BNUS ANNUAL REPORT-2017

BANGLADESH
NETWORK OFFICE FORURBAN SAFETY
BUET, DHAKA, BANGLADESH
Edited By:

Mehedi Ahmed Ansary

April 2018

1

CONTENTS
PART-I: REPORT ON RECENT (2015-2017) STRONGGROUND (EARTHQUAKE) MOTION RECORDS IN AND
AROUND BANGLADESH
3
PART-II: FLASH FLOOD SITUATION DUE TO SUNAMGANJ FLOOD
26
MARCH 28, 2017
PART-III: CYCLONE MORA, 31 MAY 2017
33
PART-IV: ASSESSING EMERGENCY EVACUATION BEHAVIOR OF
READY MADE GARMENTS WORKERS: CASE STUDY OF DHAKA AND
CHITTAGONG, BANGLADESH
39
PART-V: RECENT LANDSLIDE EVENTS IN BANGLADESH
50
PART-VI: RISK ASSESSMENT OF DISPLACED INHABITANT DUE TO
RIVER EROSION AND LOOKING FOR RELOCATION AS ASUSTAINABLE SOLUTION IN LEBUKHALI UNION,PATUAKHALI, BANGLADESH
58
PART-VII: PERFORMANCE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAME
RETROFITTED WITH BUCKLING RESTRAINED BRACE (BRB)
71
PART-VIII: SOFT GROUND IMPROVEMENT AT THE RAMPAL COAL
BASED POWER PLANT CONNECTING ROAD PROJECT IN
76
BANGLADESH
PART-IX: GEOTECHNICAL STABILITY OF COASTAL POLDER OFBHOLA DISTRICT IN BANGLADESH COAST AGAINST CYCLONICSTORM SURGES USING PLAXIS
92
PART-X: DEVELOPMENT OF A RATING SYSTEM FOR RMG FACTORIESOF BANGLADESH BASED ON ACCORD AND ALLIANCE DATA
100
PART-XI: SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENTS OFGAIBANDHA AREA, BANGLADESH
115
PART-XII: REPORT ON STRONG MOTIONS RECORDED BY BRIDGESENSORS AND OTHER ACCELEROMETERS NEAR THE BRIDGE
128
PART-XIII: FIRE AND EARTHQUAKE EVACUATION OF READYMADEGARMENTS (RMG) FACTORIES IN DHAKA: AN ANALYSIS FROMSOCIO-ECONOMIC AND BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE
WORKERS
148

2

PART-I

REPORT ON RECENT (2015-2017) STRONGGROUND (EARTHQUAKE) MOTION
RECORDS IN AND AROUND BANGLADESHBANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Mehedi Ahmed Ansary31. INTRODUCTION
The 4.8 km long Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge connects the eastern and western parts of Bangladesh.
Being the only road and rail link between the two regions, the bridge bears immense economic andstrategic importance for the whole country. But the bridge is located in a seismically active region
that can be subjected to moderately strong earthquakes from a number of sources and special
earthquake protection devices have been used in the bridge. The bridge has been designed for a peakground acceleration of 0.2g due to a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the Bogra fault zone, which isabout 25 to 40 kms from the west end of the bridge, based on study by Bolt (1987).
Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority (JMBA) took necessary steps for the installation of seismic
instruments on and around the Jamuna Bridge. JMBA employed Bangladesh University ofEngineering & Technology (BUET) as the technical consultant for this project. The Installation of
the seismic instruments on the bridge structure and six other free-field (ground) stations wascompleted by Kinemetrics, Inc. USA on July 10, 2003 (BUET, 2003). The Operating and Monitoring
Phase of the project started on July 11, 2003.
In this report the earthquake data recorded by different SMAs for the period (2015 to 2017) has been
compiled for future references.

2. STUDY LOCATIONS
29 SMAs have been deployed by BUET from 2003 to 2005 and these entire digital seismic
measuring devices are located at free-field stations in and around of Bangladesh as shown Figure 1.
Location of Digital Seismic Measuring Device at free-field Station (ETNA) are shown Table 1.
Table 2, Figures 2 and 3 lists and show sensors and recorders installed on the bridge and bore-hole.

4Figure 1 Location of Digital Seismic Measuring Devices (29-ETNA) inand around of Bangladesh

5Table 1 Location of Digital Seismic Measuring Device Station (ETNA)
SL.No

Model

Location

LatitudeLongitude*1

ETNA (BUET)

LGED, Bogra

23.320N

88.450E **2

ETNA (BUET)

LGED, Natore

23.220N

88.350E *3

ETNA (BUET)

Jamuna Bridge West-End

23.280N

88.250E*4

ETNA (BUET)

Jamuna Bridge East-End

23.250N

88.200E *5

ETNA (BUET)

LGED, Mymensingh

25.430N

90.650E*6

ETNA (BUET)

BUET-Dhaka

23.920N

90.250E *7

ETNA (GSB)PWD Office, Satkhira23.850N

88.520E **8

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Ashkona-Hajji camp

23.710N

90.380E **9ETNA (GSB)

Pollice Staff College

23.720N

90.250E

10ETNA (GSB)

GSB-Dhaka

23.750N

90.350E

11

ETNA (GSB)

GSB-Chittagong

22.150N

91.800E

12

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Cox’s-bazar

21.420N

91.890E

13

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Bandarban

22.250N

92.320E

14

ETNA(JIDPUS)

PWD, Rangamati

22.720N

92.380E

15

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Sunamganj

25.070N

91.320E

16

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Sylhet

25.150N

91.250E

17

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Moulvibazar

24.350N

91.720E

18

ETNA(JIDPUS)

PWD, Comilla

23.220N

91.350E

19

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, B.Baria

23.920N

91.250E

20

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Kishoreganj

24.350N

90.920E

21

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Netokona

24.720N

90.650E

22

ETNA(JIDPUS)

Haluaghat, Mymensingh

25.050N

90.250E

23

ETNA(GSB)

PWD, Jamalpur

25.150N

90.120E

24

ETNA(GSB)

PWD, Rangpur

25.800N

89.200E

25

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Lalmonirhat

25.900N

89.350E

26

ETNA(JIDPUS)

PWD, Kurigram

25.600N

89.800E

6SL.NoModel

Location

LatitudeLongitude

27

ETNA (GSB)

PWD, Panchagarh

26.150N

88.250E

28

ETNA(GSB)

PWD, Meherpur

23.750N

88.620E

29

ETNA(JIDPUS)

AEC, Ruppur

23.420N

88.750E30

ETNAInside the Jamuna Bridge

Note shaded ETNAs are out of order and needs replacement
Table 2: List of sensors and recorders installed on the bridge and bore-hole
K2 DataSensor Type
Channel Orient-ation
Sensor Location
Label
Recorder Label
JAMUNAlocated insidebridge deck near
Pier P10

MEGHNAlocated insidebridge deck near
Pier P10

SURMA locatedinside bridge decknear Pier P10

Displacement

D1

X

Displacement

D2

Y

Displacement

D3

Y

Across Expansion Joint
between Piers P7 and P8

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR9

Z

Pile Cap at Pier P9

EPI Biaxial
Accelerometer

BR10

X

Deck at Pier P9

BR11

Y

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR4

Z

Pile Cap at Pier P10

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR8

Z

Deck at Pier P10

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR12

X

Deck at Midspan between
Piers P9 and P10

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR13

X

Deck at Midspan between
Piers P10 and P11

BR1

X

BR2

Y

BR3

Z

BR5

X

BR6

Y

BR7

Z

AB1

X

EPI Triaxial
Accelerometer

AB2

Y

AB3

Z

Borehole
Triaxial
Accelerometer

BH1

EW

BH2

NS

BH3

Z

EPI Triaxial
Accelerometer
EPI Triaxial
Accelerometer

PADMA located atwest abutment

7

Across Isolation System atPier P10

Pile Cap at Pier P10

Deck at Pier P10

West Abutment
Borehole near West End(58 m depth)Note:
X means orientation across the bridge (transverse direction)
Y orientation parallel to the bridge (longitudinal direction)
Z means vertical direction

3. EARTHQUAKE DATA ANALYSIS
There are some custom-made softwares that came with the instruments to operate and monitor thewhole system. One can also interact with the instruments (i.e., K2s) using the software called Quick
Talk and change the settings. Quick Talk and Quick Look may be also used for downloading or
viewing the incoming data without any processing. After the sensors were connected, they had to go
through the Functionality Test done with the operating software. Then they had to be corrected forany offsets in the readings. Once all of these are done for each of the sensors, the system was ready.
It was tested to see if data from all the channels are reaching the recorders, if they are set at real timethrough GPS. The GPS are set at UTC time as stated in the original documents. The system is suchthat each of the sensors can be configured separately, but they were kept the same at the beginning.
Each sensor can be set to trigger the whole system. The trigger value for the twenty two free-field
ground accelerometers was set at 0.5% of g (5 cm/sec2). Whenever the acceleration exceeds thetrigger value, automatic data recording will take place. To process, analyze and interpret the data, thesoftware called Strong Motion Analyzer (SMA) is used. One can perform necessary filtering,corrections and plotting of the signals received from the sensor. This accelerometer gives data inNorth-South, East-West and Up-Down direction. Also Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA), PeakGround Velocity (PGV), Peak Ground Displacement (PGD) and Ground Motion Orbit are shown for
all the earthquake recorded by the SMAs and ETNAs according to the Table 3 and Figure 4.
Table 3: Some recent (2015-2017) earthquakes in and around Bangladesh
SL
No.
1

2
3
4

5

Date
25-04-2015(6:11:25
UTC)

Name of the
Earthquake
Nepal EQ

Epicentre

Magnitude

28.100N,84.600E36
km E of Khudi,
Nepal

7.8

Depth
(km)
8.2

Stations Recordedin Bangladesh
BR1-BR7 on thebridge, Bogra,
BUET, JMB West,
Natore, PSC,
Ruppur and Sylhet
Natore25-042015(6:45:2
1 UTC)
26-04-2015(7:09:10UTC)
27-042015(12:35:
53UTC)

Nepal EQ
(after shock)44km E of Lamjung,
Nepal

6.6

10

Nepal EQ
(after shock)

6.7

22.9

5.1

31.7

Bogra, BUET, JMB
West, PSC and
RuppurBogra

12-05-2015

Nepal EQ

27.771N, 86.017E21
km SSE of Kodari,Nepal
26.864N 88.055E
13 km ESE of Ilam,
Nepal(Near Darjheeling)
27.809N 86.066E

7.3

15

Bogra, JMB West,

Nepal EQ
(after shock)

8

6
7
8

(07:05:19UT
C)
02-06-2015(22:09:08UT
C)
03-01-2016(23:05:22
UTC)
13-04-2016(13:55:17(after shock)Assam EQ

24-08-2016(10:34:54

1003-01-2017(9:09:02
UTC)

Natore and Ruppur
3.9

10

Kurigram
BR9-BR11 & D1 on
the bridge andNetrokona
Bogra, JMB West,
Kurigram and
RuppurMonipur EQ

24.804N,93.650E
30km W of Imphal,
India

6.7

55

MyanmarEQ

23.094N,
94.865E 75 km
SE of Mawlaik
20.923N,
94.569E 26 km
W of Chauk

6.9

136

6.8

82

Bogra and
Khagrachari24.015N,
92.018E20 km ENE
of Ambasa, India

5.7

32

Comilla and
Hazicamp

UTC)
919km SE of Kodari,Nepal
25.800N 89.900E
Dubri, Assam

Myanmar
EQ

UTC)
ID-BD
BorderFigure 2: Location of sensors on the bridge

9

Figure 3: Location of different types of accelerometer

Figure 4. Locations of the recorded earthquakes

10

15

EW-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 110 120 130 14090

100 110 120 130 14090

100 110 120 130 140

Time (s)4

EW-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)3
2.5
2EW-D (cm)

1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
-3
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)Recorded ground motion at Bogra due to 25th April Nepal EQ (EW component)

11

15

NS-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 110 120 130 14090

100 110 120 130 14090

100 110 120 130 140

Time (s)4NS-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)
3
2.5
2
1.5

NS-D (cm)

1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
-3
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)Recorded ground motion at Bogra due to 25th April Nepal EQ (NS component)

12

15

UD-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 110 120 130 14090

100 110 120 130 14090

100 110 120 130 140

UD-V (cm/s)

Time (s)
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
-3
-3.5
-4
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)3
2.5
2UD-D (cm)

1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
-3
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)Recorded ground motion at Bogra due to 25th April Nepal EQ (UD component)

13BograEQ.xls
25042015-1318PM
15

10

NS-A (cm/s2)

5

0

-5

-10

-15
-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

EW-A (cm/s2)

Recorded ground motion orbit at Bogra due to 25th April Nepal EQ

14

BograEQ.xls

25
20
15

EW-A (cm/s2)

10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

Time
6

4

EW-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time
6

4

EW-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time

Recorded ground motion at JMB West due to 25th April Nepal EQ (EW component)

15

20

15

NS-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

Time
6

4

NS-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time
6

4

NS-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time

Recorded ground motion at JMB West due to 25th April Nepal EQ (NS component)

16

20

15

UD-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

Time
6

4

UD-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time
6

4

UD-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

140

Time

Recorded ground motion at JMB West due to 25th April Nepal EQ (UD component)

17

JMB-WESTEQ.xls
25042015-1214PM
25

20

15

NS-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20

-25
-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

EW-A (cm/s2)
Recorded ground motion orbit at JMB West due to 25th April Nepal EQ

18

25

20

15

EW-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180

Time
8

6

EW-V (cm/s)

4

2

0

-2

-4

-6

-8
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180

Time
3

2

EW-D (cm)

1

0

-1

-2

-3
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180

Time

Recorded ground motion at Natore due to 25th April Nepal EQ (EW component)

19

20

15

NS-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180

Time
8

6

NS-V (cm/s)

4

2

0

-2

-4

-6

-8
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180

Time
3

2

NS-D (cm)

1

0

-1

-2

-3
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180

Time

Recorded ground motion at Natore due to 25th April Nepal EQ (NS component)

20

NatoreEQ.xls
25042015-1216PM
20

15

10

NS-A (cm/s2)

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

EW-A (cm/s2)
Recorded ground motion orbit at Natore due to 25th April Nepal EQ

21NatoreEQ.xls

20

15

EW-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

70

80

90

100

110

120

70

80

90

100

110

Time
6

4

EW-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Time
3

2

EW-D (cm)

1

0

-1

-2

-3
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

120

Time

Recorded ground motion at Rooppur due to 25th April Nepal EQ (EW component)

22

20

15

NS-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

70

80

90

100

110

120

70

80

90

100

110

120

Time
6

4

NS-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Time
4

NS-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Time

Recorded ground motion at Rooppur due to 25th April Nepal EQ (NS component)

23

20

15

UD-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

70

80

90

100

110

120

70

80

90

100

110

120

Time
6

4

UD-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Time
4

3

UD-D (cm)

2

1

0

-1

-2

-3

-4
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Time

Recorded ground motion at Rooppur due to 25th April Nepal EQ (UD component)

24

RUPPUREQ.xls
25042015-001354PM
20

15

10

NS-A (cm/s2)

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

EW-A (cm/s2)
Recorded ground motion orbit at Ruppur due to 25th April Nepal EQ

25

20

PART-II

FLASH FLOOD SITUATION DUE TO
SUNAMGANJ FLOOD MARCH 28, 2017

BANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Maruf Billah
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary26

Heavy rainfalls as well as onrush of water from the upstream Meghalaya hills in India have led to theinundation of a vast areas of croplands of Haors and low-lying areas of the northeast. Flood started
on 28th March affecting six districts (Sylhet, Moulavibazar, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Netrokona andKishoreganj) in the north east region. Rising water overflow and breeched embankment in many
places and inundated vast areas of croplands.

Figure 1: Flash Flood Affected Districts (Source DDM report)
Impact of Flash Flood:
This flood caused huge damage to crop production.

Rising riverwater overflowed andbreached
embankment

Farmers lost
potential crop –640,680 MT
rice2
160,170 Hectare
croplandinundated1

Food se curity
declineDay labors lost
192,204,000
person day work3

Coping: farmers use savings, lowinterest loans,deplete assets/sell
product at lower
price and reduce
consumption of
non-essential
products4

Coping: day labor use reduction inessential
consumption, help
from friends, andhigh interest loans4

Detailed
Impact Scenario
1 Source- Reports of DDM, DAE April 01, 04 and 05, 2017, national dailies (the daily Star, Dhaka Tribune, Daily
Janakantha, Samakal, April 08, 12 and 13, 2017.
2 Estimated production of 4 T per hectare as suggested by the Ministry of Agriculture
3 Estimated 120 person/day for harvesting boro rice from one hectare of crop field (Situation repot of nirapod).
4 Final Draft National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) of Bangladesh 201527

Table 1: Detail impact scenario of flash flood 2017
House hold damage

No. ofUpazillaNo. ofaffectedUpazilla

Impact on
Agriculture (hac)No. ofaffectedfamily(non ag)

No. ofaffectedfamily(farmer)No. ofaffectedfamily(fisherman)

Partial

Full

Total

Kishorega
nj

13

8

47347

50000

152481

51092

-

-

-

Habiganj

8

8

57020

29000

77066

-

1308

248

1556

Sylhet

13

13

64454

50000

108541

9653

-

-

-

Sunamganj1111166612150000277188

44445

-

-

-

Moulaviba
zar

7

7

18898

1000

50620

13400

5910

891

6801

District
nameSource: department of Disaster Management Report, 28 April 2017

Sunamganj district has been affected most extensively. The Department of Agricultural Extension ofSunamganj has published the details of crop damage in the district
Table 2: Detail Impact of flash flood in Sunamganj district
UpazilaTotal area under

Damage ofRemarkboro cultivation

standing crop in(Hec.)

boro fields (Hec.)

Dharmapasha

31,80018,610

Ajarkhali, Shoytankhali, Marardair, Haldirbodh,
Ulashkhali and Balrampur embankments weredamagedSadar

16,20010,300Tolakhalu and Teukhali embankment weredamagedTahirpur

18,4007,610

Alamkhali, Doronbadh and Mahalia were affectedSouth
Sunamganj

22,275

5,560

Shallardair embankment was damaged

Jagannathpur

20,207

12,190

Burakhali, Tanguar, Betauka, Falgida, Demakhali
and Katagang embankment collapsed and water
loggedDirai

28,0006,740

Kadirpur, Tufankhali, Baram, Tangni and
Boishakhi embankment were damaged

Shalla22,0002,120

Joaria embankment were damaged

Doara Bazar

13,6806,930

Chatak

14,2409,830

Water logged due to damage of Lakhsmibaul

28

embankment
Jamalganj

25,1906,010

Water logged due to damage of Kalibari Point

Biswamvarpur

11,0905,790

Gondamara and Jiragtaherpur embankment
collapsed

Total

229,082

91,690Source: Department of Agriculture Extension, Sunamganj, April 04, 2017

Government Response of Flash Flood in 2017
The Government’s assistance to the flood affected people included cash grant, food aid and othermaterials. DDM report on Government response is given below:
Table 3: Government responce of flash flood 2017
Districts

Response

Sylhet

500 MT. G.R. rice and BDT. 1,000,000 G.R. cash have been supplied in responseto the Demand Note

Sunamganj

60,000 M.T, of G.R. rice, BDT. 255,000 G.R. cash and 185 bundle of Corrugate
iron sheet have been stored in Sunamganj district

Habiganj

50 MT. G.R. rice and BDT. 100,000 G.R. have been supplied in response to the
Demand Note

Kishoreganj

100 MT. G.R. rice and BDT. 200,000 G.R. cash is sent. 100 MT. G. R. rice havebeen supplied in response to the Demand Note

Netrokona

100 MT. G.R. rice and BDT. 500,000 G.R. cash is sent. BDT 1.0 million havebeen supplied in response to the Demand Note

Moulavibazar

50 MT. G.R. rice and BDT. 100,000 G.R. cash have been supplied in response to
the Demand Note
Source: DDM Reports, April 05 and 07, 2017

Role of Water Development board During This Incidence:
The people set afloat by the flash floods of the haor areas are not blaming their luck and blaming theWater Development Board. They were supposed to build embankments before the rains came but
they did not. (The Daily Star, 3th May 2017)
This claim is definitely easy to believe once anyone drive a few kilometers away from the tiny
provincial town of Sunamganj and see the water. The water stretches on as far as the eyes can see,brilliant in the summer sun. Calmer towards the mainland, crashing in waves the deeper into thehaors one go. Where are the dykes the government doled out crores to reconstruct? The Star
Weekend could not independently verify the total budget allocated, but documents obtained showthat the Water Development Board floated tenders worth Tk. 48 crores 49 lakhs at least, tocontractors, solely for the purpose of rebuilding the dams.
29

Mohammed Siddik Ali, a farmer of Tahirpur Upazila, had waited for the promised dykes before herealised they weren't happening, and picked up the shovel himself. (The Star Weekend, 5th may2017).
But at first the water development board totally ignored the blame. In 23th April 2017, Water
Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud said his ministry has nothing to do at this moment but
learn lessons from the catastrophe in the haor areas. Terming the flash flood “completely different”,
the minister said the flood happened as water overtopped the dam. Although flash floods happen inthis region, this time the flood hit earlier than usual, he added.
Regarding allegation of corruption through various projects of the Water Development Board in thehaor area, the minister said “We are working on it. Especially with the paperwork whether there are
any irregularities in payment and other issues. If we find any allegation to be true, stern action will
be taken.” (The Prothom Alo, 23th April 2017).
But earlier Deputy Assistant Engineer of Water Development Board in Dharampasha upazila Ali
Reza said they gave budget allocation in time, but the work could not start as the members of the
project committee were changed (The daily Star, 27th February 2017).
Then in 5th may the director general of Anti- Corruption Commission claims Bangladesh Water
Development Board (BWDB) officials for irregularities in the construction and maintenance ofembankments in Sunamganj haor that eroded in early flash floods about a year ago. “We've beenable to find through our quizzing that in the construction of embankments, Bangladesh Water
Development Board showed gross negligence,” he added. The Anti- Corruption boss also added that,for years, embankments in hoar areas have been damaged by floodwater, submerging low-lying areas
and affecting crops. Locals often blame negligence and corruption in the construction of theembankments. The ACC sent a letter to the water resources ministry in April last year when theeroded embankments gave way to floodwater. It asked the ministry to investigate the matter. The
ministry was also asked to submit a report in this regard within 10 working days.
The the ministry, in its reply sent to the ACC in the last week of February this year, said theembankments were damaged by rats making holes. The commission didn't find the reply satisfactory.
(The Daily Star, 5th May 2017).
Conclusion
Floods in these haor areas caused huge damage to boro crop. Since the area significantly contributes
to the national food production, overall food security of the country may experience negatively as aconsequence. Whatever the reason is, focuses should be on helping the affected people to cope withthe losses.

30

Sunamganj Flood on FrameMedia Coverage
Sunamganj farmers face Tk1,500cr loss due to flash flood
Sunamganj district Agricultural Extension Department’s Deputy Director Jahedul Haque has said theHaor famers have incurred around Tk1500 crore losses as the flash flood damage the Boro paddy of
1,50,000 hectares.
See details: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/04/27/sunamganj-farmers-facetk1500cr-loss-due-flash-flood/
At least a 100,000 hectares of Boro has gone under water in the flash flood in the last few days'
31Traders believe the high price of rice is set to continue after recent flash floods in the northeastern
wetlands destroyed more than 200,000 hectares of mature Boro paddy.
See details: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/04/08/flash-flood-haors-mayworsen-rice-price-hike/Flash flood ravages Sunamganj's Paknar Haor backswamp"The backswamp was in precarious condition due to the flash flood and heavy rains. The
embankment collapsed after the water level rose," said Jahedul Haque, deputy director of
Department of Agricultural Extension in Sunamganj.
See details: http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/04/24/flash-flood-ravages-sunamganj-s-paknarhaor-backswamp
Paddy production hit by flood in the Haors
Paddy production is at peril in the Haors and low-lying areas of of the northeast as heavy rainfalls aswell as onrush of water from the upstream Meghalaya hills in India have led to the inundation of avast areas of croplands.
See details: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/04/08/paddy-production-hitflood-haors/

32

PART-IIICYCLONE MORA, 31 MAY 2017
BANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Tasnim Tarannum Isaba
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary33Introduction:
Severe Cyclonic Storm Mora (Thai, meaning "agate")(Royal institute dictionary) was a tropical
cyclone that caused widespread impacts across Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Northeast India in May 2017. The second named storm of
the annual cyclone season, Mora developed from an area of low pressure over the southeastern Bay
of Bengal on May 28. It quickly strengthened and was named Mora early the next day. Heading
north-northeastwards towards Bangladesh, Mora continued to intensify and was upgraded to a severe
cyclonic storm before May 31. Soon after, Mora reached peak strength with maximum sustained
winds of 110 km/h (70 mph). Maintaining its intensity, the cyclone made landfall near Chittagong on
the morning of May 30 and steadily weakened over land, dissipating early on the next day.

Figure 2: Projected track of cyclone mora
Meteorological History of Mora
In late May 2017, an area of convection began to organize in the Bay of Bengal under favorable
conditions characterized by low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures (Joint Typhoon
Warning Center, May 26, 2017). The conducive environment allowed for the development of rainbands and the beginnings of a circulation on May 27 (Joint Typhoon Warning Center, May 27,2017).That same day, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) noted the high likelihood of
the low pressure area organizing into a tropical depression (Tropical Weather Outlook 27 May
2017). Similarly, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a tropical cyclone formation alert on the
disturbance at 14:30 UTC May 27, citing the persistent thunderstorm activity and consolidating
center of circulation; (Joint Typhoon Warning Center, May 27, 2017) the JTWC classified the
disturbance as a tropical cyclone roughly six hours later as it continued to intensify. At the time, thestorm's motion was influenced primarily by a nearby subtropical ridge, forcing the system to take anorth-northeasterly track
It rapidly strengthened on 28 May with the IMD classifying it as a Depression and subsequently as a
Deep Depression on the same day, designating it BOB 02. In the early hours of 29 May, the IMD
reported the storm to have reached Cyclonic storm intensity, naming it Mora. The storm followed anorth-northeasterly track parallel to Myanmar coast. Shortly before landfall, the storm reached its
peak intensity as a severe cyclonic storm with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a minimum central
34

pressure of 978 hap (mbar).The JTWC analyzed it having reached category 1 hurricane strength withwinds of 75 mph (120 km/h) on the same day. The storm made landfall at peak intensity on thesouthern coast of Bangladesh near Chittagong at 11:30 UTC (IST 6:00 am). After landfall the storm
steadily weakened due to land interaction and dissipated into a well-marked low pressure area
over Meghalaya on 31 May.
Preparedness
With Mora's relatively rapid intensification, Bangladeshi authorities were hard pressed to carry out
evacuations and prepare for the storm. Maritime weather alerts were issued for the Bangladeshi portsof Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra, under the anticipation of a 1.2 to 1.5 m (4 to 5 ft)
storm surge (The Daily Star. May 29, 2017). All flights out of the Shah Amanat International
Airport of Chittagong were suspended (BBD News, May 29, 2017). City-wide, 500 shelters wereopened. Authorities attempted to evacuate 1 million people prior to landfall (British Broadcasting
Company, May 29, 2017) though as of May 29, only 300,000 had done so (CNN, Retrieved May
29, 2017).

Figure 3: Dissemination of early warning by CPP volunteers
A total of 500,000 people managed to move out of coastal areas before the storm made landfall on
May 31. A multitude of tropical cyclone warnings and watches were issued for much of southern
Bangladesh and the districts of Northeast India. Strong winds and storm surge battered buildings anddestroyed farmlands across Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, and Rangamati, with at least 20,000 houses
damaged in refugee camps for Rohingya Muslims displaced by conflict in neighboring Myanmar. As
of May 31, nine people were reported to be killed across Bangladesh, mostly due to falling trees(CNN, 30 May 2017).
Response and Relief
Just days before Cyclone Mora struck Bangladesh’s South West coastline, the Red Crescent initiatedits cyclone contingency plan and activated its emergency control room to respond to the imminent
disaster. Around 55,000 Cyclone Preparedness Programme volunteers and 800 Red Crescent Youthvolunteers were out in full force in 15 of the country’s coastal districts to disseminate early warnings
in communities and help evacuate those living in the path of the storm. A day before the Cyclone
struck Bangladesh, the national society also distributed a cash grant of 5000 takas (60 euros) to 2,300
35

households in Noakhali district under a Forecast Based Financing project supported by the German
Red Cross. The Red Crescent distributed dry food supplies to around 25,000 people after the cyclone
made landfall on 30 May 2017. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red CrescentSocieties (IFRC) earlier released its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to provide food andother emergency relief items to people taking refuge in temporary shelters (IFRC report, 15 June2017).

Figure 4: People evacuated to cyclone shelter after the warning arise

Figure 5: Dissemination of relief by Red Cross
United Nations agencies were also on the ground and actively supporting the Government and civilsociety to restore services and provide emergency supplies to those affected. The United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) provided emergency hospital tents to the affected
camps, and was aiming to provide waterproof plastic sheeting to affected families. The International
Organization for Migration (IOM) provided shelter and emergency healthcare, and was supervising
repairs to damaged health facilities and sanitation services (latrines). The World Food Programme
36

(WFP) provided emergency food rations and large quantities of dry biscuits until regular foodsupplies resume. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supplied hygiene kits, water
purification tablets, and recreation kits for affected refugee and migrant children. The United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA) continues to provide high-quality medical care to pregnant women, newmothers and their newborn children in the camps (WFP report, 13 June 2017).
The Government of Bangladesh has already allocated 15,000,000 BDT (USD 8.53 million) and
1,400 MT of rice to cyclone-affected districts. The Bangladesh navy deployed two ships to remoteislands to distribute aid. The World Food Programme has 122 metric tons of biscuits available in theregion, and is distributing these in makeshift camps and settlements. The International Organization
for Migration is distributing plastic sheets, rope and other items to people with severe shelter damage
in Balukhali. UNHCR is distributing plastic sheeting and other items in camps housing refugees andother displaced persons. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) has
mobilized USD $107,000 from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to provide emergency
food, drinking water, storage, and shelter materials.
Impact of Cyclone Mora
Cyclone Mora made landfall on Bangladesh’s coastal region at 6 am on 30 May, with heavy rain andwinds estimated at 160 km/h. Initial assessments are that 2,811,465 people have been affected across
12 high-risk costal districts. Nearly 350,000 people were evacuated on 29 May from affected areas
on the southern coast. Houses and properties have been damaged, and roads and telecommunications
were partially disrupted in Cox’s Bazar. Continued rain is expected which will exacerbate thesituation for those whose homes have been destroyed. Two villages in Cox’s Bazar and three villages
in Chittagong have been flooded.

Figure 6: water entrance in the affected areas37

According to the National Health Crisis Management Centre and Control Room of the Directorate
General of Health Services (DGHS), there have been reports of two casualties so far. It is reported
that 70% of the houses in Saint Martin Island and around 3,000 houses in Ukhiya and Teknaf havebeen damaged. Eleven children are reported to have been injured during the cyclone due to thefalling trees and torn tin roofs.
Cox’s Bazar hosts approximately 400,000 Undocumented Myanmar Nationals (UMN) including
74,000 newly arrived Rohingyas following the recent tensions in Myanmar. According to a UMN
community leader, around 10,000 huts in Kutupalong camp and Balukhali settlement have been
destroyed. Many UMNs have taken shelter at learning centres supported by UNICEF and UNHCR in
makeshift settlements and official camps (UNICEF, 1 June 2017).

Figure 7: Cyclone destroyed rohingya refugee camp
According to the National Health Crisis Management Centre and Control Room of the Directorate
General of Health Services (DGHS), reports the casualties to have at 6 lives lost, 136 injured, andGovernment report figured around 200,000 people displaced. The Indian navy ship Sumitra rescued
27 people who were found adrift at sea over 100 miles away from Chittagong. Government sources
have estimated that approximately 52,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, leaving 260,000
people in possible need of shelter. Cox’s Bazaar district was particularly heavily hit, withapproximately 17,000 residences damaged. Housing for undocumented Myanmar nationals near
Cox’s bazaar was severely damaged. Rohingya refugees are currently without reliable shelter, food,and fuel, and may also lack dry space to cook. Electricity has been disrupted in Bandarban district
and many upazillas. Roads and communication networks in remote parts of Bandarban district havebeen interrupted and will take additional days to recover.

38

PART-IV

ASSESSING EMERGENCY EVACUATIONBEHAVIOR OF READY MADE GARMENTS
WORKERS: CASE STUDY OF DHAKA AND
CHITTAGONG, BANGLADESHBANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Maruf Billah
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary

39

Background

Bangladesh is a developing country with many challenges and profitable sectors. Among all theother sectors readymade garments industries are the most highlighted one in recent decades. Despite
such phenomenal success in remittance earning and employment potential, this sector has
experienced some worst industrial accidents in the history. The loss of 1,136 lives when Rana Plaza
collapsed on 24 April, 2013 created a worldwide concern for workplace safety in Bangladesh (ILO,
2015). In addition to building characteristics, the behavioral and socio-economic characteristics ofthe occupants or workers can also have a strong influence on the evacuation strategies during
complex situations, including fire and earthquake events. Most evacuation models focus primarily on
evacuation movement, ignoring the prediction of behaviors that occupants perform before and during
evacuation movement that can delay their safety, such as fighting the fire or helping others(Kuligowski, 2008). The time to start the evacuation is highly dependent on the ability of occupants
to hear the alarm. The characteristics of gender, age and limitations presented little impact on thetiming and movement during evacuation (National Research Council Canada, 1994). On building
exits, evacuation time can be reduced by utilizing a high flow rate in the exit design (National
Bureau of Standards (USA), 1935). Based on the purported successful evacuation time in a 1911
theatre fire in Edinburgh, evacuation time for buildings was specified to be 2.5 min (Her Majesty
Stationery Office, 1952). In Bangladesh negligence of the authorities in preparing an emergency
situation work plan and rehearsing it in regular basis came out as major reasons for such catastrophic
disasters (Qurratul-Ain-Tahmina and Khadiza Khanam (2001). It is also found that cause of death isusually not the fire directly. Most of workers have died due to stampede, locked exit route,inadequate number of stairs, deliberately blocked pathways, smoke and suffocation (Akther,
Salahuddin, Iqbal, Malek, & Jahan, 2010). Different studies have been conducted based on the
structural assessment of garments factories, especially after the Rana Plana incident. Evacuation
behavior for the garments industry workers during fire or earthquake has not been analyzed yet. A
comprehensive human behavior model is needed to simulate occupant behavior during fire or
earthquake evacuation. This study has taken an approach to analyze the socio-economic
characteristics of workers in RMG industries in relation to their evacuation behavior during fire or
earthquake events with analyzing the existing evacuation arrangements and vulnerability of garments
workers. The perception of workers on earthquake or fire events has been included and data has beencollected from questionnaire survey.

40

Sample Size Calculation
The Study follows a sampling method named as Yamane’s formula for collecting data in two
respective readymade garments industries.
Yamane’s formula is: n=
Where, n= Sample sizeN
1+N*(e)2

N= Population size
e= Level of precision or sampling error.
According to the formula, sample size of two garments industry is n =3200
1+3200*(0.042)2=

482
For sampling level of precision or sampling error up to 5% is considerable but here 4.2% has beenused for more accuracy. As the sample size was 482 respondent but 490 respondent have beensurveyed to avoid messing data.
Study Area Profile
The study area of the research is two different garments factories from two different locations Dhaka
and Chittagong, major two cities of Bangladesh. One of them is in the EPZ area with better facilities
and another is outside the EPZ.

41

Fig: Location of Pearl Garments Savar Dhaka.

Fig: Location of Univogue garments EPZ Chittagong

42

Socio Economic Condition and Education Level
Socio economic condition and level of education have great influence on human behavior ingarments sector like Bangladesh, where garments sector has become so popular for availability ofcheap labor. Most of the worker either have come from low or middle income family to develop theireconomic condition nor have come from the rural part of the country for better living condition. As
an over populated country job opportunity in Bangladesh is so difficult and garments are thecommon target for those jobless who have less qualification and badly in need of economic support.
On the other hand garments industries taking this opportunity to have some cheap labor. The
respondent from two surveyed industries reflect the real condition of the garments workers in
Bangladesh.
Table: Description of livelihood income of respondents
Description

Less

Tk.

Tk

than Tk. 60,001 to 120,001
60,000Tk.

Tk.

Over Tk.

180,001

240,001

300,001Tk.

to120,000

180,000

240,000

300,000

Tk. toTk. to

Tk.

Pearl

Male

.0%

75.3%

14.1%

3.5%

3.5%

3.5%

garments

Female

1.0%

94.7%

3.9%

.0%

.5%

.0%

Dhaka

Total

.7%

89.0%

6.9%

1.0%

1.4%

1.0%

Univogue

Male

1.3%

33.3%

22.7%

14.7%

12.0%

16.0%

garments

Female

1.6%

50.8%

16.9%

9.7%

10.5%

10.5%

1.5%

44.2%

19.1%

11.6%

11.1%

12.6%

Chittagong Total

Among the respondents 70.8% is female in Pearl garment Dhaka and 62.30% is female in Univogue
garment. And most of the women workers are here to support their low or middle income families.
Education level is another major issue which have a great influence in human behavior. The
education level of the respondents of two garments industries shows that most of them have little orno educational back ground.

4335.00%30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%

40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%

(a)
Male

Female(b)

Total

Female

Male

Total

Fig: Education level of respondents in Pearl garments Dhaka (a) and Univogue garments Chittagong(b)
Most of them are from the primary and junior school level who have no or a little knowledge aboutoccupational health safety, disaster, evacuation and other scientific terminology and only the training
and workshop can help them to skill up themselves. Awareness level of these workers should be
developed so that they can understand the need of evacuation training and procedures and can beconscious what the garments owner are doing for their safety.
Vulnerability Profiling of Working Space Using Venn diagram
For distance calculation from the emergency exit Maximum 30.50 meter has been considered as it
mentioned in EPZ building rules which meant specifically for factory building to be constructed in
the EPZ zone. It is written as a code specifically for factory buildings, although less elaborate thanBidhimala 2008 in many dimension.
Venn diagram analysis has been conducted to analysis the working space vulnerability. Heremaximum option to reach emergency exit has been considered as less vulnerable. The vulnerability
profiling has been classified into four part. The high risk zone, where there is no emergency exit
within 30.50 meter, another portion only 1 emergency exit within 30.50 meter, some space has 2
exits within 30.50 meter and the safest portion has more than 2 exits within 30.50 meter. So theworkers who perform their duty in the high risk space of the working floor have to be faced moredifficulty to evacuate. After performing the vulnerability profiling it can be estimated that, in
Univogue garments most of the working space have at least 1 exits within 30.50 meter except a little
portion near the left and official area, where the garments worker are prohibited. On the other handmost of the working places are in the ground floor which consumes less time during evacuation. But
in the Pearl garments a different scenarios have been seen. Only 2 exits in each floor left a44

considerable portion of working area in high risk zone which mean a portion of the total workers
have to perform their duties in those areas where they have to struggle to evacuate when an
emergency arise. More time will be consumed as 5 storey of working building.

(a)

(b)

Fig: Vulnerability Profiling of Working Space Using Venn diagram in Pearl garments (a) and in
Univogue garments Chittagong (b).
Evacuation Behavior of garments workers
An independent investigation carried out by the Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health andEnvironment Foundation (OSHE) attempted to identify the reasons behind Tazreen fire incident. In
the study it is clear that evacuation behavior of the garments worker have an influence by mid-level
workers and supervisors during the time of emergency evacuation procedure. If the evacuation
behavior of the garments worker is strengthened then a large portion of casualties and damage can be
reduced. To analyze the existing evacuation behavior of the garments workers, an assessment ofawareness level, evacuation plan and evacuation time has been carried out in respective two garment
industries.
UNIVOGUE GARMENTPEARL GARMENTSpectrum Collapse

Spectrum
Collapse

0.50%

Tajreen fire

3.50%

Tajreen fire
31.20%

Rana Plaza
Both Tajreen fire &Rana plza34.70%

20.00%

3.50%
31.20%

Rana Plaza
Both Tajreen fire
& Rana plza30.20%

Above all
0.00%

0.50%

34.70%
30.20%

Above all
0.00%

40.00%

20.00%

Fig: Awareness about the recent garments incidence

45

40.00%

In garments awareness of recent garments industry incidences can have an impact on the evacuation
behavior of workers. Figure reveals that, majority of the workers (56%) are aware of all recent
garments industry incidences, with 36% being aware of both Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza collapse.
In Univogue garments most of the workers are well known about the Rana Plaza as it was a national
issue but other incidence like Sectrum collapse have been slip through from the eyes of most ofthem, a little are known with all the three incidence they have been asked for. Aware ness levelshould be more developed so that the worker can be conscious about their safety and what the(%)

garments owner are doing for them which will useful to develop their evacuation plan.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

90.72

92.44
Shelter in place
Evacuate
Undecided

2.75

1.37

Received safety
training

3.09 1.03 1.03

4.47

0.69 2.06 0.34

Didn't receive safety
training

Received safety
training

Didn't receive safety
training

Earthquake

OthersFire

Fig: Distribution of respondents according to evacuation plan and status of receiving safety training
in fire and earthquake in Pearl garments
It is evident that, maximum respondents said they have received safety training from their employer
in case of earthquake (95%) and fire (97%). In case of an earthquake, maximum respondents(90.72%) who have received safety training preferred to take shelter in place. The percentage ofbeing undecided in both fire and earthquake is higher when respondents didn’t receive any safety
training.
But in case of Univogue garments in Chittagong almost 100% respondent prefer to evacuate
immediately in terms of any kind of disaster, no matter what kind of disaster it is. This variation ofreaction of the responded have come due to difference of structural conditions of two garments. In
case of pearl garments, it is high rise so in term of earthquake works prefer to take shelter in placebecause they may not have enough time to evacuate as earthquake has no early warning. On the other
hand in Univogue garments, most of the workers work in the ground floor so it is easier for them toevacuate no matter what kind of emergency it is.
Structural vulnerability or difference not only have the influence on evacuation plan but also on
evacuation time and the assessment which has been carried out is an example of that.

46

TIME TO REACH THE EMERGENCY
EXIT
5%121s to 150s

33.40%

121s to 150s

11.30%

91s to 120s
61s to 90s

TIME TO REACH OUT OF DANGER

61s to 90s

38.10%

31s to 60s

25.50%

91s to 120s

2.10%

43.60%

Less than 30…

3.10%
29%

31s to 60s
Less than 30…

9%

(a)

(a)
TIME TO REACH THE EMERGENCY
EXIT
121s to 150s

1%15.10%

121s to 150s

12.60%

91s to 120s
61s to 90s

TIME TO REACH OUT OF DANGER

0.50%

31s to 60s
Less than 30…

19.60%

91s to 120s
61s to 90s

44.70%
41.20%

3.50%

31s to 60s

30.70%

Less than 30…

31.20%

Fig: Evacuation time of respondent in Pearl garments (a) and in Univogue garments (b)The time consumed by the Pearl garments worker to reach emergency exits are almost similar to thetime that has been used up by the workers of Univogue garments in Chittagong. But in case of goingout of danger there is a huge different has been seen where 31.20% (largest portion of workers)
workers in the Univogue garments use less than 30 seconds to go out of danger then in Pearlgarments 33.40% of the total workers use 121 to 150 seconds to get out of danger which means ahuge difference has been seen in two garments workers in terms of consumed time to get out ofdanger. Structural difference of two garments are playing a major part here. As the pearl garments ishigh rise so the workers consumes more time to come down from the upstairs. Sometimes the female
workers have to face more obstacles than male workers during evacuation due to physical, mental
and other surrounding conditions.
To assess the evacuation behavior on gender perspective ANOVA test has been conducted to identify
the difference between male and female behavior.

47

Table 4: Significance test through ANOVA analysis for Pearl garments Dhaka (Gender of
respondents and evacuation time)
Description

Sum of Squares df

Mean Square F

Sig.

15.1601

15.16011.675.001

Within Groups 375.259

289

1.298

Total

390.419290-

11.8551

11.855

5.906

.016

Within Groups 578.062

288

2.007

Total

289

-

Time to reach Between
the emergency Groups
exitTime to reach Between
out of danger Groups

589.917

If the p-value is less than 0.1, then it can be concluded that there is a significant variation among themeans of evacuation times. Here the p-values are .001 and 0.016, which indicates that the meanvalues between male and female are significantly different.
Table 5: Significance test through ANOVA analysis for Univogue garments Chittagong (Gender of
respondents and evacuation time)
Description

Sum

of df

SquaresTimetoemergency exit

reach Between

F

Sig.

Square

2.868

1

2.868

2.898

.090

Within Group194.991

197

.990

-

-

Total

197.859

198

-

-

-

38.8101

38.81019.503.0001

392.024

197

1.990

-

-

430.834

198

-

-

-

GroupsTime to reach out of Between
dangerMeanGroupsWithinGroupsTotal

The ANOVA test shows that while reach to the emergency exit there is no difference between thetime duration of male and female because there the p-value is .09>.01 but in terms of get out ofdanger from the emergency exit there is a significant difference between the time consumed by man
and woman because the p-value is .00<.01. Most of the garments worker in Univogue garments
works in the ground floor and most of them have 2 or more emergency exits nearby so there is no48

significant difference of consumed time between man and women to reach to the emergency exit but
to get out of danger they have to follow a common direction in the lead of the building structure andthe difference is there.

3.3 Conclusion
Evacuation planning is complex because there are many stakeholders with different perspectives,
there are multiple requirements, and evacuations are nearly always surrounded by uncertainty andconfusion. In Dhaka and Chittagong city must have an evacuation vulnerability assessment toprovide effective and worker involved evacuation road map. This study will be a great instrument forthe policy makers to rethink about further research on technology for earthquake and fire response. It
has been estimated that structural condition has a great influence on the evacuation behavior. As
every garments industry has different structural condition so different evacuation plan is needed. It
will be sustainable if workers can take part in the decision making of evacuation plan.

49

PART-V

RECENT LANDSLIDE EVENTS IN
BANGLADESHBANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Tasnim Tarannum
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary50

1. INTRODUCTION
Landslide is becoming a concern of great priority because of its devastating nature worldwide. It is
one of the most significant natural damaging disasters in hilly environments (Evans et al., 2007;
Kyoji, Wang and Fukuoka, 2004; Ahmed and Rubel, 2013). A landslide can be defined as the
movement of mass of rock, earth of debris down a slope (Cruden, 1991).
Bangladesh is a multi-hazard prone country and landslide is not a new phenomenon in Bangladesh.
Landslide is a regular geologic hazard in the country, especially in Chittagong, the Southeastern Partof the country (Sarwar, 2008). The physiography of the country denotes that most of the area of
Bangladesh is floodplain and only 18% is hilly area (Islam and Uddin, 2001). According togeological time scale, hilly area of Bangladesh developed in tertiary age. The bedrock and soil
structure of these hills are not stable and are highly prone to landslide. Bangladesh hills are basicallycomposed of unconsolidated sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, siltstone, shale and conglomerate.
Unsustainable land use and alteration in the hills including indiscriminate deforestation and hill
cutting are two major factors in Bangladesh that aggravated the landslide vulnerability in the hilly
areas. Effects of climate change and excessive rainfall within shorter time span often cause landslide
specifically in the areas composed of unconsolidated rocks. This situation is further aggravated if theslopes are steep and exposed because of indiscriminate hill cutting (Mahmood and Khan, 2010).

Figure 8:Landslide hazard susceptibility map in Chittagong City (Source: Rubel andAhmed, 2013; Khan and Chang, 2007)51

2. PREVIOUS LANDSLIDE EVENTS IN BANGLADESH
Table 1: Previous landslides in Bangladesh
Year and Date

Death
and
injuries

30 May, 1990-

July, 1997

-

11
and
13 17 deadAugust, 1999

24 June, 2000
11 June, 2007

13
dead
and
24
injured135 deadand 213injuredAffected areas

DamagesJhagarbeel
area, Rangamati
Charaipada, Bandarban
Bandarban and Chittagong  At least 50 houses werecompletely vanished under thesolid earth and 300 houses
were partly damaged.
 About 283.50 ha of cultivatedland, 810 ha of household
garden, and 50 km unmetalled
road were crushed.
 Road communication between
Bandarban headquarters andremotethanasbecamesnapped.
Chittagong
University  The
landslidedamagedCampusproperty worth several lacs oftaka in those places.
Motijharna of Lalkhan  A total of 5,072 families wereBazaar, Power Colony,
homeless
Kushumbagh Residential  Foodgrain
storageofarea, Taragate, Devpahar,
Majheerghat, Sagorika road,
Shaheed Minar area of
Chaktai, and Patharghata were
Chittagong area, and Lebu
degraded because of water
Bagan of Chittagong
logging situation.
Cantonment area.
Teknaf and Ukhia Cox’s  Five houses were damaged.
Bazar district

03 July, 200819 dead14 July, 2008

2 deadHimchari,
district

22 July, 2008

10 injured

18 August, 2008

24 dead About 100 homes destroyedand covered around 100 acresof land
Hossain
Colonyin  Some areas were water-logged
Chittagong
city
anddue to heavy rainfall.
neighboring Sadar sub  The landslide destroyed 13
district of Cox’s Bazaar
cottageswithinsuddenmoment in Hossain Colony.

Cox’s

Bazar -

Kalo Pahar in Sunamganj(Source: Sarwar, 2008; SAARC Disaster Management Workshop, 2010; Banglapedia, 2015)52

3. RECENT LANDSLIDE EVENTS
Table 2: Overview of recent landslides in Bangladesh (2017)
Date

Location

23 January, Companiganj,
2017
Sylhet09
February,
2017

Primarycause
Illegal hill
cutting

Outcome

Death

_

6

Property
damage__3_Power cut andtelecommunication
disruption

160

$223
millionBichanakandi, Illegal
Sylhetstone
extraction

12
June, Rangamati,
2017
Chittagong,
Bandarban

Heavymonsoonrain

Figure 9: The part of Shah Arefin Tila where
workers were killed in a landslide

3.1. Landslide in 23 January, 2017
At least six people were killed and several others injured in a landslide during an illegal hill cuttingin Companiganj upazila of Sylhet. The incident happened at Matiar Tila, a part of Shah Arefin Tila
in Bholaganj area of the upazila. The hillock used to be leased as a stone quarry to stone extractors.
Following a writ petition of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (BELA), the High Court
ordered stopping of the leasing system and illegal hill cutting in 2012. But a syndicate of local
influential people continued hill cutting and extracting stones. After the landslide at 6.00am, local
people claimed that six workers were killed while extracting stones.
3.2. Landslide in 09 February, 2017
Three stone quarry workers were killed when part of a hillock collapsed on them while lifting stones
from Bichanakandi in Gowainghat upazila, Sylhet. Part of the hillock collapsed on some workers
while lifting stones from Bichanakandi stone quarry near the kheyaghat area at the dead of night,
53

leaving the three workers dead. According to Gowainghat Police Station, an influential gang has long
been involved in lifting stones illegally from there. Police could not yet recover the bodies as thoseare believed to have been removed from the place.

3.3. Landslide in 12 June, 2017
Figure 3: Hillock collapse in Bichanakandi stone quarry, Gowainghat
upazilaOn 12 June 2017, heavy monsoon rain triggered a series of landslides and floods in Chittagong
division. Reports indicate that approximately 80,000 people across five districts of Chittagong Hill
Tract (CHT)- Bandarban, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Khagrachari and, Rangamati were affected. The
landslide resulted in 160 deaths and 187 injured.
Impact on property and infrastructure: About 6,000 structures have been destroyed, and otherkey infrastructure have been damaged. The worst-hit district was Rangamati, where landslides buried
hillside houses where people were sleeping. At least 20 separate landslides hit the district. Up to 105
deaths were reported until 15 June, 2017 and 5,000 homes were damaged. Roads in Rangamati
remained inaccessible and many roads in the district were washed away, leaving craters up to 15
meters (50 feet) deep, or blocked with debris. The district's power grid was also destroyed. There
were also fuel and food shortages according to the district chamber of commerce and industry.
Response and rescue operation: Immediately after the landslides, rescue workers were having
trouble reaching victims as roads were blocked with mud and rain continued. The weather also
caused power cuts and telecommunication disruptions, making the rescue operation more difficult.
Heavy digging equipment could not reach remote areas. Rescuers were using boats to reach someareas where roads were cut off. Elsewhere, villagers joined firefighters and soldiers in cutting fallentrees and clearing debris in remote areas where rescuers have been unable to get heavy machinery.
Power and cell service were completely off in the affected areas and doctors worked by candlelightto help the injured. Thousands of Bangladesh army soldiers were already stationed in the area
because of a long-standing insurgency, and they were directed to help in the rescue effort. Twoofficers and two soldiers of the Bangladesh Army (Major Mohammad Mahfuzul Haq, Captain Md.
54

Tanvir Salam Shanto, Corporal Mohammad Azizul Haq and soldier Md. Shahin Alam) were killed
after a second landslide struck a highway-clearing operation in Rangamati. The body of a fifth army
personnel, soldier Md. Azizur Rahman, was found 15 June, 2017. According to the head of
Bangladesh Disaster Management Department, the landslides were the worst in the country's history.

Figure 4: Level of damage in Rangamati, one of the worst-affected districts

Figure 5: Rescue operations carried out by Bangladesh Army and volunteers

4. Lessons Learned
Illegal cutting of hills: Illegal cutting of hills and extraction of stones were the primary reasons oflandslides in 23 January and 9 February, 2017. Greedy influential people and muscle-men invade the55government hills and build temporary houses on them to earn money by renting them to the poor
people. Poor people who live in those houses are highly vulnerable to landslide. Because of hill
cutting, the slopes become instable and prone to landslide.
The legal base of preventing illegal hill cutting is the Building Constriction Act (1952). The purposeof the Act was to prevent haphazard erection of buildings, excavation of tanks and cutting of hills
and hillocks in Bangladesh. According to the provision of section 3C of the Act, no person shall cut
or raze any hill without the previous sanction of the authorized officer. The Act also provides for
specific provisions for punishment and legal actions against the persons transgressing the law. As
per section 3D and 10A of the Act, the authorized officer can serve a show cause notice to any
person who is cutting hills illegally; seize all the vehicle, instrument, material used for cutting thehills and may get the person arrested by a police officer without warrant. Violation of section 3C isan offence punishable with imprisonment which may be extended to seven years or fine or with both.
The Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act (1995) has empowered the Department ofEnvironment (DoE) to impose restriction on hill cutting and razing. According to the provision ofthis Act, no person or institution can be entitled to cutting and/ or razing of hills which under theauthority of government, semi-government, autonomous institution or under the ownership of a
private person without receiving clearance certificate from the DG of DoE.
Unfortunately, there is lack of implementation of these laws. The District Administration should proactively conduct Mobile Court by Executive Magistrates for taking cognizance of hill cutting as an
offence under its jurisdiction for immediate and effective action. GIS-based surveillance can be donewith aerial photographs taken at an interval of time to monitor hill cutting.
Rainfall and landslide vulnerability: Landslide in Chittagong is influenced by heavy rainfall.
When it rains, water dissolves the minerals of the soil of the hills that loosen its compaction. Soils of
the hills also become heavy by absorbing rainwater. If rain intensity is too high, minerals of soil
dissolve very quickly and the soil turns into mud and becomes very heavy. The steep slope of the hillcannot bear the mass weight of the wet soil or mud that results the landslide. A detailed scientificstudy is needed to understand the threshold of rainfall for landslide potentiality in the region.
Information technology and database management in Bangladesh is still it its infant stage. Most of
the data available from Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) is error prone, inaccurate,and incomplete. At the same time, Detailed Area planning (DAP) of the city and a better
management of government owned land are needed to minimize landslides and its hazards in
Chittagong. Landslide vulnerability area need to be identified and highly vulnerable area should be
declared as ‘Red Zone’ for housing or any other settlement activities. Relocation of present56inhabitants of dangerous hill slope is another issue to be considered. A landslide database is essential
to have a better understanding of causes, impacts and trends of landslide in Bangladesh.
Coordinated rescue operations: Rescue operations in recent landslides had an experience of poor
coordination and inadequate rescue tools. Landslide disaster contingency plan at both governmentand community level should be formulated with definite coordination body and trained manpower
equipped with necessary tools. Chittagong City Corporation should have plan in place to evacuate its
residents in case of emergency situation
References
Ahmed, B., & Rubel, Y. A. (2013). Understanding the issues involved in urban landslide
vulnerability in Chittagong metropolitan area, Bangladesh.
Cruden, D.M. (1991). A Simple Definition of a Landslide. Bulletin IAEG, Vol-43, pp 27-29
Evans, S G, Guthrie, R H, Roberts, N J, Bishop, N F. (2007). The disastrous 17 February 2006
rockslide debris avalanche on Leyte Island, Philippines: a catastrophic landslide in tropicalmountain terrain, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (7), pp89-101
Islam, M.N & Uddin, M.N. (2002). Country Paper on Hydrogeology Section in International
Workshop on Arsenic Issue in Bangladesh.
Khan, Y. A., & Chang, C. (2007). Landslide hazard mapping of Chittagong city area,
Bangladesh. Engineering Geology, 35(1-4).
Kyoji, S, Wang, G, Fukuoka, H. (2004). Assessment of Landslide Risk during Earthquake/ Rainfall
on Urban Areas, Annuals of Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, No. 47C,
Kyoto, Japan.
Mahmood, A. B., & Khan, M. H. (2010). Landslide vulnerability of Bangladesh hills and sustainable
management options: a case study of 2007 landslide in Chittagong City.
Sarwar, G. M. (2008). Landslide tragedy of Bangladesh. In First World Landslide Forum, United
Nations University, Tokyo, Japan.

57

PART-VI

RISK ASSESSMENT OF DISPLACEDINHABITANT DUE TO RIVER EROSION AND
LOOKING FOR RELOCATION AS ASUSTAINABLE SOLUTION IN LEBUKHALIUNION, PATUAKHALI, BANGLADESHBANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Maruf Billah
Tasnim Tarannum
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary58

Introduction“The only way to explain to people who know nothing about our problem of river bank erosion is this - those who had avery happy and healthy life, with beautiful houses, and fields full of crops and cattle are now like beggars. They sleep inthe markets and in the open," said Ahmad Ali (a refugee due to river erosion at Kaijuri, near the city of Sirajganj, northwest of Dhaka) [Source: BBC NEWS, Sunday, 30 August 2009: “Help for victims of Bangladesh river erosion”]
These common pictures can be shown all over the Bangladesh since it is a low-lying deltaic country in South Asia
formed by the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna rivers. More than 700 rivers and tributaries have made thiscountry a land of rivers. Over 92 percent of the annual runoff generated in the GBM area flows through Bangladesh,which is only about 7 percent of the total catchment (Ahmad, 2000). Thus, a vast amount of water flows throughBangladesh. It is estimated that every year an average of 870 Million Acre Feet (MAF) of water flows into the country
from India. The amount of rainfall received within the country is estimated at 203MAF, with evaporation,
evapotranspiration, and deep percolation losses probably accounting for about 120MAF. This means that about 953MAF
flows out to sea–from that 914MAF flows through the Ganges Brahmaputra delta (within Bangladesh) (Rashid 1991).
Riverbank Erosion and common and recurrent natural hazard in Bangladesh. Every year, millions of people are affectedby erosion that destroys household, industries, standing crops, farmland and homestead land. In the country as a whole,between 15 to 20 million people are at risk from the effects of erosion (Rogge and Haque, 1987). The Flood Plan
Coordination Organization (FPCO) reports that 4.3 million inhabitants of the charland in the major river systems
comprise the most vulnerable group in Bangladesh. In addition, ‘about 9,000 hectares of mainland and 5,000 ha of charland are reworked each year by erosion’ (FPCO, 1995:7) and over 60,000 people become landless due to river-bankerosion problems along the main rivers of Bangladesh. It has been estimated that tens of thousands of people aredisplaced annually by river erosion in Bangladesh, possibly up to 100,000 (Faruque, 2007). River erosion is the on-going
phenomenon in our country’s geo-morphological context, and hence we have selected the topic related to assessing
damage and loss resulting from riverbank erosion. When disasters strike, the poor usually survive by selling off land,
livestock, housing material and personal belongings (Haque, 1997). Some researchers have reported that bank erosion istaking place in about 94 out of 489 upazilas of the country.
As situated in the coastal region, the Lebukhali union at Dumki upazila is also prone to Payra river erosion. About sixtyfive families are displaced to Gucchagram area and their miseries causes by the river erosion. They lost the rhythm oflive, livings and livelihoods, the status. The effects of the Payra river erosion make them homeless, penniless and peaceless. So, the total assessment of the damages and losses will give a minimum idea about their vulnerability.
A part of Bakergong and Lebukhali union on the bank of the Payra river have been facing the river bank erosion. The
gucchagram of the Lebukhali union has been selected as the study area due to massive bank erosion since last six years.
Assessing the damages and losses of economic resources due to Payra riverbank erosion at Lebukhali as well as making
a comparison with previous situation is the main focus point of this study. To conduct the damage and loss assessment
study involves both primary and secondary data source; where the primary sources have direct and dominant
contribution to meet the need of the objectives.

Result and discussion
Assessment of Economic Damages and Losses

59

Economic damages and losses which are directly related to economic costs included losses anddamages of houses, homestead areas, trees, ponds, tube-wells, latrines and cultivated lands in context
of Gucchagram area in Lebukhali union. Here the total estimated damages and losses costs about
317,24,000 BDT. It has been assumed that the monetary value of per satangsa homestead area isabout 7000 taka, per house 40000 taka, per pond 15000 taka, per tube well 20000 taka, per tree 7000
taka, per latrine 3000 taka and per satangsa of cultivated land is about 5000 taka. Obviously it’s not alower amount in profile that lost their last piece of land and came to the Gucchagram with a barehand. The largest portion of losses has been seen on cultivated land because the most of the local
people were farmers who lost their lands by the river erosion. Figure 1 represents the approximate
estimations of their economic losses.

Figure 1. Estimation of economic damage and loss in taka

Impacts on Agriculture

In the country’s context, it has been estimated that more than one-half of rural households havevirtually no direct access to land, even though the majority are dependent on agriculture (Januzzi and
Peach, 1980; Rogge and Haque, 1987). Since agricultural land losses shows the greatest portion of
economic loss, we assess particular vulnerability in this sector resulting from riverbank erosion.
Declining of crop production, damage to the standing crops, changing in crop diversity and cropping
pattern are the aspects where losses and damages occurs. Effects of riverbank erosion can be seen on
both sides of Payra River due to erosion and deposition. Comparing the two events, (Figure 2, (a)) it
can be concluded that on agricultural sector aspects on Payra river erosion damaging crop ranks from
2 to 5, which means the river erosion has made the standing crops most vulnerable. There seen alittle variation in crop diversity and cropping pattern before and after the river erosion.

60Assessment of Non‐Economic Damages and Losses

Besides the economic losses, the affected people have faced some non-economic losses which have agreat impact on their livelihood and other consequences. Social degradation, impact on environment,
levels of generated vulnerability always play a big role in this community. Non-economic damages
make them vulnerable to access a better life quality. It makes them hold an unhygienic environment
with a lower health profile and malnutrition.
Generated Vulnerability

In the worldwide scenario, no community can be declared as 100% resilient because man has theability to cope with disasters not to prevent them. When disasters strike, the poor survive by selling
off land, livestock, housing materials and personal belongings — all of which further their
impoverishment (Islam, 1998). As a community, the people of the selected area have somevulnerability before and after the occurrence of the riverbank erosion which makes them more
vulnerable than before. Women are generally assumed to be most vulnerable to the impacts ofnatural disasters. Women worldwide are more likely than men to be poor, own less, work longer
hours and earn less income (Ahooja-Patel, 1992). Comparing the generated vulnerability before andafter the event (Figure 2(b)), it can be seen that vulnerability of child marriage and school dropout
rate increases after river erosion indicating the vulnerability of women.

Social Degradation

Social degradation due to Payra riverbank erosion can be identified as the breakdown in social
interaction as broken social and family bondage, lowering their social status, migration to the city,
ruin of peace as well as occupational change (Figure 2(c)). It fosters strong interdependent kinshipand neighborhood networks that promote survival strategies based on the obligatory exchange ofphysical, financial and material supports during times of need (Novak, 1993; Zaman, 1989). Against
these, worse situation cases make them fragile. It may be the indirect cause but the assimilated
effects affected the community. Though there was violation of the social justice and equilibrium
before the riverbank erosion, it was negligible. The rural power structure is dominated by membersof the larger landowning class, and they determine the settlement of alluvial land upon re-emergencefrom the riverbeds (Malik, 1983; Zaman, 1991). The newly formed chars are settled upon by people61

of both banks as new settlement frontiers and remain sources of perennial dispute among conflicting
claimants (Zaman, 1989). The assessment shows that situations have been completely changed after
the erosion.
Impact on Environment

Every disaster has a negative impact on the environment and sometimes the human disturbancemakes it worse. As a part of the disaster-prone country, the selected area was already under the
impact on climate change but the riverbank erosion has amplified the negative effects even more.
The respondents express their view regarding the effects of sand deposition on the crop land. As aresult, the crop production is disrupted. Bank erosion and char formation are ongoing process in the
Payra River which changes the soil characteristics of the area. The depth of the river is slowly
decreasing and the habitat of fishes like the famous Payra’s Hilsha fish is destroyed. The respondents
claim that some fish species have become rare today. As seen from Figure 2(d), access to safe
drinking water has decreased and cropland affected by sand deposition has increased due to rivererosion.
Received Relief Measures

Some steps have been taken by the government to reduce the impact of the massive riverbank
erosion during the last six years. The government has replaced the victims who lost their land due toriver erosion and has developed the resilient community named Gucchagram with sixty-five families.
There is a common large pond called (Dighi) with a co-operative fish farming system in thecommunity. They have received 10 kg rice relief for the first two years or more. But at present they
only receive little commodities twice a year during the holy EIDs. In the existing price-hiking
circumstances, that’s not enough against their needs. Besides, there is a hope that few families got apiece of land in the Char area as compensation for losing their land. Though these may be a
forwarding step from the government, it doesn’t make the local people satisfied as 44% of the
respondents are dissatisfied with the amount of compensation they have received. The activities of
the NGO sectors are very much negligible to meet their needs. Only few NGO’s are working withthem and trying to rebuild the capacity of the affected people.

62

(a)

(b)

(d)

(c)

Figure 2. Risk ranking or situation analysis of the affected community before and after the event. (a)Impact on agriculture, (b) generated vulnerability, (c) social degradation, (d) impact on environment.
Relocation as a Sustainable Solution

Many steps have been taken by the government to replace the affected people in the safer location
but some long-term preparedness measure should be taken to reduce the vulnerability and enhance
the capacity of the affected people, like:• Strengthening and supporting the capacity of the community to cope with the erosion event with
community preparedness plan, emergency plan, increasing the participatory process etc.
• Developing and supporting basic infrastructure service (water, health, housing, cultivated land etc.)
and enable poor people to access existing Govt. Services• Providing alternative livelihood opportunities through skills development and small enterprisedevelopment• Raising awareness on basic rights of the community, with particular emphasize on land rights andrights of women and trained them about the basic knowledge about what they should do during the
emergency moment63• Constructing a cyclone shelter is also needed since the nearest shelter situated very far from thecommunity.
• Providing security of their shelter and maintaining proper administrative plan because there is now
a burning issue about constructing an Army camp there, it’ll make them again homeless.
Conclusion

This study has been conducted to estimate the damage and loss due to river bank erosion at
Gucchagram in Lebukhali union in which we have seen a big divergence on the life leading styles
before and after the event. Their miseries have no bound and it’s also hampering their social status,
they live a life in unhygienic environment and it makes them vulnerable to sanitation, health,education etc. The direct losses arise from losing agricultural land, household, homestead, trees etc.
Total economic loss is about 3,17,24,000 taka, among them the most affected areas cultivated land
about 1,74,85000 taka and homestead damage is about 42,84,000 taka. In the non-economic sector,
the social sector and the capacity of that community has been affected more. But an alarming factor
is they had a climate change impact before the event and now existing as a superior muscle. While
conducting the study we have to face some limitation like lack of experience, insufficient time, as
well as we have to face problem to collect data from the women while the male members wereabsent on the home. We hope that the farther study can help to understand the sufferings of theaffected people of that area and find proper steps to turn the vulnerable community to a resilient one.

References
Ahmad QK. (ed) 2000. Bangladesh Water Vision: Towards a Sustainable Water World. Bangladesh
Water Partnership. Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Ahooja-Patel, K. (1992) Linking Women with Sustainable Development. The Common Wealth of
Learning, Vancouver.
Faruque A. 2007. Resettlement Policy Development: The Case of Development: The Case of
Bangladesh. Asian Development Bank. Bangladesh, Resident Mission, Power Point
Presentation.
Flood Plan Coordination Organization (FPCO) (1995) Bangladesh Water and Flood Management
Strategy. Ministry of Water Resources, Dhaka.
Handbook for Disaster Assessment. (ECLAC).
Haque, C. (1987) River Erosion Hazard, Rural Population Displacement, and Institutional Responses
and Policies in Bangladesh. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the association ofAmerican Geographers, April, Portland.
64Haque, C. (1997) Hazards in a Fickle Environment: Bangladesh. Kluwer Academic Publishers,
Boston.
Islam, N. (1998) Human Settlements and Urban Development in Bangladesh. Centre for Urban
Studies, University of Dhaka, Dhaka.
Jannuzzi, F. and J. Peach (1980) The Agrarian Structure of Bangladesh: An Impediment toDevelopment. Westview press, Boulder.
Malik, S. (1983) Land Reclamation. Bangladesh Today (1): 25-8.
Novak, J. (1994) Bangladesh: Reflection on the Water. University Press, Dhaka.
Rashid H. 1991. Geography of Bangladesh. The University Press Limited. Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Rogge, J. and K. Elahi (1989) The Riverbank Impact Study: Bangladesh. University of Manitoba,
Manitoba, Winnipeg.
Zaman, M. (1989) The Socio-economic and political Context of Adjustment to Riverbank Erosion
hazard and population Resettlement in Bangladesh. Human Organization 48 (3):196-205.
Zaman, m. (1991) Social Structure and Process in Charland Settlements in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna
Floodplain. Man 26 (4):673-90.

65

APPENDIX 1: Questionnaire
Risk Assessment for River Erosion at Gucchagram in Lebukhali Union, Patuakhali,
Bangladesh
Flood and River Bank Erosion Management, Department of Disaster Resilience and Engineering,
Faculty of Disaster Management, Patuakhali Science and Technology University
Questionnaire
Please answer the following Question
Serial no:
Date:
Basic information of the study area
Name……………………………………..village……………ward no…........................
Union……………………………………….upazila………………………………District…
Age

sex

education

occupation

Service less

How many member of your family
Male

FemaleChild

OthersWhat is the source of your income?
agriculturejobbusiness

FarmerBank job

Shopkeeper

Fish cultivator

Private job

Blacksmith

Dairy farmer

Government job

PotterWhat do you think how this riverbank erosion is form?
Failure of

Excessive

Embankment

Excessive water

rainingfrom

Poor drainage

RiverbanksystemerosionupwardDid you have any shelter nearby of your house?
Yes

No

Distance of the nearby shelter from the house ……………..
Losses of Livelihoods
YesNo

If yes then amount in number

Homestead
House
Pond
Dug well66

Tube well
Tree
LatrineFactories
Loss of Cultivated Land
Cultivated land (ha)Mark with (*)

0-2
2-4
4-6
6>

67

Generated vulnerability
5= extremely high, 4= very high, 3= medium, 2= low, 1= very low, 0= neutral.
Before event

0

1

2 3

4

5

After 0

1

2

3

4

5

Homeless
Landless
Displacement
Unemployment
School drop out
Child marriage
Change of occupation
Asset selling
Social Destruction
5= extremely high, 4= very high, 3= medium, 2= low, 1= very low, 0= neutral.
Before event

0

1

2 3

4

5

After 0

1

2

3

4

5

3

4

5

Broken social bondage
Broken family relation
Occupational change
Migration to city
Disruptiontosocialservice
Broken social network
DegradationofsocialstatusRuin of peace
Injustice of poor by rich
Impact on Agriculture
5= extremely high, 4= very high, 3= medium, 2= low, 1= very low, 0= neutral.
Before event

0 1

2 3

4

5

Change crop pattern
Decline of production
Change in crop diversity
68

After 01

2

Impact on crop intensity
Damage of crop
Impact on Environment
5= extremely high, 4= very high, 3= medium, 2= low, 1= very low, 0= neutral.
Before event

0 1 2 3 4

5

Afte

0

1

2

3

4

5

r
Crop land affected by sanddeposition
Fish availability
Water quality
Access to safe drinking water
Erosion due to low channel
depth

Relief and benefit of Erosion Victims
5= extremely satisfied, 4= very satisfied, 3= Satisfied, 2= Dissatisfied, 1= very Dissatisfied,
Before event

1

2

3

4

5

Receive relief service
Development service fromNGO
Land from accreted char
Aid in raising homestead69

After 0

1

2

3

4

5

Figure: Impact on agriculture before and after river erosion

Figure: The level of vulnerability of the selected area before and after river erosion70

PART-VIIPERFORMANCE OF REINFORCED
CONCRETE FRAME RETROFITTED WITHBUCKLING RESTRAINED BRACE (BRB)
BANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: MA Islam
Raquib Ahsan
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary71Introduction
In Bangladesh, BNBC-1993 is being implemented still now for the design of reinforced concrete
structure. But, many advances in earthquake engineering research have been taken place over the lastfew decades. There is a considerable concern regarding the reinforced concrete buildings around theworld, which have been built prior the enactment of modern building codes in seismically active
region (Z. Al-Sadoon et. al., 2015).

These structures which have been mainly designed andconstructed for gravity loads only, are vulnerable to earthquake. In addition, these structures do notconfirm the ductility provision which is necessary for survive of design level earthquake. Moreover,most of the buildings are damaged due to large lateral displacement in earthquake. To alleviate suchproblem or to satisfy the displacement limit some ductile materials having sufficient lateral strengthand stiffness need to be incorporated into the structures. Performance of conventional bracing system
is poor (Sabelli et. al., 2001) and recent research findings suggested that those bracing system may
not be a reliable solution (Uriz et. al., 2004). Buckling Restrained Braces (BRB) initially developedby Watanabe (1988) and further examined in the United States through testing (Z. Al-Sadoon et. al.,2015). The reduction in RC member sizes and increased lateral stiffness and energy dissipation,
reduction of the building weight and greater architectural flexibility, reducing the drift of thestructure during a severe earthquake are the benefits of using BRBs in RC moment frame.
Design of Concrete Frame and Experimental Setup
The concrete frame that is investigated in this study is a representative of a typical six storey
reinforced concrete moment resisting frame building (residential) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Figure 1, 2,
3 show the RC frame. The left and right columns were identical and provide a cross section of 120 ×
120 mm. The top beam was 710 mm wide, 2160 mm long and 120 mm deep. The height of the frame
was 1050 mm and width was 1370 mm center to center of column. The slab was 2160 mm long, 710
mm wide and 75 mm thick. The superimposed loads were placed on the slab. The foundation was
1800 mm long, 405 mm wide and 255 mm deep. The vertical column reinforcement consists of four
12 mm diameter. The column stirrups using 10 mm diameter, spaced at 250 mm. The beam consistsof 4 – 10mm bar and stirrups using 10 mm diameter, spaced at 250 mm. Properties of BRB is shownin Table 1. Four bolts were used to anchor the BRB with column. Total 2.4 ton load (one-third of
total load) is superimposed on the frame. Loads are calculated considering bottom column of a six
storey building.

72

Figure 1: BRB and RC frame connection

Figure 3: RC frame with

Figure 2: RC frame connection without BRB

Figure 4: Strain in bottom reinforcement of column (with BRB)

superimposed loads (with BRB)

The frame was tested in the earthquake engineering lab of BUET-JIDPUS. In plane test was
performed in the shake table of BUET-JIDPUS. The specification of shake table is shown in Table 2.
Test Result and Discussion
To obtain the strain of reinforcement strain gauge was attached to the bottom reinforcement ofcolumn and slab. Figure 4, 5, 6 shows the recorded strain. A displacement transducer was attached tothe slab level for recording the lateral displacement. Maximum experienced acceleration of the frame
was recorded attaching accelerometer in the shake table. Figure 7, 8 shows the maximum
acceleration that the reinforced concrete frame endured. Figure 9 shows the displacement over time.

73

Table 1: Properties of Buckling Restraint Brace
Properties of BRB
Length55 inchAnchor Plate Thickness

12 mmDiameter

3.5 inch

Anchor Bolt Dimension

11 mm

Figure 5: Strain in slab (main) reinforcement(with BRB)

Figure 6: Strain in column tie rod(with BRB)

Figure 7: Maximum recorded acceleration (with BRB)

Figure 8: Maximum recorded acceleration (without BRB)

74

Figure 9: Maximum recorded displacement (with BRB)
Table 2: Specification of Shake Table

Shake Table Specification
Size: 3m x 3m
Actuator: 25 ton Servo Hydraulic Actuator
Acceleration Capacity: 1.3g maximum acceleration with 10 ton
payloadBare table Acceleration: 4.0g
Velocity Capacity: 100 cm/s
Displacement Capacity: +/- 100mm

Conclusions
From the test result it is clear that reinforced concrete frame without BRB can sustain 0.24g acceleration before failure
whereas RC frame with BRB can sustain 0.31g acceleration before failure (with one‐third superimposed load of totalload). RC frame retrofitted with BRB can sustain a lateral displacement of 47mm (1.85 inch) before failure. From strain
diagram it is clear that, the bottom reinforcement of column experienced 400 micrometer/meter strain (0.015
inch/inch). Slab main reinforcement and column tie rod experienced the same amount of strain which is around 1000
micrometer/meter strain (0.0394 inch/inch). Therefore it is clear that, BRB performed better and this bracing system
was effective at preventing buckling.

References
Al-Sasoon, Z., Palermo, D. and Saatcioglu M. (2015) “Retrofit of Seismically Deficient Reinforced Concrete
Frame with Buckling Restrained Brace”, The 11th Canadian Conference on Earthquake Engineering. B.C.,
Canada.
Sabelli, R., Mahin, S. and Chang, C., (2001) “Seismic Demands on Steel Braced Frame Buildings with
Buckling- Restrained Braces,” Proceedings, US-Japan Joint Seminar on Advanced Stability and Seismicity
Concept for Performance-Based Design of Steel and Composite Structures, Kyoto, Japan.

Uriz, P. and Mahin, S., (2004) “Seismic Performance of Concentrically Braced Steel Frame
Buildings,” Proceedings, 13WCEE, Vancouver, Canada.

75

PART-VIII

SOFT GROUND IMPROVEMENT AT THE
RAMPAL COAL BASED POWER PLANT
CONNECTING ROAD PROJECT IN
BANGLADESHBANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Sudipta Chakraborty
Ripon Hore
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary

76

1.

INTRODUCTION

Fields of transportation plays a significant role in the progress of a country. In the construction ofroad, railway, airway, the alignment may have to be fixed through the soils which may not bear the
traffic loads. In most cases, ground improvement is required. In a broad sense, ground improvement
refers to the incorporation of different techniques employed for modifying the properties of a soil to
improve its engineering performance.
Colombo–Katunayake Expressway (CKE) is the first major highway in Sri Lanka; where
Preloading, Preloading with surcharging, prefabricated vertical drains (PVD), sand compaction piles(SCP), stone columns (SC) and composite treatments have been used as soft ground treatment(Cooray, 1984). The composite treatment has been used at three locations-Peliyagoda (Ch 1+500–
1+850) and Muthurajawela (Ch 11+250–11+930 and 12+050–12+450).
Wei-Bing and Jia-Huan (1989) has reported the consolidation analysis of a foundation at
Lianyungang City with sand drain by vacuum preloading. Boring and testing result shows that thesite has 10 m thickness of uniform clay. The area preloaded by the vacuum method is 4000 m2, with
2800 sand drains being 10 m long, 7 cm in diameter and 1.2 m in spacing. Vacuum under membrane
has been maintained at above 650 mmHg column. After pre-loading, the mean settlement of groundsurface has been found to be 55 cm and bearing capacity has been increased from 3 T/ m2 to 8 T/ m2.
Similarly Woo et al. (1989) has explained, geotechnical improvement program for the second
Bangkok International Airport project, Thailand. Non-displacement sand drains with preloading bysurcharge or vacuum or dewatering have been tried in test section to investigate their effectiveness.
The sub-soils at the project site have been fairly uniform. Five different soil strata have been
identified within the top 35 m zone. They are weathered clay (up to 1.5 m), very soft to soft clay
(1.5-11 m), soft to medium clay (11-15 m), stiff clay (15-25 m) and dense sand (below 25 m). The 40
m by 40 m test section has 460 sand drains installed in triangular pattern, with spacing of 1.75 mcenter to center. Each sand drain which has been installed by jet-bailer method has a nominal
diameter of 26 cm and 14.5 m long. A 60 cm thick sand blanket has been placed on the groundsurface to provide a firm working platform.
Sand drain has been used as soil improvement method in the land reclamation project for a steel
mill complex construction in Korea. Average depth of sea water has been above 5 m before
backfilling with sand. The unit weight of backfill material is about 16.67 kN/m3 with an average soil
friction angle of 30°. The in-situ soil profile can be generally described as about 5 m of very loose
alluvial sand and loose silty sand followed by very soft silty clay and clayey silt up to a depth of 20
m. underlying this is 5 m thick dark gray stiff clay. Bedrock and in some places, sandy gravel arelocated below the clay layer. Standard penetration resistance (N values) have varied from 0 to 29, but77more than 80% of the N values are below 10. Most of N values are between 0 and 2 in soft clayeysoil and relatively higher N values have been encountered in stiff clay layer. The diameter of sanddrains is about 0.5 m with spacing ranging from 1.8 m to 2.5 m for hot strip mill site, and from 2.0 m
to 2.5 m for cold rolling mill site. Typical construction pattern of sand drains has been laid out inregular square pattern with an average sand drain length of 25 m (Shin, et al., 1993).
Radhakrishnan, et al (2010) has stated that marine clays has been found in coastal region of
Mumbai. A number of Industries, dams, buildings and embankments are being constructed along theinland coastal areas where the soil is of soft clay associated with problems of settlement and stability.
In order to analyze the stability of an embankment constructed on these compressible marine clayey
deposits, laboratory consolidation testing is the basis for computing the settlement. Providing verticalsand drains (VSD) offers a better solution in accelerating the process of consolidation to eliminate
the deleterious post construction settlements and also to acquire sufficient additional shear strength.
An embankment has been constructed as an approach to a Railway Bridge, which is underlain by asoft marine clay layer of thickness varying from 3.5m to 15.6m at the critical location, for a length ofnearly 600 meters. There is an impermeable weathered rock below the clay layer and the total heightof the embankment at the critical location is 14 meters. Construction of the embankment has been
done in 3 stages. The total construction time has been 2 years. The construction time for the 1st, 2nd,
3rd, stages are 3 months, 2.5 months, 5 months respectively and there is a rest period after thecompletion of each stage. Sand drains have been provided in conjunction with the preloading. Sand
drains of 300mm diameter have been installed in triangular pattern with an effective spacing of
2.75m.
Indraratna, et al. (2010) has discussed three sites of Muar clay (Malaysia), the Second Bangkok
International Airport (Thailand), and the Sandgate railway line (Australia). One of the test
embankments on Muar plain has been constructed to failure. The failure is due to a “quasi slip circle”
type of rotational failure at a critical embankment height at 5.5 m, with a tension crack propagating
through the crust and the fill layer. The Second Bangkok International Airport or Suvarnabhumi
Airport is about 30km from the city of Bangkok, Thailand. Because the ground water is almost at thesurface, the soil has suffered from a very high moisture content, high compressibility and very low
shear strength. The soft estuarine clays in this area often pose problems that require ground
improvement techniques before any permanent structures can be constructed. Under railway tracks
where the load distribution from freight trains is typically kept below 7-8 meters from the surface,relatively short PVDs have been employed. The rail track of the Sandgate Rail Grade Separation
Project is stabilised using short Prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVDs) in the soft subgrade soil. Siteinvestigation included 6 boreholes, 14 piezocone (CPTU) tests, 2 in-situ vane shear tests and 2 test78

pits. Laboratory testing such as soil index property testing, standard oedometer testing and vaneshear testing have been also performed. The groundwater level is at the ground surface.
The Ballina Bypass route in Ballina (New South Wales, Australia) has been built to reduce local
traffic jams. To ensure ground stability and improvement, PVDs combined with surcharge andvacuum preloading are being utilized to consolidate the soft soils before the construction (Indraratna
et al., 2012). A trial embankment has been built to the north of Ballina to evaluate the effectivenessof the technique in this area.
Long et al., (2013) has discussed three projects namely North-South Expressway (NSEW)
project, CaiMep International Terminal (CMIT) project, and 3 test embankments (TS1, TS2 andTS3) at Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport (SBIA) project in Thailand, where
prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) with or without vacuum consolidation has been employed.
The railway embankment along the alignment of the project for the construction of double line
track from Tongi to Bhairab Bazzar (including signaling on Dhaka- Chittagong main line) in
Bangladesh is lying on soft ground between chainage 29+300 m to 64+265 m. Depending on the soft
ground treatment, 29 sections have been identified; among which in 13 sections no treatment,
surcharge loading in 2 section, remove and replacement technique for 7 sections and PVD
installation in 7 section of the embankment is proposed (BRTC, 2013).
Shukla and Kambekar (2013) has proposed embankment for double track broad gauge railway
line between Belapur-Seawood-Uran areas in Navi Mumbai for chainage 19000 to 20500. The studyof the soil indicates that the top of the stratification contains the yellowish stiff clay. The next layer
observed in the stratification contains the soft grayish marine clay which is then followed byyellowish stiff/hard clay with gravels. The next layers of stratification are completely weathered rockwhich is underlain by moderately weathered rock. The second layer of subsurface profile isidentified as grayish soft marine clay. This layer undergoes heavy settlements and the duration
required for settlement to take place is also very high. These settlements can be accelerated by
prefabricated vertical drains (PVD) with surcharge. With the use of PVD water flows horizontally(radically) as well as vertically i.e. three dimensional consolidations. The time required forconsolidation with prefabricated vertical drains is expected to be shorter as compared to the timerequired for the preloading alone without PVD. The expected consolidation settlement achieved by
PVD from the calculation is slightly higher than actual field consolidation settlement. The closer the
spacing in between prefabricated vertical drains, the shorter the time required for the consolidation
process. The advantages of square pattern are that it is more convenient to lie out and manage on site.
Zein and Elgasim (2014) has investigated on the suitability of staged construction, sand drains
and sand compaction piles soil improvement methods for the design of a 12m high earth
79embankment on weak and compressible alluvial clay deposits. The embankment site chosen forstudy is the location of the eastern abutment of Alhalfaya Bridge built across River Nile to link
Omdurman city and Khartoum North town in Khartoum State, Sudan. The embankment is of therolled earth type with a maximum
height of 12.0m,30m top width and 78m bottom width with 1:2 (vertical: horizontal) side slopes. The
soil profile comprised of a soft silty clay soil layer ranging in depth from 1.0m to 6.0m, underlain by
a very loose to medium dense poorly graded fine to medium coarse silty sand or sandy silts
extending to a depth of 14.0m. These alluvial deposits rest directly on the highly weatheredsandstone formation. The natural moisture content varied from 26% to 42% with most values
between 28 and 32%. The natural dry density ranged between 11.0 and 14.5kN/m3. The use ofvertical sand drains in soft clay accelerate the primary consolidation of clay since they bring about
rapid dissipation of excess pore water pressure under embankment loading. Vertical drains arenormally used where preloading alone will not be efficient. The installation of sand drains into
relatively thick clay strata increases the rate of consolidation of the clay under the load by shortening
the drainage path.
Bangladesh railway, Rajshahi has taken up a decision to construct a new railway track along
Kashiani-Gopalgang-Tungipara section about 32 km in length (BRTC, 2016). The soft soil thickness
varies from 4 to 12 m. PVD in triangular pattern with a 2 m spacing has been proposed.
This paper aims to discuss on the soil profile of the Rampal Coal Based Power Plant connecting
road project and the suitable soft soil improvement technique for this project.
2.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION

Construction of the Rampal Coal Based Power Plant connecting road consists of 4 lanes and 2 lanes
for slow moving vehicle. The connecting road is 5.76 km long resting on soft soil; required soil
treatment is the major challenge for this project. Project has started on 01-03-2015 and has fullycompleted on 28-12-2016. Photograph of the site before starting any construction work is shown in
Figure 1.

80

Figure 1 Panoramic photographic view of the site
The study site is located in the Rajnagar and Gauramba union of Rampal sub-district of Bagerhat.
The latitude and longitude of the site are 22037′00″N to 22034′30″N and 89032′00″E to 89034′05″E
respectively. The location of the site is shown in the Figure 2.
The aim of this project is to facilitate the improvement of sustainable power supply capacity of
the Government through improvement and construction of the proposed Khulna 1320MWx2 Coalbased Power plant connecting all weather road. The most challenging part of the project is soil
improvement of the 5.76 km long soft soil under the road construction, stratify the formation of soil
and record the level of the ground water. It is important to provide accessibility and transportation
facilities for construction and setting up the proposed Power Plant within the planned projected time.
It is also vital to evaluate the safe bearing capacities of the foundation at the different layers,
encountered at the different borehole positions.

Figure 2 Project locations on the map.
3.

GEOLOGY OF THE SITE
81

The geology of the project site comprises of Paludal Deposits (ppc) and Tidal Deltaic Deposits (dt).
Geologically the site comprises Tidal deltaic deposits-light to greenish grey, weathering to yellowish
grey, silt to clayey silt with lenses of very fine to fine sand along active and abandoned stream
channels, including crevasse splays. This contains some brackish-water deposits. Numerous tidal
creeks crisscross the area; large tracts are submerged during spring tides. Also this site consists ofsoft marsh clay and peat-grey or bluish grey clay, black herbaceous peat, and yellowish grey silt.
Alternating beds of peat and peaty clay common in bils and large structurally controlled depressions;peat is thickest in deeper parts.

4.

SUB-SOIL INVESTIGATIONThe soil test report has been prepared on the basis of an agreement between of the proposed Khulnacoal based plant connecting road of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) at Rampal,
Bagerhat and the Development Survey Consultant, a sub-soil investigation firm in Dhaka. The subsurface investigation work includes execution of eleven borings extending to the depth of 11.0 m to40.0 m, performance of the required field and laboratory tests, evaluation of the Bearing capacity andfinally recommending for the safe and appropriate type of foundation suited to the subsoil
conditions. The wash boring method has followed in drilling the boreholes after driving the casing
pipe. Grain size analysis, specific gravity and direct shear tests has been performed in the laboratory
for proper evaluation of the soil parameters. The disturbed soil samples are normally collected during
the operation of SPT. These samples are those in which the natural soil structure gets disturbed
during sampling. The samples represent the composition and the mineral content of the soil.
The top formation of soil existing roughly to the depth of 2.65 m (BH-6), 3.10 m (BH-1), 3.55 m(BH-3), 3.70 m (BH-4 and BH-5), 4.70 m (BH-2), 5.55 m/5.70 m (BH-7, BH-8 and BH-9), 6.65 m(BH-10) and 7.60 m (BH-11) is predominated by plastic nature consisting of grey and occasionallyyellowish grey soft silty clay. Further below, a layer of grey non-plastic sandy silt occasionally
mixed with trace clay exists to a variable depth of 7.85 m/ 8.0 m (BH-1 and BH-6), 9.00 m/10.0 m(BH-2, BH-3, BH-4 and BH-5), 12.0 m (BH-7), 13.65 m (BH-10), 15.70 m (BH-9), 16.50 (BH-11)
and 17.70 (BH-8) measured from existing ground level of the investigated boreholes. The subsequent
layers of soil existing to the depth of the investigation are also non-plastic by nature. The above nonplastic soil comprises grey sandy silt, sand silt mix and very fine sand with some/ little silt. The SPT
Value with soil profile of 11 boreholes against respective interval of the depth is shown in
Figure 3.
82

The consistency of the top layer of clayey silt existing roughly to the depth of 2.65 m (BH-6),
3.10 (BH-1), 3.55 m (BH-3), 3.70 m (BH-4 and BH-5), 4.70 m (BH-2), 5.55 m/5.70 m (BH-7, BH-8
and BH-9), 6.65 m (BH-10) and 7.60 m (BH-11) is usually very soft and soft and occasionallymedium. Further below, the layers of the non-plastic sandy silt existing roughly to the depth of 7.85
m/8.00 m (BH-1 and BH-6), 9.00 m/ 10.00 m (BH-2, BH-3, BH-4 and BH-5), 12.00 m (BH-7),
13.65 (BH-10), 15.70 m (BH-9), 16.50 m (BH-11) and 17.70 m (BH-8) generally have been
observed in a very loose and loose state. The subsequent deep layers of the non-plastic sand-silt mix,
silty fine sand and fine sand existing to the depth of the investigation, generally have been observedin a medium dense to dense and finally to a very dense state. Moreover, the consistency of the layerof clayey silt existing in between the depths of 13.65 m and 16.50 m (BH-10) is usually stiff.
Unconfined compressive test value varies between 30 to 40 kPa for the underlying soil beneath theembankment. According to the Laboratory test result the specific gravity of the investigated soil
usually varies from 2.60 to 2.65. The engineering properties of the investigated layers of soil,
particularly, the values of the angle of the internal friction, obtained from the performance of thedirect shear tests, vary from 19.0o-39.0o. Several consolidation tests have also been carried out in thedepth of 4 m at different locations. Following data have been obtained from one dimensional
consolidation tests: initial void ratio ranges between 0.70 and 0.90, compression index ranges
between 0.25 and 0.35 and coefficient of consolidation for vertical drainage ranges between 0.005
and 0.015 m2/day.
5.

SOIL IMPROVEMENT METHODOLOGY AND DATA ANALYSIS

Vertical drains are installed under a surcharge load of 65 kPa to accelerate the drainage ofimpervious soils and thus speed up consolidation. These drains provide a shorter path for the water toflow through to get away from the soil. Time taken to drain clay layers can be reduced from years toa couple of months. A sand column of 250 mm diameter and 5 m was used. The column is then filledwith sand and connected to a free-draining blanket of granular soil. Because of its low permeability,
the consolidation settlement of soft clays takes a long time to complete. To shorten the consolidation
time, vertical drains are installed together with preloading either by an embankment or by means of
vacuum pressure. Vertical drains are artificially-created drainage paths which are inserted into thesoft clay subsoil. Thus, the pore water squeezed out during consolidation of the clay due to thehydraulic gradients created by the preloading can flow faster in the horizontal direction towards thevertical drains. It is taken advantage of the fact, that most clay deposits exhibit a higher horizontal
permeability compared to the vertical. Subsequently, these pore water can flow freely along thevertical drains vertically towards the permeable layers. Therefore, the vertical drain installation83

reduces the length of the drainage path and, consequently, accelerates the consolidation process andallows the clay to gain rapid strength increase to carry the new load by its own.
The alignment of this road project is situated on a marshy land. This land remains water logged
throughout the year and shrimp culturing occurs there. Oceanic ebbs and tides caries sediment andsilted, formed alluvium types land. As per soil profile presented in the Figure 3, up to 3.5m consistsof very soft silty clay and from 3.5-9.0m contains loose to very loose sandy silt. SPT value varies
from 1-4 up to a depth of 5m which indicates that the soil condition is poor (very soft soil). Atterberg
limits are 35-56 (LL), 25-28 (PL) respectively and moisture content is 42%. Under this circumstance,
Vertical Sand Drain technique has been employed for this project. In the foundation level of the road,
total number of 1, 10,000 vertical sand drain has been used. Depth of Vertical Sand Drain (with a
250mm diameter) is 5m from excavated ground level that means 5.6m from original ground level(OGL). Fineness modulus (FM) of sand (fine aggregate) is an index number which represents themean size of the particles in sand. It is calculated by performing sieve analysis with standard sieves.
The cumulative percentage retained

PART-IX

RECENT LANDSLIDE EVENTS IN
BANGLADESH
Figure 3 Soil profile with SPT values in the 11 boreholes

84on each sieve is added and subtracted by 100 gives the value of fine aggregate. FM of sand has beenused 1.8 for the vertical sand drains. Spacing between each sand drain is 1000 mm (1 m) and drains
have been placed in a square pattern as presented in Figure 4.

Figure 4 Figure shows square pattern of VSD after completion of the work
Two layers (L1 and L2) have been considered for estimation of consolidation settlement.
Thickness of layer 1 and layer 2 were 0-5 m and 5-10 m respectively. Unit weights of L1 and L2 insaturated phase are 16.50 kN/m3 and 17.40 kN/m3 respectively. Initial void ratio (eo) of L1 and L2
were 0.81 and 0.8 respectively. Unit weight (γw) and Dry unit weight (γd) were 9.81 kN/m3 and 15
kN/m3 respectively. The estimated value of compression index CC is 0.29. The location of the watertable is assumed to be at the EGL. The load coming from the vehicular traffic has been assumed to
be 65 KN/m3. 552 mm primary consolidation has been estimated in the consolidation test. Due tohigh primary consolidation, square sand drain with double drainage condition has been selected.
Coefficient of consolidation for vertical drainage (Cv) and coefficient of consolidation for radial
drainage (Cvr) was 0.010 m2/day. Drain radius 0.125 m has been considered. Average longest
drainage path during consolidation (Hdr) was 5 m. 1 m of centre to centre spacing between two sanddrains has been considered. In this site, theoretically using sand drain takes 90 days of time for 100%
settlement and without sand drain only 236.33 mm settlement can be achieved in 90 days, as can beobserved in Figure 5.

85

Settlement Vs. Time Curve
600

500

Settlement (mm)

400

300

200

100

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Time (day)With Sand Drain

Without Sand Drain

Figure 5 Settlement versus time curve for both with and without sand drain
It is always difficult to create the working field. The construction of ring bund is a complicatedtask for bringing the soil from outside. Removing the water through dewatering process andexcavating the upper soft soil layer are challenging. The construction processes of the VSD aredescribed in the Figure 5. To construct the VSD, forty five tripods have been used in this project aspresented in Figure 6.

Figure 6 Figure a) shows that removing of soft clay before construction of the VSD pile and b) the
construction of the VSD
Figure 7 shows the as built drawing of the road cross-section. After completion of the VSD, 600
mm of drainage layer (sand blanket) has been provided on top of the VSD. These layers have been
composed of sand with FM 1.2, which have been compacted in layers of 150 mm thickness. Sylhet
sand with one inch sizes of stone gravel were mixed in the ratio of 1:1 and have been provided as thefilter layers at both side of the 600 mm of the drainage layer. Filter layers have been provided to86

prevent sand to come out along with the emerged water due to capillary action from the VSD andflow out to the outer side of the road.
The total height of the road embankment is 3m. This embankment has been constructed using
compacted dredged soil filling (sandy clay, silty clay and silt, PL<20) in 150 mm layers. 150 mmbase course, 150 mm sub-base and 250 mm improved sub-grade (ISG) have been used for slow
moving road. 25 mm bituminous carpeting with 7 mm seal coat has been used for the slow-moving
road. 175 mm base course, 250 mm sub-base course and 300 mm ISG have been used in 2 lanes ofroad. 80 mm bituminous carpeting and 12 mm seal have been used in two lanes of road. 125 mm ofbrick on end of ending has been used in two lane road. Turfing on land slope at end of the road is
1:2. In both sides of the road 1.5 thickness of turfing slope protection have been provided with clay.
Top and bottom width of the six lane road including two slow moving roads are 30.40 m and 44.20
m respectively.
6.

EMBANKMENT FILLING AND FINAL ROAD CONSTRUCTION

Dredged sand of the Mongla-Ghoshiakhali channel has been used as the embankment filling (around3 m thick). Embankment has been filled in layer by layer with proper compaction as presented in
Figure 8.
The improved subgrade layer (ISG) has been provided with sand of FM 0.8. The CBR value of
ISG has been found 14% instead of 8%. Sub base layer of 250 mm thickness has been provided with
1:1 mixture of bricks khoa and sand for which CBR value has been found to be 80% instead of 30%.
At the top of the sub base layer, wet mix macadam has been constructed. Confirming the
optimum moisture between khoa and sand; a mixture of khoa and sand (1.5 inch down khoa 60%, 1
inch down khoa 30% and local sand 10%) has been used for construction of the hard bed and 110%compaction has been found. Different stages of road construction after the VSD has been carried out
are presented in Figure 9.

87Figure 7 Final design for 4 lanes and 2 lanes slow moving road

Figure 8 Figure a) shows embankment filled with Dredged sand of the Mongla-Ghoshiakhali channel
and b) shows Embankment filling final layer (ISG bottom)
7.

DISCUSSION

In the Khulna-Mongla highway project, the construction work is very challenging because of soft
soil foundation layer. Due to low SPT value of soil, preloading with VSD technique has been
employed to treat the soil. Sand has been used in the VSD having a FM value of 1.8. In total, 1,
10,000 VSDs have been used in this project. 600 mm of sand (FM-1.2) blanket has been provided at
the top of the VSD. For preloading, no extra load has been applied; self-weight of the embankment
has been used as the load. In an average 3 m height of embankment has been constructed. In different
88layers of pavement ISG, sub-base, WMM, bituminous carpeting, dense carpeting and also in the bothsides of the lane hard shoulder and soft shoulder have been used.
To measure the soil improvement, SPT have also been carried out after almost 100 days of VSD
installation at three chainage locations. Figure 10 compares the SPT values at those locations

Figure 9 Figure a) shows that mixture of aggregates close to OMC, b) shows compaction inprogress, c) shows base course andd) shows completed road

before and after VSD installation. It has been observed that the SPT value improved significantly due
to the installation of VSD. To measure the settlement, two settlement measuring plates have beenplaced in each kilometer. In total twelve settlement plates have been placed in the 5.76 km of road.
After full completion of the embankment, the measured settlement has been found between 500 and
600 mm. According to the one dimensional consolidation test of undisturbed sample, the theoreticalestimate of the settlement has been estimated to be around 552 mm.

Figure 10 Comparison of SPT value before and after the soil improvement
898.

CONCLUSIONS

The application of preloading with vertical sand drain (VSD) technique, as a soil stabilization
method has been presented in this paper. Regarding the time consumption aspects and value of
required work, soil strengthening by forming vertical sand drain is a more preferable technique. In
this Rampal coal based power plant connecting road project 1, 11,000 number of VSD has been
installed at 1 m center to center spacing in square pattern upto a 5 m depth. Due to the installation of
VSD, time for settlement has been reduced from almost one year to only 90 days. SPT values also
improved due to the VSD installation. In twelve locations along the embankment, settlements havebeen measured. Measured settlement varies from 500 to 600 mm along the embankment profile. The
concept of the soil improvement using VSD beneath the road embankment with tripod for
installation purpose is not only cost-effective but also safe, reliable and time-saving as shown
through the success of the project.
REFERENCES
BRTC (Bureau of Research, Testing and Consultation), (2013) "Report on Review of Design Reportfor the Treatment of Soft Soil Areas of Embankment for the Proposed Construction of Double Line
Track from Tongi to Bairab Bazar including Signalling on Dhaka-Chittagong Main Line",
Department of Civil Engineering, April 2013, Bangladesh University of Engineering andTechnology, Dhaka.
BRTC (Bureau of Research, Testing and Consultation), (2016) "Report on Design of Foundation
Treatment, Preloading with Staged Construction and Monitoring Scheme for the Construction ofRailway Embankment from Chainage 0+550 km to 32+365 km of Kashiani-Gopalganj Section",
Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka.
Cooray, P.G., (1984) "An Introduction to the Geology of Sri Lanka (Ceylon)", Department ofGovernment Printing, Colombo, SriLanka.
Inyang, H.I., Bae, S., Mbamalu, G. and Park, S.W., (2007) "Aqueous polymer effects on volumetricswelling of Namontrollonite". Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering 19(1): 84–90.
Indraratna, B., Rujikiatkamjorn, C., Wijeyakulasuriya, V., McIntosh, G., & Kelly, R. (2010). Softsoils improved by prefabricated vertical drains: performance and prediction. University of
Wollongong, Research Online.
Indraratna, B., Rujikiatkamjorn, C., Kelly, R., Buys, H., (2012) "Soft Soil Foundation Improved by
Vacuum and Surcharge Loading", Ground Improv. 165 (G12), pp87–96.

90

Long, P.V., Bergado, D.T., Nguyem, L.V. and Balasubramanium, A.S., (2013) "Design and
Performance of Soft Ground Improvement Using PVD With and Without Vacuum Consolidation",
Geotechnical Engineering Journal of the SEAGS and AGSSEA, Vol. 44, No.4, December 2013,
ISSN 0046-5828, pp36-51.
Radhakrishnan, G., Kumar, M., Raju, G. V. R., Prasad, D. S. V. and Venkateshwaralu, D. (2010).
Study of consolidation accelerated by sand drains. In Indian Geotechnical Conference. December
16–18, 2010, IGS Mumbai Chapter & IIT Bombay, pp313-316.
Shin, B. W., Shin, E. C., Kim, S. W., Yeo, B. C., &Dass, P. (1993). Case History of Soil
Improvement for a Large-Scale Land Reclamation. Proceedings: Third International Conference on
Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri,June 1-4, 1993, Paper No. 7.06,
pp955-960.
Shukla, A. S. and Kambekar, A. R. (2013). Working Of Prefabricated Vertical Drain- Α Case
Study, International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (ISO3297: 2007 Certified Organization) Vol. 2, Issue 8, August 2013 Copyright to IJIRSET
www.ijirset.com 3675, pp3675-3686.
Wei-Bing, Z. H. A. O., &Jia-Huan, Q. I. A. N. (1989). Semi-Analytical Method for Vacuum
Preloading of A Foundation With Sand Drain. Science in China Series A-Mathematics, Physics,
Astronomy & Technological Science, 32(3), 374-384.
Woo, S. M., Moh, Z. C., Van Weele, A. F., Chotivittayathanin, R., &Trangkarahart, T. (1989).
Preconsolidation of soft Bangkok clay by vacuum loading combined with non-displacement sanddrains. In Proc., 12th ICSMFE (Vol. 2, pp. 1431-1434).
Yamada, H. and Sato, M. (1990). “Site Tests related to Work to Implement Countermeasures to
Liquefaction at Kushiro Port,” Presentation Outlines 4th set, of 34th Hokkaido Development
Agency Technical Research Meeting, pp. 259-264. (in Japanese)
Zein, A. K. M., and Elgasim, L. E. (2014). Study of Various Techniques for Improving Weak andCompressible Clay Soil under a High Earth Embankment. In MATEC Web of Conferences (Vol. 11,
p. 03006). EDP Sciences, pp1-

91

PART-IX

GEOTECHNICAL STABILITY OF COASTALPOLDER OF BHOLA DISTRICT IN
BANGLADESH COAST AGAINST CYCLONICSTORM SURGES USING PLAXISBANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Md. Saddam Hossain
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary92

1. Introduction
Coastal region of Bangladesh, the most low-lying part of the country, is the homeland of 50 million
people, nearly one-third of huge population of densely populated Bangladesh (Marziya 2010-11).The
Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna that constitute one of the largest river systems in the world
drain through the coastal region into the Bay of Bengal has made the region more complex andunstable. Additionally, coastal region of Bangladesh is highly susceptible to tropical cyclones andstorm surges due to its geographical location. The destruction due to the storm surge flooding is aserious concern along the coastal regions of the countries, for example along the coasts of
Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. Bangladesh is on the receiving end of about 40% of the impact of
total storm surges in the world (Murty 1992). The most deadly cyclones of the modern era struck
Bangladesh in 1970 and 1991. Cyclone SIDR struck Bangladesh in November 2007, killing over
3,000 people, injuring over 50,000, damaging or destroying over 1.5 million homes, and affecting the
livelihoods of over 7 million people (Dasgupta 2009).Moreover, the adverse effects of Climate
Change – especially High Temperature, Sea-level Rise, Cyclones and Storm Surges, Salinity
Intrusion, Heavy Monsoon Downpours etc. has aggravated the miserable conditions of people living
here. From 1960 to 1980 a total of 123 coastal polders were constructed to protect low-lying coastal
areas from tidal floods and salinity intrusion in southern Bangladesh (Ahmed 2011). The failure ofthese earth embankments due to cyclone and storm surges makes the scenario more vulnerable which
results in more causalities and economical loss.
Lack of proper construction, poor maintenance after a natural calamity, climate change effects
making the embankments less effective to withstand the region from strong water and wind thrustand making the inhabitants exposure to the natural calamities. The aim of our study is to investigate
the present stability conditions of the embankments around coastal polders. The soil profile andconstruction technique of the embankments of polders more of less same. We have selected Bholazone as a prototype for investigation .Finite element (PLAXIS 3D)(Vilas, Moniuddin 2015)
modeling of Bhola embankment considering primary soil parameters of earth embankment and subsoil has been analyzed for investigation of global factor of safety encountering different levels ofwater level and wind thrust forces.
2.Geometry
5m wide embankment has been considered for modelling. River side slope is 2H: 1V and road sideslope is 1H: 1V considered in the model based on field visit scenario. Both position and intensity ofsurge height and thrust force (cumulative effect of water thrust and wind force) have been varied to93find out the worst condition for which embankments are less susceptible to withstand the forces
responsible for failure and make the polders vulnerable for cyclones and storms.

Fig.1: Embankment prototype of Bhola polders
3. Data collection
Standard penetration test (SPT) has been performed at 3 locations of Bhola polder embankments andsoil has collected from the locations to perform Tri-axial test and consolidation test to find out basic
parameters of embankment fill soil and sub-soil. SPT soil profile and results from laboratory testingshows the soil properties of embankments of Bhola polder is more or less same. Figure2 shows SPT
profile from the top of the embankment. SPT values varies from 1 to 7 up-to a depth of 18m
indicating very soft to loose consistency. The embankment fill soil is Clayey Silt which is about 6m
height from the top. The subsoil is Fine Sand up to 5.5m below the ground level then another 5.5 m
subsoil is Clayey Silt. The fill and the entire soil material were modeled as Mohr Coulomb. Table 1
summarizes soil properties used in the PLAXIS-3D modeling. Standard penetration test (SPT) has
been performed at 3 locations of Bhola polder embankments and soil collected from the locations toperform Tri-axial test and consolidation test to find out basic parameters of embankment fill soil andsub-soil. Table1 includes the basic parameters need to make model of Bhola polder embankment tofind out global stability.
SPT soil profile of one embankment at Taltoli Ghat, Charfashion, and Bhola is presented below.
Table1: Soil parameters
Material

Embankment(Fill)(Clayey Silt)

C

17

19

40380
94

5

ᶲ

K

(Degree)m/dayPermeability

43

0.01

Fine Sand

17

19

25000

3

30

0.04

Clayey Silt

18

20

50000

0

28

0.2

Fig2. Soil profile of embankment at Charfashion, Bhola Polder.
95

Strom surge height and thrust force (both for wind and water) of two mighty Cyclone in Bangladesh,
Cyclone-1991 and Cyclone-2007(SIDR) (Akter, M 2014), are considered in Plaxis-3D model forevaluation of factor of safety due to these scenario. Surge height and thrust force for different Thana
of Bhola district is enlisted below at table 2.
Table.2: Storm surge depth and thrust force of two desperate cyclone of Bangladesh

Cyclone wind

Surge

ThrustDistrict

Thana

speed

Depth

Force

Name

Name

(Km/hr)(m)(KN/m)

Surge
Velocity(m/s)

1991 Cyclone
Bhola

Bhola Sadar

77.52

1.53

7.28

0.74

Bhola

Burhanuddin

96.62

0.88

4.52

0.68

Bhola

Char Fasson

113.34

1.67

17.04

1.37

Bhola

Daulatkhan

87.80

2.20

1.40

0.30

Bhola

Lalmohan109.84

0.33

4.43

0.59

Bhola

Manpura142.11

3.08

8.27

1.08
0.77

Bhola

Tazumuddin

112.42

4.09

8.59

SIDR- 2007 Cyclone
Bhola

Bhola Sadar

146.04

1.81

33.42

1.44

Bhola

Burhanuddin

164.16

1.01

37.30

1.68

Bhola

Char Fasson

179.96

1.81

49.36

2.33

Bhola

Daulatkhan

149.24

2.10

9.41

0.37

Bhola

Lalmohan

173.34

0.36

25.75

1.17

Bhola

Manpura142.43

3.14

25.20

1.72

Bhola

Tazumuddin

148.28

3.91

13.67

1.15

4. Method of Analysis
In order to determine minimum factor of safety which indicates vulnerability of embankment, wehave considered 13 combination of surge height and thrust force (cumulative effect of water thrust96and wind force) for Bhola polder embankment enlisted at Table 2 experienced during two major
cyclone in 2007 and 1991. Flow diagram below shows the combinations considered for embankment
safety analysis at Plaxis-3D model.
Embankment in normal condition (without water and wind)
Water at top of embankment
Water at mid-level of embankment
Water at low-level of embankment
Water at top + Thrust at top
Water at mid + Thrust at top
Water at mid + Thrust at mid
Water at low-level + Thrust at top
Water at low-level + Thrust at mid
Water at low-level + Thrust at bottom
Wind at top level
Wind at mid-levelFig 3. Combinations considered for embankment safety analysis at Plaxis-3D model.
5. Result of Analysis
As the soil of embankment fill material is fine grained Silty clay and their permeability is low as.01m/day,Undrained (Merifield 2009) characteristics would govern during storm surge and shortperiod of inundation. Figure 4. Shows the deformation of embankment due to Undrained behavior
with the combination water at mid-level and then both water and thrust force acting at mid-level ofpolder embankment, which are the worse condition of embankments encountering cyclone hazards
enlisted at table2.
Deformed embankment shows unstable condition of embankment where the maximum value ofdisplacement of a soil particle is about 3.5m which indicates certain failure of polder.

Fig4. Deformation of embankment due to Undrained behavior for the combination both water andthrust force acting at mid-level of polder embankment

97

Output Version 2015.2.21239.14820

1.2

D i ffe re n t c o n d itio n s fo r fa ctor o f s a fe ty

water at top + thrust at top pointwater at middle + thrust at top point
Water at middle + thrust at middle point
Water at bottom + thrust at top point
Water at bottom + thrust at middle point
Water at bottom + thrust at bottompoint
Water at top point
Water at middle
Water at bottom point
Wind at t op point
Wind at middle point
Wind at bottom point

1.18

1.16

1.14

SMsf []

1.12

1.1

1.08

1.06

1.04

1.02

1

0.98
0.003

0.004

0.005

0.006

|u| [m]Project description

Date

Undrained factor of safety

1/17/2018

Project filename

Step

User name

Bhola polder embankment

151

BUET-Civil Engineering

Fig5. Global factor of safety of embankment due to Undrained behavior for the combination bothwater and thrust force acting at mid-level of polder embankment
Factor of safety curves shows global factor of safety of embankment is from 0.95 to 1.2 mostly
whereas minimum factor of safety of embankment as 1.5 is considered safe for stable condition. This
result indicates the polder might not be able to withstand the thrust forces during cyclones like Sidr.
5. Discussion and Recommendation
We have taken an embankment section of Charfashion to evaluate the condition of Bhola polder.
Model results show poor consistency of the embankment encountering cyclones that Bangladesh has
already experienced. It’s high time to conduct rigorous soil testing at every polder in coastal regionof Bangladesh to evaluate their condition and take engineering steps to make them stabilize so thatembankments can withstand cyclonic storm surges like SIDR, which are common at coastal region of
Bangladesh at a regular interval due to it’s tropical geographic location.
98

Acknowledgements
The research has been supported by the SATREPS (funded by JST-JICA) through ‘Research on
Disaster Mitigation against Strom surges and floods in Bangladesh’. DECCMA Project on ‘DEltas,
vulnerability and Climate Change: Migration and Adaptation’ which is part of Collaborative
Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), with financial support from the UK
Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the International Development
Research Centre (IDRC), Canada are gratefully acknowledged.
References
Vilas, Moniuddin 2015, ‘Finite Element Analysis of Soil Bearing Capacity using Plaxis’,
International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology, 4(6), June-2015.
Li, A. J., Merifield, R. S. and Lyamin, A. V., 2009, ‘Limit analysis solutions for three dimensional
undrained slopes’ Computers and Geotechnics, 36(1): 1330-1351.
Akter, M 2014, ‘Analytical solution of the distributive thrust forces due to storm surges incoastal area’, MS thesis, Institute of Water and Flood Management, Bangladesh University ofEngineering and Technology, Dhaka.
Ahmed, A, 2011, ‘Some of the major environmental problems relating to land use changes in the
coastal areas of Bangladesh: A review’, Journal of Geography and Regional Planning, 4(1), pp. 1-8,
January 2011.
Dasgupta, Laplante, Murray and Wheeler 2009, ‘Climate Change and the Future Impacts of StormSurge Disasters in Developing Countries’ Center for Global Development1800 Massachusetts Ave.,
NW Washington, DC 20036, pp.1.
Murty, T.S. and El-Sabh, M.I., 1992, ‘Mitigating the effects of storm surges generated by tropical
cyclones: A proposal’, Natural Hazards, 6(3), pp.251-273.

99

PART-X

DEVELOPMENT OF A RATING SYSTEM FOR
RMG FACTORIES OF BANGLADESH BASEDON ACCORD AND ALLIANCE DATABANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Zahid Hasan Khan
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary100Introduction
Workplace safety and security in Bangladeshi garment factories attracted widespread international
scrutiny after the Tazreen fashion factory fire on November 24, 2012 and the Rana Plaza collapse on
April 24, 2013. Various transnational labor organizing bodies, corporations, and the Bangladesh
government developed different governance mechanisms to monitor working conditions in garment
factories. The Accord on Building and Fire Safety in Bangladesh and the Alliance for Bangladesh
Worker Safety are the two most significant transnational private governance structures that received
extensive attention worldwide. Transnational labor rights groups and corporations introduced two
governance structures popularly known as the “Accord” and “Alliance”. So two different factoryinspection programs have been established to make work place safer in Bangladesh:
1.1 The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, and the Alliance for
Bangladesh, where ILO fulfills the role of neutral chair. The Accord on Fire and Building
Safety in Bangladesh (the Accord) was signed by over 190 Apparel Company from over 20
countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia; two global trade unions, Industry
ALL and UNI Global; and eight Bangladeshi trade unions on May15, 2013. It is a 5-year
independent and legally binding agreement designed to build a safe and healthy Bangladeshi
RMG Industry (Ansary et. al. 2015).
1.2 The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (the Alliance) officially launched its local
operation in Dhaka on December 9, 2013, which is also a 5-year independent and legallybinding agreement founded by a group of North American apparel companies and retailers
and brands (26 North American retailers and brands) to develop and launch the Bangladesh
Worker Safety Initiative (Ansary et. al. 2015).
The GoB has already upgraded Chief Inspector of Factories and Establishment office to Departmentof the Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), sanctioning 679 new staff positions
including 392 new inspectors and also started organizing training programme for the newly recruitedinspectors for capacity building. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) andtwo private engineering firms TUV SUD Bangladesh (Pvt.) Ltd. and Veritas Engineering &Consultant on behalf of the NTC, the Accord, and the Alliance are responsible for conducting theassessments of the structural integrity and fire safety of RMG factory buildings. To undertake thestructural assessment of factory buildings with common approach, Guidelines for Assessment ofStructural Integrity and Fire and Safety including harmonized standards were developed by the101technical experts (structural engineers, fire safety experts, etc.) from the BUET on behalf of the
NTC, the Accord, and the Alliance. A review panel along with a review mechanism was alsoestablished to handle urgent safety issues in garment factories. Finally, in November 2013,assessments of the structural integrity and fire safety of RMG factory buildings officiallycommenced, led by engineers from BUET (Ansary et. al. 2015).
Various factors adversely affect structural condition and hence the performance of RC structures.
These factors may include inadequate material selection, poor workmanship, severe environments,and exposure to harmful chemicals, unexpected loadings, fatigue, and catastrophic events (Jain et al2012). Safety management of structures for public and property security must be performed regularly
throughout the structures life cycle. Visual inspection provides important information on
performance and durability of structures (ACI 201 2008). In deteriorating structures, several visible
distresses may develop with time, of which the commonly detected ones are cracks,
leaching/staining, sapling, delamination, and efflorescence. In line with this, inspection activities andcondition evaluations are done to assess the current serviceability and structural function of existing
structures. Condition assessment and visual inspection are concerned with estimating the likely
future safety and performance of an existing structural system. Many buildings in the Bangladesh use
reinforced concrete, in whole or in part, as the structural system. Proper inspection procedures, basedon a visual investigation, can help identify deficiencies in concrete before they become critical to theoverall stability of the structure. This Tool provides engineers with background information and asystematic methodology for inspecting reinforced concrete buildings, focusing on deterioration
conditions that can be seen and, more importantly, those conditions that can lead to a structural
failure.
There exist different levels of investigation when it comes to condition survey of reinforced concrete
structures. In seismic evaluation of structures, for example, FEMA 310 which is one of the “mostadvanced seismic evaluation procedure” for buildings categorizes the levels of inspection to a threetiered process as enumerated by Rai (1998). Tier 1 is the screening phase in which the inspection ismainly visual. In this phase, the engineer looks on potential deficiencies and expected behavior of
the structure. This screening helps provide evaluation statements for structural, nonstructural andfoundation aspects in the form of checklist. Tier 2 is the evaluation phase where complete analysis of
the building is made while Tier 3 is the more detailed evaluation phase.
Building performance can be measured in many ways, the most common being condition. Condition
survey is defined as the “examination of concrete for the purpose of identifying and defining areas of
distress”. (ACI 201) The buildings condition gives a measure of the effectiveness of current
102maintenance programs because it determines the remaining useful life of components or systems andcompares it with the full economic life expected, given good maintenance. In terms of condition
survey of in-service concrete for the purpose of rehabilitation, the American Concrete Institute (364)classifies condition assessment of concrete structures under two categories: preliminary investigationand detailed investigation. The preliminary investigation develops an initial assessment of theconcrete structures behavior, condition and existing performance. A preliminary investigation is notintended to be a comprehensive study and is visual in nature. The tasks was done by Accord andAlliance through their inspection team over their member factories.
A detailed investigation is performed when the initial site visit or preliminary investigation has
identified a need for more in depth assessment of concrete structures behavior. A detailed
investigation includes additional filed observation, measurements and field and laboratory testing.
2. Implementation mechanism of the structural assessment
The common steps for structural assessment of buildings housing RMG factories by team ofexpert are described below:
2.1 Visual inspection

Visual inspections of factory building were done for identification of existence of any distress in the
structure of a building.
2.2 Review of current use and loading pattern

The design drawings and soil investigation reports of the factory buildings (if available) are reviewed
to assess the current use and loading pattern.
2.3 Assessment of immediate threat of collapse from current building use

Assessment of immediate threat of collapse from current building use is done to take decision aboutfurther initiatives required to make the factory buildings resilient. For the assessment of immediate
threat of collapse from current building use, the surveyors firstly highlight key columns and carry out
simple calculations of working stresses to find out Factor of Safety (FOS), which is Column Ultimate
Strength, divided by the Column Working Stress (Ansary et. al. 2015). Here, the Column Working
Stresses are calculated comparing data set values and trigger points developed. Column Ultimate103

Strengths of the key columns of RMG factory buildings are calculated using Eq. (1) according to
Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC 1993)
Pn = 0.85φ [ 0.85f’c(Ag-Ast) + fyAst ………………………………….…………(1)
where
Pn is the ultimate strength of a column,
Φ is the strength reduction factor (¼0.7),f′c is the compressive (cylinder) concrete strength,
Ag is the gross area of concrete section,
Ast is the area of reinforcement andfy is the steel strength.
To decide on Column Ultimate Strengths, firstly the key columns are checked for brick or stoneaggregate concrete. In case of unknown column material, brick aggregate is assumed. Due to theabsence of any compressive strength data for existing RMG factory buildings, equivalent
compressive (cylinder) concrete strengths (f′c) are used for preliminary analysis. For the key
columns with stone aggregate concrete and brick aggregate concrete, equivalent compressive(cylinder) concrete strength (f′c) are assumed to be 16.3 MPa (2365 psi) and 14.1 MPa (2045psi), respectively. These two equivalent concrete strengths were estimated on the basis of thecylinder test results conducted at BUET Concrete Laboratory between 2003 and 2009 using Eq.
(2).
f’c = mean of concrete strengths - 1.34 * standard deviation of concrete strengths.................(2)After deciding on concrete strengths of the key columns, the order of reinforcement is checkedwith a ferro-scanner to calculate the area of reinforcement (Ast). In case of unknown number ofreinforcement bar, it is assumed as 1 percent of gross area of concrete section. For the buildings
constructed before 2005 and after 2005 the steel strengths (fy) are assumed 40 ksi (276 MPa) and
60 ksi (414 MPa), respectively. After deciding on all these information, Column Ultimate
Strength is calculated. Finally, FOS is calculated from Column Ultimate Strength and Column
Working Stress. Based on FOS, four colour codes have been proposed to be used indicating thelevel of vulnerability of the factory buildings and the required actions within certain time frame
to overcome the vulnerable condition. Table 1 shows the colour codes based on FOS of columns
along with required actions within time frame. Thus, preliminary assessment of immediate threatof collapse from current building use is carried out.

104

Table 1 Colour codes based on FOS of columns along with required actions within timeframe structural assessment of buildings housing RMG factories (Ansary et. al. 2015).
FOS ofColorcolumn

Code

Below
1.25

Red

Amber

1.25

1.5

time frame

Critical visible

to increase FOS by reducing load

Detailed

defects resulting inless than the minimum load on any

Engineering

immediate danger tofloor,i.e.1kN/m² or 20psf. If FOS isAssessment

structure andstill below1.25, then evacuate the(DEA) along

workers.

facility immediately consideringwith core test

expert opinion.

immediately.

No reason to suspend operations in

Require DEA

the facility. Production may

along with

continue subject to agreement tocore test

address issues raised and actions

within 6prioritized locally in report

weeks.

defect swith noimmediate danger toLimited visible

1.86 and Yellow

Actions with

Requirestructure or workers.

BetweenRequired action

Require careful review. Take actions

Significant visible

Between1.50 andDescription

defects with noimmediate danger tostructure or workers.

RequireProduction may continue subject toactions andagreement to address issues raisedcore test

and actions prioritized in report

within 6
months.

No critical visible
Better
than

Green

1.86

defects or structures

Generally all clear subject to

No immediateand no visible

agreement to address prioritizedactions

immediate risks tocomments. Production can continue.

required.

workers.
3. Outline of Methodology
The tool was developed from a review of documentation on deterioration conditions in concrete andof accepted industry recommendations and practices. For the development of this tool, review andfull consideration of the following were given to:i. American Concrete Institute 201.1: Guide for Making a Condition Survey of Concrete in Service
ii. American Concrete Institute 364: Guide for Evaluation of Concrete Structures before
Rehabilitation
105

iii. ASCE 11 Guidelines for Structural Condition Assessment of Existing Buildings
iv. US Army Corps of Engineers: Guide for Visual Inspection of Structural Concrete Building
Components
3.1 Components of the Tool

The tool consider both the structural and nonstructural deficiencies in concrete. It focuses on specificbuilding elements for condition evaluation. These elements primarily include columns, slabs andbeams.
Brick Walls are also considered but because it is load bearing in nature, it is not included in theoverall rating of the building. Also, because there are a number of defects in concrete, only the major
defects and visible deteriorations are considered. The tool can be divided into six parts: plan frame,
critical areas, visible deterioration, building component, condition rating and the recommendations
part.
3.2 Nonstructural deficiencies

Nonstructural deficiencies in general are surface deficiency resulting from the conditions of thedesign, construction or service life of the building. These deficiencies are not immediately critical to
the structure but they can cause further deterioration, which can eventually lead to structural
deficiencies. Examples of nonstructural deficiencies are: abrasion, blistering, chemical reaction
cracking, cracking due to construction practice, crazing, discoloration, efflorescence, flaking,honeycombing, pop-out, etc.
3.3 Structural deficiencies

Structural deficiencies on the other hand indicate a breakdown of the material to a point thatthreatens the structural capacity of the members. Common structural deficiencies are chemical
deterioration, corrosion cracking, distortion, reinforcement corrosion, scaling, sapling, shear
cracking, moment cracking, etc. For a detailed explanation and corresponding photographs in CAPs
of Accord & Alliance investigations can be seen from their websites.
3.4 Scoring System
The adopted scoring system is based on the proposed methodology by Coronelli (2007). This rating
system is a modification of the evaluation procedure by the CEB (1998): Condition Rating. Thismethodology was proposed for wide variety of structures to identify the most deteriorated cases by adamage index and plan more detailed analysis and repair interventions. Because the procedure ofCoronelli considers several factors that are non-existent in the Bangladesh condition such as freeze
thaw, etc it is further modified taking into account local conditions.
The scoring system begins by first examining the structural configuration and its division orcomponents and subsequently judging the relative importance of these components. In general, more106

importance is given to columns since its failure is brittle and could trigger incremental collapse of
more parts of the structure. The failure of the floor however has limited effects with a beam failure.
The structural factor, as adopted from the study of Coronelli, which gives the relative importance ofeach structural element, is shown in Table 2. After examining the structural component, damage ofeach individual element will be rated.
Table 2 Structural element factor values for framed buildings (Coronelli, 2007).
Structural Element

FactorColumns

1.25

Beams

1.1

Slabs

0.3

Element factor from column was taken from table 1 (Ansary et. al. 2015)
Table 3 Factors for estimating LCR & GCR
1

CONCRETE

B1

COLUMNS
K2

1.1
1.2

Poor workmanship: peeling, stratification,
honeycomb, voids

1.3

Cracking caused by direct loading, imposed
deformations and restraint
Efflorescence, exudation, popout

1.4

Mechanical damage: erosion, collision

1.5

Wet surfaces

1.6
1.7
1.8

Cover defects caused by reinforcement corrosion
Sapling caused by corrosion of reinforcement
Open joints between segments

2

REINFORCEMENTS

2.1

Corrosion of stirrups

2.2

Corrosion of main reinforcing bars, reduction ofsteel area in the section

K3

K4

SLABS
K2

K3

BEAM
K4

K2

K3

K4

1
3
1
1
1
2
3
2

1
3
18
LCR'Column

LCR'Slabs

LCR'S Beam

LCR = (∑ B1*K2*K3*K4)/72 =GCR = (1.25*LCR Column + 1.1 LCR Beam + 0.3 LCR Slabs)/2.65
Factorsa) B1 is the basic value of ith damage type, b) K1 is the structural element factor , c) K2 is the intensity factor for
the ith damage, d) K3 is the extension factor for the ith damage, e) K4 is the urgency of intervention factor for theith damage
Cut-off Scorei) GCR < 15 , No further investigation required. Only some repair is necessaryii) GCR > 15 , Detail Engineering Assessment is required and immediate steps should be taken as per DEA

107

3.5 Condition Rating

The condition rating is a numerical score given to the structure relative to its most deteriorated case.
The score can range from 0 to 100 with 100 representing the worst case scenario or the case in which
all members are deteriorated. A brief description of each of the deterioration case is shown in Table
4.
Table 4 Condition rating and corresponding deterioration class with description (Coronelli,2007).
Class

Description of the condition

Ratingi

No defect, Only construction deficiencies.

0-5

ii

Low degree deterioration, which only after a long period of time might be the

6-10

cause for reduced serviceability or durability of the affected structuralcomponent, if not repaired in proper timeiii

Medium degree deterioration, which can be the cause for reduced

11-15

serviceability and durability of the affected structural component, but still not
requiring any limitation of use of the structureiv

High degree deterioration, reducing the serviceability and durability of the

16-25

structure, but still not requiring serious limitation of usev

Very heavy deterioration, requiring limitation of use, propping of most critical

26-30

components, or other protective measuresvi

Critical deterioration, requiring immediate propping of the structure and strong>30

limitation of use, for example, closing
The form includes two condition ratings as follows:
3.5.1 Local Condition Rating (LCR)

The local condition rating or LCR is the rating for each of the building component. This includes
individual ratings for beams, columns, floor slabs and walls. The LCR is computed as:
LCR = ∑ B1 K2 K3 K4/72 X 100
B1 is the basic value of ith damage type, expressing its potential effect on the safety anddurability of the structural component under observation; values range 1–4(Coronelli, 2007).
K1 is the structural element factor characterizing its importance for the safety of the whole
structure or one of its parts;
K2 is the intensity factor for the ith damage, determined by qualitative visual criteria andexperimental measurements in a scale of four degrees, with the corresponding numerical values K2 =0.5, 1, 1.5, 2( Coronelli, 2007).
108

K3 is the extension factor for the ith damage within the elements under consideration, defined
uniquely by descriptive criteria and applied in a scale of K3 = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2 ( Coronelli, 2007).
K4 is the urgency of intervention factor for the ith damage, with values varying from 1 to 5
(Coronelli, 2007), grouped into four classes on the basis of direct consequences of the deterioration
type on the safety of the structure and the users, and related to an indication of time for intervention.
3.5.2 Global Condition Rating (GCR)

The global condition rating gives the condition index of the structure as a whole considering all thestructural components. It is the condition rating for the whole building. It is computed as:
GCR = (1.25* LCR Column + 1.1 LCR Beams + 0.3 LCR Slabs) /2.65...............................(2)3.7 Recommendations
Data was collected from problems of every industries observed by Accord and the Alliance &recorded as CAP on their websites. Corresponding industries were also visited by authors for theaccuracy of scoring systems.

Deterio
Industries

GRC

rationClass

Description of the condition (Coronelli,2007).

As on Accord & Alliance CAP

Low degree deterioration, which only
4A Yarn
Dyeing Ltd.

after a long period of time might be the5Icause for reduced serviceability or
durability of the affected structural

Repair Slab crack within six
monthscomponent, if not repaired in proper time
Low degree deterioration, which only
ArcorpDenim Ltd..

after a long period of time might be the
7.5IIcause for reduced serviceability or
durability of the affected structuralcomponent, if not repaired in proper time

Building Engineer to checkcantilever design & confirm
control of deflection
within six weeks

Medium degree deterioration, which can
A&B
OuterwearLtd.

be the cause for reduced serviceability
11IIIand durability of the affected structuralcomponent, but still not requiring any
limitation of use of the structure

109

Repair Slab & Beam crack within
six weeks

Very heavy deterioration, requiring
Alfa Textile
Ltd

12

III

limitation of use, propping of mostRepair Beam crack within six

critical components, or other protective

weeks

measures
High degree deterioration, reducing theAbanti
Color Tex

20

IV

Ltd.

serviceability and durability of thestructure, but still not requiring serious
limitation of use
Very heavy deterioration, requiring

AKH
Apperals

26

V

Ltd

limitation of use, propping of mostcritical components, or other protective
measures

ApparelGallery Ltd.

37

VI

Repair Slender RC Column, Slab& Beam crack immediate now(DEA recommendation)
Repair Slender RC Column, Slab& Beam crack immediate now( DEA recommendation)

Critical deterioration, requiring

Repair RC Column, Slab crack &immediate propping of the structure andControl Corrotion ofstrong limitation of use, for example,

reinforcement immediate now

closing(DEA recommendation)

Table 5: Comparison of developed rating system with Accord & Alliance observation

According to Table 3 it is clearly identified that Global Rating Condition/point up to 15,(Deterioration Class I, II & III) the structural condition of corresponding industries is not very
critical (example: 4A Yarn Dyeing Ltd., A & B Outerwear Ltd., Alfa Textile Ltd Arcorp Denim Ltd). Accord & Alliance observation for corresponding industries can be compared along with this result
from table 5.
When Global Rating Condition/point increases above 15 (Deterioration Class IV, V & VI) the
structural condition of corresponding industries is very critical (example: Abanti Color Tex Ltd.,AKH Apperals Ltd & Apparel Gallery Ltd.). Accord & Alliance observation for corresponding
industries can be compared along with this result from table 5. For these industries DEA is
recommended from Accord & Alliance along with recommendation of “Repair should be conducted
immediate now “. Following result can be summarized as findings,
Two recommendations can be made upon computation of the condition rating of the building suchas:a. For 4A Yarn Dyeing Ltd., A & B Outerwear Ltd., Alfa Textile Ltd Arcorp Denim Ltd no further
investigation required. Only some repair is necessary.
b. For Abanti Color Tex Ltd., AKH Apperals Ltd & Apparel Gallery Ltd Detail Engineering
Assessment is required and immediate steps should be taken as per DEA.
110

This recommendation is based on the computed local and global condition rating. If the condition
rating is greater than 15 a detailed investigation is recommended. This value is based on the fact thatat 15 deterioration condition, a building is already considered medium to high degree deteriorated(Coronelli, 2007).
3.8 Conclusion

This rating system has been developed to evaluate the deterioration condition of a moment-resisting
reinforced concrete frame for industrial building in Bangladesh. Seven RMG factory building datafrom Accord and Alliance have been assessed based on the proposed method. DEA. GCR value of
RMG factory building greater than 15 is considered to be unsafe. Out of the seven assessed building
four were found to be ok. Three were found to be not ok and need detail engineering assessment(DEA). So this rating system can be used to evaluate the deterioration condition of a momentresisting reinforced concrete frame of Factory Building of Bangladesh as well as other occupancies
anywhere in Bangladesh.
APPENDIX
Table 6 .List of factors for computation of condition rating (Coronelli, 2007).
FactorDescription

Reference
Table

B1

Basic value

Expresses its potential effect on the safety and durability of the structuralcomponent under observation;

Table 10K1Structural

Characterizes its importance for the safety of the whole structure or one of its

Table 1Element
Factorparts;

K2

Intensity
FactorIntensity factor for the ith damage, determined by qualitative visual criteria andexperimental measurements in a scale of four degrees, with the corresponding
numerical values K2 = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2

Table 7

K3

Extension
FactorExtension factor for the ith damage within the elements under consideration,
defined uniquely by descriptive criteria and applied in a scale of K3 = 0.5–1.0–
1.5–2 ;

Table 8K4Urgency ofIntervention
FactorExtension factor for the ith damage within the elements under consideration,
defined uniquely by descriptive criteria and applied in a scale of K4 = 1,2-3,35,5 ;Table 9

Table 7. General criteria for the intensity degree of a damage type( Coronelli, 2007).
DegreeCriterion

K2

Low - initial

Damage of small size, generally appearing on single localities
0.5 of a member

0.5

111

Medium–
propagatingHigh – active
Very high –criticalDamage is of medium size, confined to single localities, 1.0 or
damage is of small size appearing on few localities or on asmall area of a member (eg< 25%)
Damage is of large size, appearing on many localities or 1.5 on
a greater area of a member ( 25 and 75%)
Damage is of a very large size, appearing on a major part 2.0 of
a member (>50%)

1.0

1.5
2.0

Table 8. General criteria for the extent of a damage type(Coronelli, 2007).
Criterion

K3

Damage is confined to a single unit of the same type of member

0.5

Damage is appearing on several units (eg less than 1/4) of the same type of member

1.0

Damage is appearing on the major part of units (eg 1/4 to 3/4) of the same type of member

1.5

Damage is appearing on the great majority of units (more than 3/4) of the same type of

2.0

memberTable 9. Factor to stress the urgency of intervention (Coronelli, 2007).
Criterion

K4

Intervention is not urgent because the damage does not impair either the overall safety and/or durability

1

1 (service life) of the structure or the durability of the affected member
Damage must be repaired within a period not longer than five years, to prevent further impairment of

2-3

the 2–3 overall safety and/or durability of the structure, or, solely, the durability of the affected
member exposed to the aggressive attack
Immediate repair is required, as the damage is already jeopardizing the overall safety and/or durability

3-5of the 3–5 structure (especially in aggressive environment), or, if there is direct danger to people fromfalling pieces of disintegrated concrete
Temporary propping or limitation of traffic loads is require

5

Table 10. Damage types to be evaluated, associated basic values B1 and special criteria for theevaluation of the class of types (Coronelli, 2007).
Damage type

B1

Degree of Damage
I (K2=0.5)

II (K2=1.0)

III (K2=1.5)

IV (K2=2.0)

Single small

Several different small

Few stronger

Several different

defectdefects

defects

stronger defects

Single < 0.5 mm

Several <0.5mm

SingleSeveral >0.5mm

1.0 CONCRETE
1.1

Poor workmanship:1

peeling,
stratification,
honeycomb, voids
1.2

Cracking caused by3

direct loading,>0.5mm112

imposed
deformations andrestraint
1.3

Efflorescence,

1

General criteria (Table 2)

1

General criteria (Table 2)

exudation, popout
1.4

Mechanical damage:

1.5

Wet surfaces

1.6

Cover defects caused

erosion, collision1

by reinforcement

Light

MediumHeavy

SevereRust stains,

Rust stains, heavy

Cracks overDelamination

stirrups

over stirrups

lightcorrosion
1.7

Sapling caused by

2

Finer cracks

Finer cracks along other

Wider cracks

Hollow areas andcorrosion ofalong

reinforcing bars and/or

along othersurface spalling

reinforcement

reinforcing

wider longitudinal cracks

bars, orbarsin corners

or exposed reinforcement

exposedalong corners

reinforcement

1.8

Open joints between

31mm

1–3 mm

3-5 mm>5mm

Uniform

Pitting >10%

segments
2.0REINFORCEMENT
2.1

Corrosion of stirrups

1

General criteria (Table 3)

2.2

Corrosion of main

3

Uniform <reinforcing bars,

Pitting <10%

10%

>10%

reduction of steel
area in the section (ifin critical section,
K4=2)

References
1. M. A. Ansary, U Barua (2015) ‘Workplace safety compliance of RMG industry in
Bangladesh: Structural assessment of RMG factory buildings’, INTERNATIONAL JOURNALOF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, vol 14 (2015), pp 426-437
2. Jain, K. K., Bhattacharjee B. (2012), ‘Application of Fuzzy Concepts to the Visual
Assessment of Deteriorating Reinforced Concrete Structures’ASCE JOURNAL OF
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT, vol.138, no.3, pp.399‐408
3. Coronelli, Dario (2007),‘Condition Rating of RC Structures: A case study’,JOURNAL
OF BUILDING APPRAISAL Vol. 3 No. 1 pp 29‐51
4. ACI 201.1 Guide for Making a Condition Survey of Concrete in Service
113

5. ACI 364.1 Guide for Evaluation of Concrete Structures before Rehabilitation
6. ASCE 11 Guidelines for Structural Condition Assessment of Existing Buildings, 1991
7. US Army Corps of Engineers: Guide for Visual Inspection of Structural Concrete Building
Components
8. Rai, Durgesh C. ‘Review of Documents on Seismeic Evaluation of Existing
Buildings.’

114

PART-XI

SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS OFEMBANKMENTS OF GAIBANDHA AREA,BANGLADESHBANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Sirazhum Monera Asha
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary115

1. Introduction
In Bangladesh, the most common problems are embankment failure and river bank erosion whichhappens almost every year. The most serious problems seen in the river banks and embankments are
erosion and breaching. The main causes for slope failure are erosion, rainfall, earthquakes,
geological factors, external loading, construction activities such as excavation of slopes and filling ofslopes, rapid drawdown, increment of pore water pressure and the change in topography etc.
Furthermore, insufficient supervision during construction results in poor-quality works with the useof low quality soil materials, insufficient compaction and or inadequate laying of topsoil layers.
Gaibandha is situated on the bank of river Brahmaputra which is the fifth strongest river in the world.
This river has often required earthen embankments at various places to prevent river erosion.
Consequent flood and excessive rainfall accelerated the failure process which results immense
damage to agriculture and infrastructures every year. In this study the soil of district Gaibandha of
Bangladesh has been considered. The soil mostly consists of sandy silt or fine sand with silts. The
soil layers have been drawn in the similar manner found in the bore log and slope stability has been
analyzed for the different embankment heights, each with three different water level conditions using
the program GEO5 slope stability.
2. Literature Review
Harabinova and Panulinova (2017) in “Assessment of slope stability”, have assessed the slope
stability on the road II/595 near the village Zlatno, Slovakia before and after the landslide of 2010
using the GEO 5 slope stability software. The critical factors of safety has been determined by themethods of Petterson, Bishop and Sarma. They have used four variants- original condition (drystate), condition after landslide (saturated state) and reinforced slopes with ground anchors. By
finding the most unfavorable slip surface the proposal of remedial measures has been given, which isusing geogrid with tensile strength 173 KN/m.
Michalski (2016) in “Slope stability analysis with GEO 5 software for ‘Laski’ landslide in
Miedzybrodzie Bialskie” has computed the factor of safety by using the slide surfaces which havebeen identified in drill cores. He has carried out the calculations in three scenarios- first with normal
water level, second with water level lowered to 5 m and third one was without the water level withthe worst courses of sliding surfaces. It has been found that despite of water lowering andstabilization of the existing surfaces, there was a considerable risk of a new sliding surface
occurrence.

116Santosh et al. (2016) in “Slope stability analysis with GEO5 software for Malin landslide in Pune,
Maharashtra” has analyzed the slope stability of the landslide to find out the causes of the landslide
and remedial measures to avoid landslide by applying the GEO5 slope stability software.
Mahbub et al. (2013) in “Slope stability analysis of embankment of Jamuna River” have analyzed thestability of different slopes and to find the pattern of slope failure under different field conditions.
They have used the program STB2010 to analyze the slope stability. It has been concluded that thesafety factors at high flood level for slope 1:2 were found significantly less than the desired point of
the factor. The highest flood level conditions were the most vulnerable and threatening for theembankment. They have advised a slope of 1:1.5 and considered that slope to be a balanced designfor embankment slope.
Hossain et al. (2010) in “River embankment and bank failure in Bangladesh: A study on geotechnicalcharacterization and stability analysis” has investigated the geotechnical properties of failed Jamuna
and Padma river embankment materials. The study result has shown that the soil of Jamuna riverembankment was not well graded sand and the permeability was moderately high which increased
rapidly in submerged condition. Also the slope was not well protected which made the embankment
vulnerable to erosion. The study has shown that the factor of safety has been over estimated by about
22-24% if seepage analysis has not been considered in designing embankment.
3. Case Study
A portion of the flood control embankment at Bhatpara in Koizuri union of Shahzadpur upazila
under Sirajganj district suddenly collapsed into the Jamuna River. The embankment was made with
GO bags and CC blocks. The bags of the right side protection embankment got displaced whichcaused the collapse of the embankment. The 12-kilometre protection embankment was constructedby WDB in 2011. (The Daily Star, January 20, 2015)
Kurigram district, through which three of the major rivers and 12 of their tributaries flow, wasguarded by a 210-kilometre-long embankment. 23 kilometres of this embankment completely
washed away, and more than 60 percent of it was severely damaged. In total, 280 kilometres ofembankment was damaged and 35 kilometres was wiped out by the recent floods of 2017 in the restof the northern districts. (The Daily Star, September 08, 2017)
A portion of the riverbank protection embankment went into the Padma River in last couple of weeks
of October 2015. Water Development Board (WDB) built 1800-metre-long embankment for Tk 20
crore to protect the upazila town on the Padma riverbank from the erosion. The 1200 metre
embankment between Bhelabad and the upazila headquarter was built with CC blocks in 2007,117

followed by 600-metre-long embankment between Andharmanik and the upazila headquarters in
2008. (The Daily Star, November 03, 2015)
About 180-feet area of Sirajganj Town Protection Embankment went into the Jamuna due to erosion
by the turbulent river on July 19, 2010. At least 180 feet area of Sirajganj town protection
embankment collapsed. Workers of Water Development Board put sand bags and CC blocks
immediately after the collapse to prevent further damages but their attempts went in vain because ofstrong current in the Jamuna. The embankment began to collapse as sand under the CC blocks
moved away about 35 feet off the dyke. The embankment was built with a 100-year warranty, but in2009 it was damaged twice-on July 10 and on July 17. (The Daily Star, July 20, 2010)
4. Methodology
The analysis in this study has been performed by the program GEO5 slope stability. GEO5 has beenused to perform slope stability analysis (embankments, earth cuts, anchored retaining structures,
MSE walls, etc.). The slip surface has been considered as circular (Bishop, Fellenius/Petterson,
Janbu, Morgenstern-Price or Spencer methods) or polygonal (Sarma, Janbu, Morgenstern-Price or
Spencer methods).
The respective soil profile has been drawn for two boreholes of Gaibandha and factor of safety has
been analyzed for three cases- high water table, low water table and rapid drawdown. Bishop’s
method has been used considering a circular slip surface. Next, geogrid restrictions have been
inserted in the soil and factor of safety has been calculated for all three cases. The bore log of
Gaibandha borehole 1 (Figure 1a) depicts the three soil layers namely silt with fine sands, loose to
medium dense silty fine sand and medium dense silty fine sand along with the SPT N values per 1.5
meters of soil depth. Same information has been obtained from the bore log of Gaibandha borehole
2 (Figure 1b), which contains four layers namely medium stiff silty clay, medium stiff clayey siltwith fine sand, fine sand with silt and lastly medium silty dense fine sand with the SPT N values per
1.5 meters of soil depth.

118

Figure 1: Bore logs collected from Gaibandha
In the GEO5 software, the angle of friction, Φ value has to be input along with the soil properties andcoefficient of reduction of pore pressure. The corresponding internal angle of friction (Φ) values foreach of the layers have been deduced from the following chart shown in Figure 2 by Peck et al.,(1974).

Figure 2: SPT N value vs angle of friction Φ (after Peck et al., 1974)
Influence of Water: Ground water can be assigned to the slope plane section using one of the five
options in GEO5, of these five options, two have been considered in this study namely- Groundwater table and rapid drawdown.
1) Ground water table: The ground water table is specified as a polygon. It can be arbitrarily
curved, placed totally within the soil body or introduced partially above the ground surface.

119Presence of water influences value of pore pressure acting within a soil and reducing its shear
bearing capacity.
For embankment height 10, 7.5 and 5 meters, high water table has been considered at 1 meter below
the embankment surface for each of the embankments and low water tables were at 8, 5 and 3 metersfrom the embankment top surface respectively.
2) Rapid draw down: Original table can be introduced above the input ground water table. Original
water table simulates state before rapid draw down. For the case of rapid drawdown in the study,
original water level and ground water level has been specified to imitate the case of floods. For
embankment height 10, 7.5 and 5 meters, original ground water table has been considered at 1 meter
below the embankment surface for each of the embankments and ground water tables have been
considered at 8, 5 and 3 meters from the embankment top surface respectively.
Rapid draw down analysis: The coefficient of pore pressure Ru represents the ratio between the porepressure and geostatic pressure in a soil body. In the area, where Ru is positive, entered unit weightof saturated soil γsat is considered; in other case unit weight of soil γ is used. In this study, thecoefficient of reduction of pore pressure Ru has been taken as 0.4.
Circular Slip Surface: All methods of limit equilibrium assume that the soil body above the slip
surface is subdivided into blocks (dividing planes between blocks are always vertical). Individual
methods of slices differ in their assumptions of satisfying the force equations of equilibrium and themoment equation of equilibrium with respect to the center O. The methods allowed by the programare Fellenius / Petterson, Bishop, Spencer, Janbu, Morgenstern-Price, Shahunyants and ITF Method.
Introducing anchor forces and water above the ground surface into the analysis: Anchor forces are
considered as external load applied to the slope. They are taken with respect to one running meter[kN/m] and introduced into the moment equation of equilibrium. These forces should contribute toadditional stability, if that cannot be achieved in a different way. There is no limitation to themagnitudes of anchor forces and therefore it is necessary to work with realistic values. Influence ofwater above the ground surface is considered as set forces acting perpendicular on the ground surface
together with pore pressure along the slip surface, which is derived depending on the depth of slip
surface measured from the ground water table. The forces acting on the ground surface enter the
moment equation of equilibrium as forces acting on respective arms measured towards the center ofthe slip surface.

120

Optimization of Circular Slip Surface: The goal of the optimization process is to locate a slip surface
with the smallest factor of slope stability SF. The circular slip surface is specified in terms of 3
points: two points on the ground surface and one inside the soil body. Each point on the surface has
one degree of freedom while the internal point has two degrees of freedom. The slip surface isdefined in terms of four independent parameters. Searching for such a set of parameters that yields
the most critical results requires sensitivity analysis resulting in a matrix of changes of parametersthat allows fast and reliable optimization procedure. The slip surface that gives the smallest factor ofslope stability is taken as the critical one. The optimization process can be restricted by various
constraints. Optimization restrictions are specified as a set of segments in a soil body. The optimized
slip surface is then forced to bypass these segments during optimization.
Bishop Method: The simplified Bishop method assumes zero Xi forces between blocks. The method
is based on satisfying the moment equation of equilibrium and the vertical force equation ofequilibrium.
The factor of safety SF is found through a successive iteration of the following expression:…………………………………….. (1)-pore pressure within block

Ci,φi

-

effective values of soil parametersWi-

block weight

Αi-inclination of the segment of the slip surface

Bi-horizontal width of the block.

Where, ui

5. Result
The factors of safety obtained without any reinforcements for three different water level arepresented below in a tabular form in Tables 1 to 6. These have been calculated for three different
slopes, 1:1, 1.5:1 and 2:1 and three different embankment heights, 5 meters, 7.5 meters and 10
meters.
Table 1: List of Factor of Safety for embankment height 5 meters of Gaibandha borehole 1
Embankment height 5 m
slope
1:1

HWT

FS

LWT from

FS

Rapid drawdown

from GL

(opt)

GL

(opt)

original

GWT

drawdown FS

1

1.19

3

0.97

1

3

0.7

121

Rapid

1:1.5

1

1.41

3

1.15

1

3

0.89

1:2

1

1.64

3

1.34

1

3

1.06

Table 2: List of Factor of Safety for embankment height 7.5 meters of Gaibandha borehole 1
Embankment height 7.5 m
HWTFS

LWT from

FS

Rapid drawdown

from GL

(opt)

GL

(opt)

original

GWT

FS

1:1

1

0.94

5

0.77

1

5

0.41

1:1.5

1

1.2

5

0.99

1

5

0.64

1:2

1

1.46

5

1.2

1

5

0.84

slope

Rapid drawdown

Table 3: List of Factor of Safety for embankment height 10 meters of Gaibandha borehole 1
Embankment height 10 m
HWT from

FS

LWT

FS

Rapid drawdown

GL

(opt)

from GL(opt)

original

GWT

FS

1:1

1

0.58

8

0.56

1

8

0.12

1:1.5

1

1.11

8

0.87

1

8

0.33

1:2

1

1.39

8

1.06

1

8

0.62

slope

Rapid drawdown

Table 4: List of Factor of Safety for embankment height 5 meters of Gaibandha borehole 2
Embankment height 5 m
HWT
slope

from

LWT
FS (opt)

GLfrom

Rapid drawdown
FS (opt)

GL

Rapid drawdown

original

GWT

FS

1:1

1

1.03

3

0.58

1

3

0.62

1:1.5

1

1.29

3

0.87

1

3

0.87

1:2

1

1.52

3

1.11

1

3

1.06

122

Table 5: List of Factor of Safety for embankment height 7.5 meters of Gaibandha borehole 2
Embankment height 7.5 m
HWT
slope

LWT

from

FS (opt)

GL

Rapid drawdown

FS

from
GL

Rapid drawdown(opt)

original

GWT

FS

1:1

1

0.55

5

0.54

1

5

0.16

1:1.5

1

0.83

5

0.79

1

5

0.42

1:2

1

1.11

5

1.03

1

5

0.64

Table 6: List of Factor of Safety for embankment height 10 meters of Gaibandha borehole 2
Embankment height 10 m
Rapid drawdown

Rapid

HWT fromFS

LWT from

FS

GL

(opt)

GL

(opt)

original

GWT

1:1

1

0.56

8

0.54

1

8

0.15

1:1.5

1

0.84

8

0.80

1

8

0.41

1:2

1

1.11

8

1.11

1

8

0.60

slope

drawdown
FS

The failure of soil mostly depends on the factor of safety. The more the safety factor the more would
be the assurance of soil strength along with the less of failure possibility. The factors of safetyobtained from analyzing the soil samples as per in field condition in GEO5 slope stability, have beenfound factor of safety values lower than the optimum factor of safety value 1.50, which means theembankments were highly unstable. To remedy this problem, geogrid has been installed at 2 meterintervals and the tensile strength of the geogrids has been selected by trials. The new factors of safety
are presented in Tables 7 to 12.
Table 7: List of Factor of Safety with geogrid for embankment height 5 meters of Gaibandha
borehole 1
Embankment height 5 m (Factor of Safety with geogrid)tensilestrength

LWT (3 m from

HWT (1 m from

slope

(KN/m)

GL)

GL)

Rapid Drawdown

1:1

60

1.75

2.24

1.50

1:1.5

50

1.79

2.31

1.53

123

1:2

50

1.93

2.50

1.66

Table 8: List of Factor of Safety with geogrid for embankment height 7.5 meters of Gaibandha
borehole 1
Embankment height 7.5 m (Factor of Safety with geogrid)slope

tensile strength(KN/m)LWT (5 m from GL)

HWT (1 m from GL)

Rapid drawdown

1:1

120

1.76

2.32

1.45

1:1.5

120

1.89

2.51

1.55

1:2

90

1.90

2.63

1.56

The values of tensile strength for slope 1:1 and 1:1.5 has been taken as 120 KN/m by trial. The
previous tensile strength value taken was 90 KN/m but the factors of safety of the mentioned slopes
have been obtained 1.30 and 1.42 respectively for the case of Rapid drawdown, which did not satisfy
the required value 1.50.
Table 9: List of Factor of Safety with geogrid for embankment height 10 meters of Gaibandha
borehole 1
Embankment height 10 m (Factor of Safety with geogrid)slope

tensile strength(KN/m)LWT (8 m from GL)

HWT (1 m from GL)

Rapid drawdown

1:1

140

1.84

2.55

1.42

1:1.5

120

1.91

2.69

1.51

1:2

90

1.91

2.72

1.49

The value of tensile strength for slope 1:1 has been taken as 140 KN/m by trial. The previous tensile
strength value taken was 120 KN/m but the factor of safety of the mentioned slope has been found
1.37 for the case of Rapid drawdown, which did not satisfy the required value 1.50. Similarly, valueof tensile strength for slope 1:1.5 has been taken as 120 KN/m. The previous tensile strength value
taken was 90 KN/m but the factor of safety of the mentioned slope has been found 1.36 for the caseof Rapid drawdown.

124

Table 10: List of Factor of Safety with geogrid for embankment height 5 meters of Gaibandha
borehole 2
Embankment height 5 m (Factor of Safety with geogrid)tensileslope

strength(KN/m)LWT (3 m from

HWT (1 m from

GL)

GL)

Rapid drawdown

1:1

68.7

1.75

2.09

1.53

1:1.5

54

1.73

2.11

1.52

1:2

54

1.87

2.30

1.65

Table 11: List of Factor of Safety with geogrid for embankment height 5 meters of Gaibandha
borehole 2
Embankment height 7.5 m (Factor of Safety with geogrid)slope

tensile strength(KN/m)LWT (5 m from GL)

HWT (1 m from GL)

Rapid drawdown

1:1

160

1.82

2.26

1.52

1:1.5

120

1.81

2.37

1.52

1:2

80

1.78

2.32

1.49

The value of tensile strength for slope 1:1 has been taken as 160 KN/m by trial. The previous tensile
strength value taken was 140 KN/m but the factor of safety of the mentioned slope has been found1.47 for the case of Rapid drawdown, which did not satisfy the required value 1.50. Similarly, valueof tensile strength for slope 1:1.5 has been taken as 120 KN/m. The previous tensile strength value
taken was 90 KN/m but the factor of safety of the mentioned slope has been found 1.40 for the caseof Rapid drawdown.

Table 12: List of Factor of Safety with geogrid for embankment height 5 meters of Gaibandha
borehole 2
Embankment height 10 m (Factor of Safety with geogrid)
slope
1:1

tensile strength(KN/m)200

LWT (8 m from GL)

HWT (1 m from GL)

Rapid drawdown

1.87

2.45

1.48

125

1:1.5

140

1.84

2.46

1.50

1:2

120

1.91

2.58

1.56

The value of tensile strength for slope 1:1 has been taken as 200 KN/m by trial. The previous tensile
strength value taken was 180 KN/m but the factor of safety of the mentioned slope has been found1.41 for the case of Rapid drawdown, which did not satisfy the required value 1.50. Similarly, valueof tensile strength for slope 1:1.5 has been taken as 140 KN/m. The previous tensile strength value
taken was 120 KN/m but the factor of safety of the mentioned slope has been found 1.43 for the caseof Rapid drawdown. The value of tensile strength for slope 1:2 has been taken as 120 KN/m by trial.
The previous tensile strength value taken was 90 KN/m but the factor of safety of the mentioned
slope has been found 1.44 which was also for the case of Rapid drawdown.
6. Conclusion
From the results of the study, it is observed that the soil is pretty unsafe in the field condition and it isevident that the most vulnerable state for the slope was the rapid drawdown. To increase the factor ofsafety values, geogrid has been inserted in the soil and the results are well within the range of
optimum factor of safety value 1.50. So, for building an embankment in the river bank, soil treatment
is imperative. The highest flood level conditions should be given the most importance. The flatter
slopes are more stable, which is also noticeable from the results. But considering the economic
aspects of possible solutions, a slope of 1:1.5 is advised to be a balanced design for embankment
slope. To construct the embankments protection by some kind of reinforcements or soil treatments is
as significant as following proper designs and construction procedures.
7. Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the JST-JICA for the fund to undertake Research on Disaster
Prevention/Mitigation Measures against Floods and Storm Surges in Bangladesh (Component C3)
which provided data for this paper.

8. References
Chandan, MSK 2017, ‘How flows become floods’, The Daily Star, viewed 27 December, 2017,
http://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/how-flows-become-floods

126

Daily Star correspondent 2015, ‘50 metres of flood control dyke collapses in Sirajganj’, The Daily
Star, viewed 27 December, 2017, http://www.thedailystar.net/50-metres-of-flood-control-dykecollapses-in-Sirajganj-60710%3famp
Daily Star correspondent 2010, ‘Jamuna devours 180 feet of Sirajganj dyke’, The Daily Star, viewed
27 December, 2017, https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-147489%3famp
Fine

Software

2017,

Slope

Last

Stability,

accessed27

December,

2017,

http://www.finesoftware.eu/geotechnical-software/slope-stability/
Harabinova, S, Panulinova, E 2017, ‘Assessment of slope stability’, MATEC Web of Conferences
107, pp 1-7.
Hossain, MB, Sakai, T and Hossain, MZ 2010, ‘River embankment and bank failure in Bangladesh:
A study on geotechnical characterization and stability analysis’, Proc. Of International Conference
on Environmental Aspects of Bangladesh (ICEAB10), pp 171-174, Last viewed 26 September, 2017,
http://www.benjapan.org/iceab10
Islam, S, Hoque, F 2014, ‘River bank erosion of the Surma river due to slope failure’, International
Journal of Research and Innovations in Earth Science, vol. 1, issue 2, pp 54-58.
Michalski, A 2016, ‘Slope stability analysis with GEO 5 software for ‘Laski’ landslide in
Miedzybrodzie Bialskie’, Contemporary Trends in Geoscience, vol. 2, pp 34-40.
Mahbub, M, Binoy, TH and Ahmed, A 2013, ‘Slope stability analysis of embankment of Jamuna
river’, International Journal of Science and Engineering Investigations, vol. 2, issue 19, pp 93-98.
Peck, RB, Hanson, WE and Thornburn, TH 1974, Foundation Engineering, 2nd edition, New York,John Wiley & Sons, pp-310.
Santosh, N, Borole, ST, Sagar, M and Satish, K 2016, ‘Slope stability analysis with GEO5 software
for Malin landslide in Pune (Maharastra)’, Global Journal of Engineering Science and Researches,
pp 9-16, Last viewed 26 September, 2017, http://www.gjesr.com
Shah, Z 2015, ‘UZ offices under threat as embankment breaks’, The Daily Star, viewed 27
December, 2017, http://www.thedailystar.net/UZ-offices-under-threat-as-embankment-breaks/
Zaman, MW and Asik, TZ 2016, ‘Geotechnical hazard analysis of river embankment of Bangladesh
and its protectability’, International Journal of GEOMATE,22,

pp2050-2057,

Last

accessedhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/296850332

127

vol. 10, issue
26

September,

2017,

PART-XIIREPORT ON STRONG MOTIONS RECORDED
BY BRIDGE SENSORS AND OTHERACCELEROMETERS NEAR THE BRIDGEBANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By:
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary128

1. INTRODUCTION
The 4.8 km long Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge connects the eastern and western parts of Bangladesh.
Being the only road and rail link between the two regions, the bridge bears immense economic andstrategic importance for the whole country. But the bridge is located in a seismically active region
that can be subjected to moderately strong earthquakes from a number of sources and special
earthquake protection devices have been used in the bridge. The bridge has been designed for a peakground acceleration of 0.2g due to a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the Bogra fault zone, which isabout 25 to 40 kms from the west end of the bridge, based on study by Bolt (1987).
Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority (JMBA) took necessary steps for the installation of seismic
instruments on and around the Jamuna Bridge. JMBA employed Bangladesh University ofEngineering & Technology (BUET) as the technical consultant for this project. The Installation of
the seismic instruments on the bridge structure and six other free-field (ground) stations wascompleted by Kinemetrics, Inc. USA on July 10, 2003 (BUET, 2003). The Operating and Monitoring
Phase of the project started on July 11, 2003.
In this report, the earthquake data recorded by different bridge sensors have been compiled for futurereferences. Also the Acceleration Response Spectrum (ARS) curve proposed by Prof. Bolt during thefeasibility study of the bridge has been compared with the data of the West Bridge Free-free data forthe last few years.

2. STUDY LOCATIONS
Location of Digital Seismic Measuring Device at free-field Station (ETNA) near the bridge areshown Table 1. Table 2, Figures 1 and 2 lists and show sensors and recorders installed on the bridgeand bore-hole.

129

Table 1 Location of Digital Seismic Measuring Device Station (ETNA) near and inside the bridge
SL.No

Model

Location

LatitudeLongitude

3

ETNA (BUET)

Jamuna Bridge West-End

23.280N

88.250E30

ETNAInside the Jamuna Bridge--

Table 2 List of sensors and recorders installed on the bridge and bore-hole
K2 Data
Recorder Label

Sensor Type

ChannelLabel

Orient-ation

Sensor Location

JAMUNAlocated insidebridge deck near
Pier P10

Displacement

D1

X

Displacement

D2

Y

Across Isolation System atPier P10

Displacement

D3

Y

Across Expansion Joint
between Piers P7 and P8

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR9

Z

Pile Cap at Pier P9

EPI Biaxial
Accelerometer

BR10

X

Deck at Pier P9

BR11

Y

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR4

Z

Pile Cap at Pier P10

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR8

Z

Deck at Pier P10

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR12

X

Deck at Midspan between
Piers P9 and P10

EPI Uniaxial
Accelerometer

BR13

X

Deck at Midspan between
Piers P10 and P11

BR1

X

BR2

Y

BR3

Z

BR5

X

BR6

Y

BR7

Z

AB1

X

EPI Triaxial
Accelerometer

AB2

Y

AB3

Z

Borehole
Triaxial
Accelerometer

BH1

EW

BH2

NS

BH3

Z

MEGHNAlocated insidebridge deck near
Pier P10

SURMA locatedinside bridge decknear Pier P10

EPI Triaxial
Accelerometer
EPI Triaxial
Accelerometer

PADMA located atwest abutment

Note:
X means orientation across the bridge (transverse direction)
130

Pile Cap at Pier P10

Deck at Pier P10

West Abutment
Borehole near West End(58 m depth)Y orientation parallel to the bridge (longitudinal direction)
Z means vertical direction

Figure 1: Location of sensors on the bridge

Figure 2: Location of different types of accelerometer131

3. SOME RECENT EARTHQUAKES IN AND AROUND BANGLADESH AFFECTING THE
BRIDGE SITE
Table 3 and Figure 3 show the earthquake data recorded by the free-field station and bridge sensors
during recent times.
Table 3 Earthquakes recorded by the free field stations and the bridge sensors
SL

Date

No.

Name

of Epicentre

Magnitude

Dept

StationsthehRecorded near

Earthqua(km)

and inside theke
1

25-04-

Nepal EQ

bridge28.100N,84.600

2015

E36km

E

(6:11:25

Khudi, Nepal

7.8

8.2

of

BR1-BR7 on thebridge and JMB
West

UTC)
2

26-04-

Nepal EQ 27.771N, 86.017

2015(after

E21km SSE of(7:09:10U

shock)

Kodari, Nepal

6.7

22.9

JMB West

7.3

15

JMB West

6.7

55

BR9-BR11TC)
312-05-

Nepal EQ 27.809N 86.066

2015(afterE(07:05:19

shock)

19km

UTC)
4

SE

of

Kodari, Nepal

03-01-

Monipur

24.804N,93.650

2016

EQ

E 30km W of

(23:05:22

D1 on the bridge

Imphal, IndiaUTC)
513-04-

Myanmar23.094N,

2016

EQ

94.865E 75 km(13:55:17

6.9

SE of Mawlaik

UTC)

132

&

136

JMB West

Figure 3: Earthquake locations
4. EARTHQUAKE DATA ANALYSIS
There are some custom-made softwares that came with the instruments to operate and monitor thewhole system. One can also interact with the instruments (i.e., K2s) using the software called Quick
Talk and changes the settings. Quick Talk and Quick Look may be also used for downloading or
viewing the incoming data without any processing. After the sensors were connected, they had to go
through the Functionality Test done with the operating software. Then they had to be corrected forany offsets in the readings. Once all of these are done for each of the sensors, the system was ready.
It was tested to see if data from all the channels are reaching the recorders, if they are set at real timethrough GPS. The GPS are set at UTC time as stated in the original documents. The system is suchthat each of the sensors can be configured separately, but they were kept the same at the beginning.
Each sensor can be set to trigger the whole system. The trigger value for the twenty two free-field
ground accelerometers was set at 0.5% of g (5 cm/sec2). Whenever the acceleration exceeds thetrigger value, automatic data recording will take place. To process, analyze and interpret the data, thesoftware called Strong Motion Analyzer (SMA) is used. One can perform necessary filtering,corrections and plotting of the signals received from the sensor. This accelerometer gives data inNorth-South, East-West and Up-Down direction. The strong motion data recorded by the sensors
together with their orbital motions are presented in the Appendices.

133

5. SITE RESPONSE ANALYSIS
Acceleration Response Spectrum developed by Prof. Bolt for Jamuna Bridge is presented in Figure
4. Figure 5 shows the ARS for different earthquake motion recorded by West Strong Motion
Recorder at the bridge site. Figure 6 compares those ARS values with Bolts’ ARS. We can conclude
from Figure 6 that Bolt’s ARS is relatively lower than the ARS values of different earthquake motion
recorded at the bridge site. Also, a new ARS has been proposed which may be used for a future
bridge in the vicinity of the existing one.

Figure 4 Bolts Acceleration Response Spectrum for Jamuna Bridge134125042015 EW
25042015 NS

Acceleration (g)

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0.01

0.02 0.03

0.05 0.07 0.1

0.2

0.3 0.40.5 0.7

1

2

3

4 5 6 7 8 10

Period (s)126042015 EW
26042015 NS

Acceleration (g)

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0.01

0.02 0.03

0.05 0.07 0.1

0.2

0.3 0.40.5 0.7

1

2

3

4 5 6 7 8 10

Period (s)Figure 5 Acceleration Response Spectra for West Jamuna Bridge Recorder

135

1

12052015 EW
12052015 NS

Acceleration (g)

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0.01

0.02 0.03

0.05 0.07 0.1

0.2

0.3 0.40.5 0.7

1

2

3

4 5 6 7 8 10

Period (s)1

ARS NSARS EW

Acceleration (g)

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0.01

0.02 0.03

0.05 0.07 0.1

0.2

0.3 0.40.5 0.7

1

2

3

4 5 6 7 8 10

Period (s)Figure 5 (Contd.) Acceleration Response Spectra for West Jamuna Bridge Recorder136

125042015 EW
25042015 NS
26042015 EW
26042015 NS
12052015 EW
12052015 NS
13042016 EW
13042016 NS
05082006 EW
05082006 NS

Acceleration (g)

0.8

0.6

14022006 EW
14022006 NS
16112006 EW
16112006 NS
20032008 EW
20032008 NS
27072008 EW
27072008 NS

Proposed

0.4

Bolt’s
0.2

0
0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Period (s)Figure 6 Acceleration Response Spectra for West Jamuna Bridge Recorder comparedwith Bolt’s ARS

137

25
20
15

EW-A (cm/s2)

10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

Time
6

4

EW-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time
6

4

EW-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time

Recorded ground motion at JMB West due to 25th April Nepal EQ (EW component)

138

20

15

NS-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

Time
6

4

NS-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time
6

4

NS-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time

Recorded ground motion at JMB West due to 25th April Nepal EQ (NS component)

139

20

15

UD-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

Time
6

4

UD-V (cm/s)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time
6

4

UD-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

140

Time

Recorded ground motion at JMB West due to 25th April Nepal EQ (UD component)

140

JMB-WESTEQ.xls
25042015-1214PM
25

20

15

NS-A (cm/s2)

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

-20

-25
-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

EW-A (cm/s2)
Recorded ground motion orbit at JMB West due to 25th April Nepal EQ

141

25

30

BR1-A (cm/s2)

20

10

0

-10

-20

-30
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

90

100

110

120

130

140

90

100

110

120

130

140

Time (s)6BR1-V (cm/s)

4

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)64

BR1-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)Recorded motion at BR1 due to 25th April Nepal EQ

142

30

BR2-A (cm/s2)

20

10

0

-10

-20

-30
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

90

100

110

120

130

140

90

100

110

120

130

140

Time (s)6BR2-V (cm/s)

4

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)64

BR2-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)Recorded motion at BR2 due to 25th April Nepal EQ

143

30

BR3-A (cm/s2)

20

10

0

-10

-20

-30
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

90

100

110

120

130

140

90

100

110

120

130

140

Time (s)6BR3-V (cm/s)

4

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)64

BR3-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Time (s)Recorded motion at BR3 due to 25th April Nepal EQ

144

40

30

BR5-A (cm/s2)

20

10

0

-10

-20

-30

-40
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

Time (s)96BR5-V (cm/s)

3

0

-3

-6

-9
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time (s)64

BR5-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4

-6
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time (s)Recorded motion at BR5 due to 25th April Nepal EQ

145

140

40

30

BR6-A (cm/s2)

20

10

0

-10

-20

-30

-40
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

Time (s)96

BR6-V (cm/s)

3

0

-3

-6

-9
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time (s)4

BR6-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time (s)Recorded motion at BR6 due to 25th April Nepal EQ

146

40

30

BR7-A (cm/s2)

20

10

0

-10

-20

-30

-40
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

Time (s)96

BR7-V (cm/s)

3

0

-3

-6

-9
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time (s)4

BR7-D (cm)

2

0

-2

-4
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Time (s)Recorded motion at BR7 due to 25th April Nepal EQ

147

PART-XIII

FIRE AND EARTHQUAKE EVACUATION OF
READYMADE GARMENTS (RMG) FACTORIESIN DHAKA: AN ANALYSIS FROM SOCIOECONOMIC AND BEHAVIORALPERSPECTIVE OF THE WORKERSBANGLADESH NETWORK OFFICE FOR URBANSAFETY (BNUS), BUET, DHAKA

Prepared By: Tasnim Tarannum Isaba
Mehedi Ahmed Ansary148

1. INTRODUCTION
Readymade garments (RMG) sector is a great prospect for the economy of Bangladesh. It is thelargest exporting industry of Bangladesh which experienced phenomenal growth during the last 25
years. This sector contributes for 75% of foreign currency earning for Bangladesh. Textiles andreadymade garments sector contributes 13% of GDP and employs more than 3,000,000 people(Firoz, 2011). The industry also play a great role in employment generation, especially for economic
empowerment of women. RMG exports total US $24.5 billion in FY 2013-14 accounting for over
80% of the nation’s export earnings and employing around 4 million workers, an estimated 55-60%
of whom are women (International Labor Organizations- ILO, 2016). Therefore, readymade
garment manufacturing and export have become a lifeline for a major portion of both urban andrural people.
Despite such phenomenal success in remittance earning and employment potential, this sector has
experienced some worst industrial accidents in the history. The loss of 1,136 lives when Rana Plaza
collapsed on 24 April, 2013 created a worldwide concern for workplace safety in Bangladesh (ILO,
2016). Fire hazards are also common which is prevalent from many of the recent fire hazard
incidents in factories. More than 500 workers lost their lives in the last five years due to fire hazard,
including the fire incident at Tazreen Fashions of Ashulia, Dhaka. The fire resulted in the deaths of
111 workers and more than 300 workers were injured. This accident also created an uproar against
the existing work conditions in the RMG sector globally (AMRC-Asia Monitor Resource Centre,2013).
In addition to building characteristics, the behavioral and socio-economic characteristics of theoccupants or workers can also have a strong influence on the evacuation strategies during complex
situations, including fire and earthquake events. Most evacuation models focus primarily on
evacuation movement, ignoring the prediction of behaviors that occupants perform before andduring evacuation movement that can delay their safety, such as fighting the fire or helping others(Kuligowski, 2008). Human behaviors must be considered in order to identify workers’ response to149

alarm operation or other forms of crisis. When carrying out fire risk assessment, the assessor must
not only consider issues such as ignition sources, causes of fire spread, active and passive
protection, fire alarm systems, emergency lighting etc. but they must consider how the occupants arelikely to react when the alarm is raised (Fire Risk Consultancy, 2017).
In Bangladesh, different studies have been conducted based on the structural assessment of garments
factories, especially after the Rana Plana incident. Evacuation behavior for the garments industry
workers during fire or earthquake has not been analyzed yet. A comprehensive human behavior
model is needed to simulate occupant behavior during fire or earthquake evacuation. This study hastaken an approach to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of workers in RMG industries inrelation to their evacuation behavior during fire or earthquake events. The perception of workers onearthquake or fire events has been included and data has been collected from questionnaire survey.
After analyzing the behavioral and socio-economic characteristics of the workers, the study willfurther conduct evacuation modelling.

2. MAJOR INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS IN RMG SECTOR OF BANGLADESH
Case 1: Fire at Tazreen Fashion Limited
Tazreen Fashions is a sister concern of a large business corporation in Bangladesh named “TubaGroup” and was established in 201 with 1500 workers (Document Cloud, n.d). On 24 November
2012, fire broke out in the factory at around 7 p.m. during operation. Although the total number ofpeople who were killed and injured due to the accident cannot be verified due to the inconsistentreports of journalists and the media, researchers and investigators later estimated these to have been
111-124 deaths and 200-300 people injured (Ahmed, 2012; Bergman and Rashid, 2012; AMRC Asia Monitor Resource Centre, 2013; Ross, 2013; Zaman et al., 2013; BBC, 2013a).
According to a report of the Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational and Environmental
Victims, more than 1200 people were working inside when the fire broke out (AMRC, 2013). The
factory didn’t have any fire sprinkler of fire exit, therefore many workers tried to escape via interior
150

stairways. Many workers continued to work even after hearing the fire alarm, assuming it as a fire
drill. With the doors locked on most floors of the nine-storey factory and smoke-filed staircases,
most workers were trapped inside the building. Some desperate workers broke windows and jumped
from the upper floors to the ground, leaving them badly injured or dead. According to the
Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense official Abu N M Shahidullah and operations director
Mahbubur Rahman, most of the workers who died due to the lack of adequate exits and suffocation
by smoke were on the first and second floors (Chowdhury and Tanim, 2016).
Case 2: The Collapse of Rana Plaza
Rana Plaza Rana Plaza is a nine-storey commercial building located at Savar. It housed five separate
RMG factories, employing around 5,000 people on different floors. The first three floors of thebuilding contained around 300 shops and the bank whereas the five RMG factories occupied thehigher floors, and the ninth floor was under construction. The building collapsed at about 9 a.m. on
24 April 2013 due to poor structural condition, with a death toll of 1,129 lives and approximately
2,51 injured (Alam and Hossain, 2013; Butler, 2013). Majority of the victims were women (Wallace,2015). After the collapse, government authorities of Bangladesh refused international assistance andlocal rescuers played major role in recuing victims and provision of foods, water and oxygen. The
preliminary results of a government inquiry found that heavy machinery, high-capacity generators,
and the use of substandard materials during the construction of the building were largely responsiblefor its collapse (Chowdhury and Tanim, 2016).
3.

REASONS BEHIND INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS IN RMG SECTOR BASED ON

PAST INCIDENTS
An independent investigation carried out by the Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health andEnvironment Foundation (OSHE) attempted to identify the reasons behind Tazreen fire incident.
The provision of only one main entrance and exit on the ground floor which was itself insufficiently

151

wide to accommodate the number of workers in the factory was one of the root causes (AMRC,
2013). Other causes include1) Inadequate fire extinguishers or fire defense materials
2) Locked collapsible gates on different floors3) Expired fire safety certificate and irregular inspection4) Lack of adequate fire training
5) Mid-level workers and supervisors preventing the workers during evacuation.
6) Negligence of the factory owners regarding building code and raw material storage.
In case of collapse of factory buildings, results found from a preliminary government inquiry
revealed that placement of heavy machinery, high-capacity generators and use of substandard
materials during construction were largely responsible for Rana Plaza collapse. It was also found that
there was a huge deviation from the original building design and layout as top three floors wereadded without the permission of planning authority and the factory building was constructed on
marshland, being the principal reason for its faulty failure e (Campbell, 2013; Than, 2013; Watkins
and Ahmed, 2013). Lack of fire escape and complete absence of building safety standards also
contributed to the incident. Investigations by BGMEA also identified similar results (Chowdhury and
Tanim, 2016). Managers of Rana Plaza forced workers to go to work despite seeing the large crackon the building, otherwise a strong trade union might have been able to evacuate Rana Plaza(Hoskins, 2015).
4. METHODOLOGY
The study conducted questionnaire survey in Dhaka. The questionnaire has been included in the
appendix. 291 garments workers from Pearl Garments Co. Ltd. (PGCL) located at Nabinagar, Savar
were surveyed from Dhaka. Data has been collected on their contact information, evacuation plan incase of fire or earthquake and demographic information. Later the collected data has been inputted
and analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) and Microsoft Excel.
152

5. ANALYSIS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF WORKERS
5.1. Gender and age group:
27.15

30

26.12

Percentage

25
20
15
5
0

11

7.90

10
0.34
10 to 15

2.41

3.78

16 to 20

21 to 25

8.25 7.22
1.72 1.72

2.06

0.34

26 to 30
31 to 35
36 to 40
Above 40
Age group (years)
Male Female

Figure 10: Age group distribution of respondents according to gender (Source: Field Survey)
Among the respondents, 70.8% are female whereas only 29.2% are male workers. Figure 1 reveals
the distribution of respondents according to age group and gender. Maximum female workers(27.15%) are within the age group of 21 to 25 years. On the other hand, maximum male workers(11%) are within the age group of 26 to 30 years. After the age of 30 years and above, the percentage
of male workers dominates over the percentage of female workers.

Percentage

5.2. Job title:
100

80.8

50
3.8

1.7

0
Operator

Supervisor

Manager

13.7
OthersJob title

Figure 2: Distribution of respondents according to job title (Source: Field Survey)

153

Among the respondents, 80.8% of workers are operators which include sewing operators, cutting
operators and ironing operators. Figure 3 and 4 represents the distribution of respondents according

Percentage

to their gender and age group respectively.
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

62.89

Male

17.87
3.09 0.69
Operator

Supervisor

6.53 7.22

1.72
Job title

Manager

FemaleOthersFigure 3: Job distribution of respondents according to their gender (Source: Field Survey)
From figure 3 it is prevalent that; female workers are mostly on the position of operators (62.89%)
whereas male workers dominate in supervisor and managerial positions (3.09% and 1.72%

Percentage

respectively).
35.0
30.0
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0

31.3
27.5

Operator

0.3

10 to 15

0.3 1.7

16 to 20

Supervisor

10.7

8.2
2.7
0.3

4.5
1 0.3

1 0.7

Manager
3.1

21 to 25
26 to 30
31 to 35
Age group (years)

1.7

0.7

0.7 1.00.3 1.0

36 to 40

OthersAbove 40

Figure 4: Job distribution of respondents according to their age group (Source: FieldSurvey)
Figure 4 reveals that, operators of garments industry are mainly within the age group of 16 to 31
years, with the highest percentage (31.3%) on the group 26 to 30 years.

154Percentage

5.3. Monthly household income:
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

75.95

11
0.34

0.34

0.69

4.47
1.72 0.69

0.69

1.37

0.34

Less than Tk. Tk. 60,001 to Tk 120,001 to Tk. 180,001 to Tk. 240,001 to
60,000Tk. 120,000 Tk. 180,000 Tk. 240,000 Tk. 300,000

0.69 0.34

Over Tk.
300,001

Monthly household income

Operator

Supervisor

Manager

OthersFigure 5: Monthly household income distribution of respondents according to job title (Source: Field
Survey)From figure 5 it can be seen that, maximum garments workers are within the monthly householdincome range of Tk. 60,001 to Tk. 120,000, especially for operators (75.95%). Maximum supervisors(1.72%) have a monthly household income of Tk. 120,001 to Tk. 180,000. In case of managers, theirmonthly household income varies from Tk. 60,001 to over Tk. 3000,0001.

Percentage

5.4. Highest level of education:
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

27.1

32.3
18.2
11

8.9
2.4

Primary school Junior school Secondary College (HSC)
(PSC)
(JSC)
school (SSC)
Highest level of education

University

None

Figure 6: Monthly household income distribution of respondents according to job title (Source: Field
Survey)155

Maximum workers of the garments industry have an education level up to junior school (32.3%).
Almost 78% workers have an education level up to SSC, whereas only 13.4% have passed HSC.
8.9% of the workers didn’t receive any education.

6. EVACUATION BEHAVIOR:

Percentage

6.1. Recent garments industry incidences:
56

60
50
40
30
20
10
0

36.4

6.9

Tazreen Fire

0.7

Rana Plaza

Spectrumcollapse

Both Tajreen
Above All
Fire and Rana
Plaza
Recent gramnets industry incidence

OthersFigure 7: Distribution of respondents according to awareness of recent garments industry incidences(Source: Field Survey)
Awareness of recent garments industry incidences can have an impact on the evacuation behavior ofworkers. Figure 7 reveals that, majority of the workers (56%) are aware of all recent garments
industry incidences, with 36% being aware of both Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza collapse.
6.2. Evacuation plan during fire and earthquake:
100

94.5

93.8

80
Shelter in place
Evacuate
Undecided
Others

60
40
20
0

3.8

1

1.4

5.2

Earthquake

Fire

Figure 8: Evacuation plan of respondents during fire and earthquake (Source: Field Survey)

156

Figure 8 reveals that, in case of an earthquake, almost all respondents (93.8%) preferred to takeshelter in place. But in case of a fire, respondents (94.5%) preferred to evacuate instead of taking
shelter. 1% remained undecided in case of earthquake, whereas the percentage is only 0.3% in case

Percentage

of fire.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

92.44

90.72

Shelter inplace
Evacuate

2.75 1.37 3.09 1.03 1.03

Undecided

4.47

0.69

2.06 0.34

Received
Didn't receive Received
Didn't receive
safety training safety training safety training safety training
Earthquake

Fire

Status of receving safety training in earthquake and fire

Figure 9: Distribution of respondents according to evacuation plan and status of receiving safety
training in fire and earthquake (Source: Field Survey)
From figure 9 it is evident that, maximum respondents said they have received safety training fromtheir employer in case of earthquake (95%) and fire (97%). In case of an earthquake, maximum
respondents (90.72%) who have received safety training preferred to take shelter in place. The
percentage of being undecided in both fire and earthquake is higher when respondents didn’t receive
any safety training.

157

Percentage of
respondents

6.3. Evacuation time:
120
100
80
60
40
20
0

96.9

3.1
Less than 5 minutes

More than 5 minutes

Time required to stop work in case of emergency

Figure 10: Distribution of respondents according to time required to stop work and leave in case ofan emergency (Source: Field Survey)

Figure 10 reveals that, almost 96.9% of respondents reported that they will need less than fiveminutes to stop work and leave in case of an emergency arises. Only 3.1% reported that,
Table 6: Mean and standard deviation for evacuation time
From Place of Work to

From Emergency Exit to

Emergency exit

Out of Danger(Seconds)(Seconds)

Mean

56.30

113.12Standard deviation

39.49

59.37

Table 1 represents the mean and standard deviation of the time required to reach emergency exitfrom the location of work and the time required to reach out of danger from emergency exit. It has
been found that more time is required in reaching out of danger from the emergency exits, comparedto the time required to reach emergency exits from the place of work in floor. The survey found that
93.8% respondents reported that they have 3 emergency exit in the floor, and 6.2% respondents
reported that they have more than 3 emergency exits in their floor. The adequate number of
emergency exits in each floor can be the reason behind less time required to reach emergency exits.

158

Table 2: Pearson chi-square test between number of emergency exits on each floor and time required
to reach the emergency exits
Asymp. Sig.
Value

df

(2-sided)Pearson Chi-Square

2.359a4.670

Likelihood Ratio

2.879

4

.578

.063

1

.802

Linear-by-Linear
Association
N of Valid Cases

291

a. 3 cells (30.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .37.
But from chi-square test between number of emergency exits on each floor and time required toreach to emergency exit on the respective floor, it has been seen that no significant relationship exists
between these two variables (p-value 0.670 which is above 0.05).
Table 7: Gender comparison in evacuation time
GenderAverage Time to Reach from Place

Average Time to Reach fromof Work to Emergency Exit

Emergency Exit to Out of Danger(Seconds)(Seconds)

Male

56.30

113.12

Female56.57

113.70

Table 2 shows the gender comparison of evacuation time, both from place of work to emergency exitin the floor and from emergency exit to out of danger. It can be seen from the table that, males
require less time compared to female workers for evacuation but the time difference is negligible.

159

Percentage of
respondents

6.4. Evacuation plan:
47.42

50
40
30
20
10

23.37

20.62

8.59

0
Evacuate myself

Evacuate together with my colleagues

Evacuation plan
Male

FemaleFigure 10: Distribution of respondents according to evacuation plan (Source: Field Survey)

From figure 10 it is evident that, both male and female have tendency to evacuate together withcolleagues rather than evacuating alone. Almost 32% of respondents reported that they would like toevacuate by themselves, whereas 68.04% reported that they would evacuate with their colleagues.
Chi-square tests:
Relationship between gender and shelter in place or evacuate
Chi-Square Tests
Asymp. Sig.
Value

df

(2-sided)Pearson Chi-Square

6.236a2.044

Likelihood Ratio

7.372

2

.025

5.259

1

.022

Linear-by-Linear
Association
N of Valid Cases

291

a. 3 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .29.

160

Relationship between gender and tendency to help during evacuate:

Chi-Square Tests
Asymp. Sig.
Value

df

(2-sided)Pearson Chi-Square

4.302a3.231

Likelihood Ratio

5.452

3

.142

.059

1

.809

Linear-by-Linear
Association
N of Valid Cases

291

a. 4 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .88.

Gender with tendency to help
36.08

40

32.65

30
20

15.81

12.71

10

1.72

0
Help stop fire

Evacuate
Male

Help stop the fire if possible. If notpossible, then evacuate

Female161

Experience with fire and evacuation plan
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Shelter in place

Evacuate
Yes

Undecided

No

Follow a queue
80
60
40
20
0
Male

FemaleYesNo

Age group and helping others while evacuation
25
20
15
10
5
0
Help stop fire
10 to 15

Evacuate
16 to 20

21 to 25

26 to 30

162

Help stop the fire if possible. If notpossible, then evacuate
31 to 35

36 to 40

Above 40

do you have similar plans to protet yourelf
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Yes

No
Male

Female163