Earthquake in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world. Specialists are expecting a
severe earthquake in this area in near future, which will cause a serious human casualty, damages of
infrastructure and other losses.
Although Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to seismic activity, the nature and the level of this
activity is yet to be defined. In Bangladesh complete earthquake monitoring facilities are not
available. The Meteorological Department of Bangladesh established a seismic observatory at
Chittagong in 1954. This remains the only observatory in the country.
Seismic sources
Since the whole Indian subcontinent is situated on the junction of Indo- Australian plate and
Eurasian plate, the tectonic evaluation of Bangladesh can be explained as a result of collision of the
north moving Indo- Australian plate with the Eurasian plate.

Figure: Tectonic plates

Besides, there are several fault zones active in this junction area, which are the sources of
earthquake. Four major sources of earthquakes in and around Bangladesh were identified by Bolt
(1987): i) Assam fault zone ii) Tripura fault zone iii) Sub Dauki fault zone and iv) Bogra fault zone.
Our study area Sylhet is situated in the Sub Dauki fault zone. The magnitudes of earthquake
suggested by Bolt are given in the table 1 and the fault zones are shown in the figure 2.

Location
Assam fault zone
Tripura fault zone
Sub Dauki fault zone
Bogra fault zone

Table 1: Seismic sources

Probable magnitude in Bangladesh (in Richter
scale)
8.0
7.0
7.3
7.0

Source: Bolt (1987)

Figure: Seismo-tectonic lineaments capable of producing damaging earthquakes (Source:

Banglapedia)

Figure: Fault systems in Bangladesh)

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Figure-4: Seismo-tectonic lineaments capable of producing damaging earthquakes (reproduced

from Ali and Choudhury, 1992)

Figure- 5: Recent earthquake centers

Earthquake zones in Bangladesh

The first seismic zoning map of the subcontinent was compiled by the Geological Survey of India in
1935. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department adopted a seismic zoning map in 1972. In 1977,
the Government of Bangladesh constituted a Committee of Experts to examine the seismic problem
and make appropriate recommendations. The Committee proposed a zoning map of Bangladesh in
the same year.
According to Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC, 1993), Bangladesh is divided into 3
earthquake zones (Figure- 6):
Zone 1: the less risky zone. The Zone-1 comprising the southwestern part of Bangladesh (Jessore,
Khulna and Barisal Districts) is seismically quiet, with an estimated basic seismic co-efficient of
0.04.
Zone2: medium vulnerable zone. Zone-2 comprising the central part of Bangladesh (Dhaka,
Rajshahi, Dinajpur Bogra, Chittagong and Noakhali Districts) represents the regions of recent
uplifted Pleistocene blocks of the Barind and Madhupur Tracts, and the western extension of the
folded belt.
Zone 3:

the most vulnerable zone. Zone-3 comprising the northern and eastern regions of

Bangladesh (Sylhet, Mymensingh and Rangpur Districts) with the presence of the Dauki Fault
system of eastern Sylhet and the deep seated Sylhet Fault, and proximity to the highly disturbed
southeastern Assam region with the Jaflong thrust, Naga thrust and Disang thrust, is a zone of high
seismic risk with a basic seismic co-efficient of 0.08. Northern Bangladesh comprising greater
Rangpur and Dinajpur districts is also a region of high seismicity because of the presence of the
Jamuna Fault and the proximity to the active east-west running fault and the Main Boundary Fault
to the north in India. The Chittagong-Tripura Folded Belt experiences frequent earthquakes, as just
to its east is the Burmese Arc where a large number of shallow depth earthquakes originate. In the
modified zoning map, a part of Chittagong area is included to zone- 3 (Figure- 7).
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Fig.- 6: Seismic Zoning Map of Bangladesh

Seismic Zones
Zone 3 = 0.25g
Zone 2 = 0.15g
Zone 1 = 0.075g

Fig.- 7: Modified Seismic Zoning Map of Bangladesh

Earthquake history in Bangladesh
Reliable historical data for seismic activity affecting Bangladesh is available only for the last 450
years (Gupta et al., 1982). Recently developed earthquake catalogue for Bangladesh and
surrounding area (Sharfuddin, 2001) shows 765 earthquakes with Ms4.0 have occurred from 1865
to 1999 within a 300 km radius of Sylhet City. Among these, there are 28 earthquakes with Ms6.0.
Before the coming of the Europeans, there was no definite record of earthquakes. Following (Table2) is a chronology of important earthquakes from 1548.
Table - 2: List of the major earthquakes in Bangladesh
1548

The first recorded earthquake was a terrible one. Sylhet and Chittagong were violently shaken,
the earth opened in many places and threw up water and mud of a sulphurous smell.

1642

More severe damage occurred in Sylhet district. Buildings were cracked but there was no loss
of life.

1663

Severe earthquake in ASSAM, which continued for half an hour and Sylhet district was not free
from its shock.

1762

The great earthquake of April 2, which raised the coast of Foul island by 2.74m and the
northwest coast of Chedua island by 6.71m above sea level and also caused a permanent
submergence of 155.40 sq km near Chittagong. The earthquake proved very violent in Dhaka
and along the eastern bank of the MEGHNA as far as Chittagong. In Dhaka 500 persons lost
their lives, the RIVERs and JHEELs were agitated and rose high above their usual levels and
when they receded their banks were strewn with dead fish. A large river dried up, a tract of
land sank and 200 people with all their CATTLE were lost. Two volcanoes were said to have
opened in the Sitakunda hills.

1775
May 11
1812

Severe earthquake in Dhaka around April 10, but no loss of life.

Severe earthquake in many places of Bangladesh around May 11. The earthquake proved
violent in Sylhet

winter 1865 Terrible shock was felt, during the second earthquake occurred in the winter of 1865, although
no serious damage occurred.

The Cachar earthquake of 10th Jan. 1869 occurred at 5 hr (GMT) is the first and one of
1869
the most destructive seismic events that northeast of Indo-Bangladesh experienced in
Cachar
the last two centuries. According to the seismic history of the region this zone has
earthquake been the site of high seismic status due to Dauki fault. The main shock was strong
enough to cause the collapse of many local traditional dwellings in shilchar, Monipur
and upper Burma region. In Bangladesh, major damage occurred only in eastern part
of the Sylhet district. The steeple of the church was shattered, the walls of the courthouse
10 Jan

and the circuit bungalow cracked and in the eastern part of the district the banks of many
rivers caved in. The tremor was felt all over the country. The magnitude is estimated to

be 7.5 in the Richter scale. The earthquake is classified as a heavy destruction event
with a focal depth of about 56-Km. Epicenter distance from Dhaka was 250 km. The
isoseismal map of this earthquake is shown in Fig. 7.
14 July
There were no seismographic records available for the Bengal earthquake of 1885.
1885
Only the felt reports and observed damage to buildings, boundary walls, factory
chimney, tomb, cemetery, tower like octagonal mandirs with conical apex, earth
Bengal
fissures and vents were described in the report on the Bengal earthquake by
Earthquake Middlemiss (1885). According to the report this earthquake was felt with violence
throughout the Bengal province. The extent of felt areas extended westward into
Chota Nagpur and Bihar northward into Shikim and Bhutan, and eastward into Assam,
Monipur and Burma. This earthquake caused considerable damages in SirajgongBogra region and perhaps more severe damages in Jamalpur-Sherpur-Mymensing
region. The magnitude is estimated to be 7.0 in the Richter scale. As part of the studies
for the design of Jamuna multipurpose bridge, a thorough analysis of this earthquake
was made by Prof. Bolt of university of California, Berkeley, USA. He concluded that
the epicenter was perhaps near the Bogra fault (24.8 N, 89.5 E) and not near
Manikgong as originally determined by middlemiss in 1885. Epicenter distance from
Dhaka was 170 km.
10 January
1889

Occurred on 10 January with 7.5 magnitude and the epicentre at Jaintia Hills. It affected
Sylhet town and surrounding areas.

Known as the Great India Earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7 and epicentre at Shillong
Plateau. The great earthquake occurred on 12 June at 5.15 pm, caused serious damage to
masonry buildings in Sylhet town where the death toll rose to 545. This was due to the
Great
collapse of the masonry buildings. The area over which the shock was felt amounted to
Indian
not less than 31,20,000 Sq. Km. The tremor was felt throughout Bengal, from the south
Earthquake Lushai Hills on the east to Shahbad on the west. In Mymensingh, many public buildings of the
district town, including the Justice House, were wrecked and very few of the two-storied
brick-built houses belonging to ZAMINDARs survived. Heavy damage was done to the bridges
on the Dhaka-Mymensingh railway and traffic was suspended for about a fortnight. The river
communication of the district was seriously affected (BRAHMAPUTRA). A total of 1542
persons were killed out of which 545 persons were killed in Sylhet district. Loss of life
was not great, but loss of property was estimated at five million Rupees. Rajshahi suffered
12 June
1897

severe shocks, especially on the eastern side, and 15 persons died. In Dhaka damage to
property was heavy. In Tippera masonry buildings and old temples suffered a lot and the total
damage was estimated at Rs 9,000. Epicenter distance from Dhaka was 230 km. The

isoseismal map of great Indian earthquake is shown in Fig. 8.

18 July
Occurred on 18 July with a magnitude of 7.6. The epicenter of the earthquake was located
1918
at the Balisera Valley and part of the Doloi valley of Srimangal, Maulvi Bazar. The
greatest damage occurred in tee garden areas of the Balisera, Doly and Luskerpur
Srimangal valleys. With few exceptions, all brick buildings were found to be destroyed within
Earthquake this area. Water and sand spouted up to a height of several feet and numerous vents
occurred in the ground in various places. Intense damages occurred in Srimangal but
due to shallow focal depth, the intensity rapidly decreased and in Dhaka only minor
effect was observed. Epicenter distance from Dhaka was 150 km.
3 July 1930
Dhubri
Earthquake

Occurred on 3 July with a magnitude of 7.1 and the epicentre at Dhubri, Assam. The
earthquake caused major damage in the eastern parts of Rangpur district. Epicenter distance
from Dhaka was 250 km.

The magnitude of this earthquake was 8.3 in the Richter scale and the epicenter was in
the north of Darbhanga in Bihar. The area of greatest devastation was in north Bihar
and Nepal, but the damage gradually diminished into adjacent province. The shock
Bihar-Nepal was felt by Persians over a distance of up to 1600 Km. It was felt over an area of
Earthquake. approximately 4920000 Sq. Km in India And Tibet. The earthquake affected the three
main geological units of India- the Peninsula, the Gangetic alluvium and the Himalaya
(Dunn et al, 1934). It did not affect any part of Bangladesh. Epicenter distance from Dhaka
15 January
1934

was 510 km.

15 August
1950
Assam
Earthquake

November
21

This earthquake was one of the severest earthquakes of the world. Its epicenter was in
the Arunachal pradesh, northeast of Assam. The tremor was felt throughout
Bangladesh but no damage was reported from anywhere. The magnitude was 8.5 in
the Richter scale (Choudhury, 2002).Epicenter distance from Dhaka was 780 km.
Occurred on 22 November in Chittagong with a magnitude of 6.0. It caused minor damage
around Chittagong town. During this earthquake, 23 people were killed after collapse of

an under construction building in Chittagong. In chittagong may low to middle rise

buildings have suffered minor cracks although major damage has not been observed.
Chittagong The epicenter area (22.225 N, 92.7431 E) is close to Ruma in Bandarban district of
Earthquake Chittagong Hill Tracts region. Epicenter distance from Dhaka was 264 km.
In 1997 a damaging earthquake of body-wave magnitude 5.6 have occurred in
May 8
1997
Bangladesh. It has taken place in early morning of May 8. It caused moderate damage
only in Sylhet area, northeast of capital Dhaka and about 200 Km away. The epicenter
Sylhet
location (24.894N, 92.250E) is close to Kanaighat, a small town in Sylhet region.
Earthquake Extensive damage to brick masonry structures (e.g. police station, Jainta College, etc.)
and cracking of number of buildings (e.g. Sylhet Air Port Building, Grameen Bank
Building at bordal, police station at moulvibazar, etc) in the epicentral region have
occurred and even in the Dhaka city minor cracks is observed in some structures.
1997

Epicenter distance from Dhaka was 210 km.

July 22
1999

Occurred on 22 July at 4.45 p.m. at Maheshkhali Island of Cox;s Bazar with the epicentre in
the same place, a magnitude of 5.2. Epicenter distance from Dhaka was 300 km. Severely felt
around Maheshkhali island and the adjoining SEA. Houses cracked and in some cases
collapsed killing 6 people and injuring 200 people. The main damage has been reported

to be in Shaplapur and Huanok unions. Cracking and spalling in reinforced concrete

column at the beam-column joint of a cyclone center at Dineshpur of Shaplapur was
observed. Several rural houses with mud walls and thatched or tin roof construction
have been severely damage.
This earthquake triggered at 05:17:27 hrs Bangladesh time on July 27, 2003 with a
July 27
2003
magnitude of 5.1, its epicenter was located at Kolabunia village of Borkol thana under
Rangamati district. This earthquake causes damage to several houses and public
Borkol
buildings, two people were reported killed and several hundred were injured. It is
Earthquake reported that this earthquake created panic among the people and one person is killed
of panic. The experts assessment revealed that the hypocenter of the earthquake was to
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be at 22.82 N, 92.30 E the focal depth was 10 Km. The maximum EMS intensity of
this earthquake was estimated as VII (Ansary et al, 2003). Epicenter distance from
Dhaka was 290 km.

The most prominent historical earthquakes affecting Sylhet have been listed in Table 3.
Table - 3: List of the major earthquakes affecting Bangladesh
Name
of
earthquake
Cachar
earthquake
Bengal
earthquake
Great Indian
earthquake
Srimongal
earthquake
Dhubri
earthquake

Magnitude
(in Richter
scale)

Intensity in
Sylhet
(in
EMS scale)

10 January,
1869

7.5

VIII

14 July, 1885

7.0

12 June, 1897

8.7

IX

8 July, 1918

7.6

VII

2 July, 1930

7.1

VI

Date

Location of
epicenter
Jainta,
Assam, India
Bogra,
Bangladesh
Assam basin,
India
Srimongal,
Bangladesh
Dhubri,
Assam, India

Epicentral distance (in

km)
from
From
Sylhet
Dhaka
90

250

235

170

150

230

70

150

195

250

Figure- 6: Borkol earthquake in 2003; Rangamati

Figure- 7: Isoseismal map of Cachar Earthquake 1869 (after Sabri, 2001)

Earthquake in Sylhet
According to Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC-1993), Bangladesh is divided into three
seismic zones and the most severe zone is zone no. 3, which includes the north and northeastern
areas of Bangladesh [4]. Sylhet is the northeastern region of Bangladesh and probability of
earthquake in Sylhet is higher than other areas of this zone. Consequently, a severe destruction may
take place due to earthquake in this region. During the last 150 years, at least 765 earthquakes of
magnitude greater than 4 in Richter scale have affected Sylhet. The epicentral distances from Sylhet
of these earthquakes are less than 400 kilometers. Important earthquakes among these are Cachar
earthquake of 1869 (Magnitude in Richter scale was 7.5), Bengal earthquake of 1885 (7.0), Great
Indian earthquake of 1897 (8.7), Srimongal earthquake of 1918 (7.6), Dhubri earthquake of 1930
(7.1) and Assam earthquake of 1950 (8.5).
The tectonic evaluation of Bangladesh can be explained as a result of collision of the north moving
Indo-Australian plate with the Eurasian plate. The whole Indian subcontinent is situated on the
junction of these two plates. Boundary of these plates passes just along the north and northeastern
boundary of Bangladesh. Also Myanmar and Indian Plates have the predominant tectonic effects on
the north and northeastern parts of Bangladesh. There are several fault zones active in this junction
area, which are the sources of earthquake. Bolt (1987) identified four major sources of earthquakes
in and around Bangladesh: Assam fault zone (Probable magnitude in Bangladesh is 8.0 in Richter
scale), Tripura fault zone (7.0), Sub Dauki fault zone (7.3) and Bogra fault zone (7.0). Sylhet is
situated in the Sub Dauki fault zone. Other fault zones are also very near to Sylhet region. Based on
the historical data, and due to the non-availability of seismo-tectonic data on lineaments and their
level of activity, it is conceivable that the Sylhet region may experience earthquakes with damage
greater than intensity IX (Islam, 2005)
The seismic vulnerability depends on the construction practice in the city and is related to quality of
building stock. The present population of Sylhet city is about 6 lakhs. As a result of high migration
rate, this number is increasing day by day. So, the city is growing at a high rate and obviously,
without proper planning. New slums and high-rise buildings are making the city very crowded.

Recently some studies were performed on probable building damages due to earthquake in Sylhet
city. From the studies it was found that, in Sylhet, a larger proportion of buildings are old, nonengineered, without foundation, without continuous lintel and irregular shaped, which are
vulnerable to earthquake (Ansary, 2002, Ahmed, 2003). On the other hand, most of the new
buildings are unplanned and designed without considering earthquake risk. It is seen from the study
of Ahmed et al. (2005) that the numbers of houses that can be damaged due to earthquake of
intensity EMS VIII, IX, X in ward no. 7 of Sylhet city are 395, 666 and 739 respectively, where the
total number of houses of the area is 1238 . The total floor space of damaged buildings of ward no.
7 was estimated as 566766 sft, where EMS intensity was considered as IX. The study also reveals
that overall economic loss in intensity IX for the entire city due to building damage can be
estimated as 270 million US dollar (app.).
Architectural and engineering measures can reduce significantly the losses due to earthquake. But
there are a lot of buildings in Sylhet, which have been constructed without any consultation, or
supervision of engineers. According to Rahman and Chowdhury (2003), 70% of multistoried
building owners of Sylhet city have no idea about BNBC and 7% of multistoried building owners
constructed their buildings without taking permission from City Corporation. About 44%
multistoried buildings were constructed not properly following the BNBC.
A study on seismic safety of the school and college buildings of the Sylhet city has been carried out
(Ahmed et al., 2011) recently. This study is an outcome of the combination of Rapid Visual
Screening (RVS) survey and Modified Turkish Method. After the work down evaluation,
preliminary assessment is done as it is essential for final structural and non-structural
evaluation.7.55%, 9.31% and 11.36% school and/or college building has been found highly
vulnerable to earthquake when the distance of fault is within 9-15km, 5-8km and less than 4km
respectively.
There are some studies on the loss estimation of life lines of Sylhet city. In the study of Ahmed et
al. (2006) economic loss estimation of water supply pipelines at Sylhet city has been predicted for
scenario earthquakes of intensity IX. All around 204 number of damage point was found incurring
the estimated direct monetary loss of 200 million US dollar for water pipelines for Sylhet city if
secondary effects such as liquefaction and landslide are ignored. Gas pipeline damage loss (direct
monetary loss) due to scenario event equivalent to 1918 Srimangal earthquake was estimated as
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0.24525 million US dollar (Mamun, 2005). Akhter (2007) found out that 99% of electric
transmission line of Sylhet city will be damaged if a IX intensity earthquake is occurred. The
damage length was estimated as 48.65 km. From the study of Ahmed at al. (2010) it was revealed
that the loss for Telecommunication Systems of Sylhet city due to an earthquake equivalent to 1918
Srimangal earthquake will be 18.26 Million Taka. Here telecommunication infrastructures have not
been considered.

References for the last part

1.

2.

3.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Ahmed M., Ansary, M.A., Chowdhury, M.A.I., Ahmed, M.S., Rahman, M. (2005),
Probable building damage by earthquake in Sylhet city. Bangladesh Journal of
Environmental Science, Mymensingh
Ahmed M., Ansary, M.A., Chowdhury, M.A.I., Rahman, M.H., Khan, K.A. (2006),
Probable damage of water pipeline due to earthquake in Sylhet. Bangladesh Journal of
Environmental Science, Mymensingh
Ahmed M., K.M. Khaleduzzaman, N.A. Siddique, S. Islam Ahmed (2011), Earthquake
vulnerability assessment of schools and colleges of Sylhet, a north eastern city of
Bangladesh. Proceedings of CERIE- 2011, SUST, Sylhet
Ahmed, M. (2003), Impact of earthquake: Sylhet perspective
Akhter, F. (2007), Seismic Assessment of Electric Utility Services of Sylhet City. B.Sc.
Engineering Thesis, SUST, Sylhet
Ansary, M. A. (2002), Earthquake damage scenario for Sylhet, Bangladesh
Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) (1993)
Bolt, B.A. (1987), Site specific study of seismic intensity and ground motion parameters for
proposed Jamuna river bridge, Bangladesh. A report on Jamuna bridge study
For details about EQ in Sylhet please see power point presentation

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