Is Old Dhaka Still a Ticking Time Bomb for Deadly Chemical Blazes?

The area of Old Dhaka was denoted as a ‘high-risk’ zone due to the thousands of dangerous chemical warehouses in its high density neighborhoods even after several major chemical fires broke out. The catastrophic fires of 2010 Nimtoli which killed 126 people and 2019 Churihatta in Chawkbazar killed 71 people with a chilling reminder that the chemical relocation efforts have stalled for years making the residents as “repeat disaster victims” again.

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What Kind of Chemicals are Stored?

Warehouses store highly flammable chemicals like methanol, sodium hydrosulfite, hydrogen peroxide and hundreds of industrial solvents. These substances are very easily flammable and can cause big-time fires that race through the congested lanes of Old Dhaka uncontrollably. Residential building chemical storage was one that played a role in deadly explosions at Nimtoli & Churihatta.

Another massive fire in Dhaka's old part. No casualties are reported in the late night fire and 14 fire engines bring control. pic.twitter.com/MSUb2eFu2r

— MUKTADIR rashid ROMEO (@muktadirnewage) April 13, 2023

Old Dhaka Remains as Dangerous as Ever:

For decades, relocation has never been enforced by authorities because of the bureaucratic delays in land acquisition and opposition from traders and non-adherence to government-backed resettlement. 

In Munshiganj a Chemical Industrial Park is on the drawing board but it is not finished and traders are not willing to move without basic facilities. Storage sites like Shyampur have also not been able to satisfy warehouse owners as temporary alternatives.

Despite restrictions on issuing new trade licenses, illegal chemical warehouses continue to operate due to lax monitoring. Old Dhaka is as deadly as ever with approximately 2000 chemical storage facilities. The situation will still be a ticking time bomb till the government does something before another tragedy happens.

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