Speakers at a webinar yesterday underscored the need for adopting urban resilient approach, coordination among professionals and raising awareness among communities, as Dhaka city is highly vulnerable to earthquake.

They came up with the opinion at a webinar titled "Disaster imagination for safer Dhaka City" organised by RTI International under the World Bank-funded Urban Resilience Project recently, said a statement issued yesterday.

Dhaka is located near three major geographical fault lines that make it highly susceptible to earthquakes, they said. According to their estimation, a major earthquake could claim thousands of lives and cause economic losses by damaging key infrastructures.

Abdul Latif Helaly, chief engineer of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), Dr Kimiro Meguro of RTI International, Dr Kit Miyamoto of Miyamoto International, Dr Mehedi Ahmed Ansary, professor of civil engineering at Buet, and Dr Raquib Ahsan, Director of Buet-JIDPUS joined the discussion.

Helaly said enhancing disaster safety requires strong participation from everyone such as architects, engineers, technicians, bureaucrats, policymakers, contractors, and even common people.

"It is not only Rajuk's concern; it is everyone's," he said.Speakers said disaster imagination is central to encouraging government officials, professionals, educators, and the general public to demand and engage in disaster risk reduction.

"We cannot reduce disasters that we cannot confront, and we cannot confront or prepare for disasters that we cannot imagine. This is important in a country that has not experienced a major earthquake in more than 100 years," the statement quoted speakers as saying.