildings to ensure that they are up to code (it is likely that several other contractors also indulge in illegal construction for profit). Lastly, it could also be effective to have more stringent policies regarding enforcement of building codes in such volatile regions. Through this incident, it is evident that Bangladesh has the instituions in place to address the aftermath of such an incident. As discussed previously, it would be worthwhile to work towards preventive measures. 

Original Article: http://blog.brac.net/2013/04/responding-to-the-tragedy-in-savar/

Earthquakes in Bangladesh: http://www.academia.edu/429823/Earthquakes_of_Dhaka

The photo above, entitled 'A Final Embrace' depicts a couple found in the rubble of the collapsed building. Original Link here.