Published : 23 Dec 2025, 01:42 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 02:55 PM
Following November’s earthquake, Dhaka University has assessed its residential halls and determined that “no building is structurally at risk”, university authorities confirmed.
On Monday, Treasurer and Chair of the Post-Earthquake Building Inspection Committee Prof M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury detailed the renovation work and the findings of the committee established after the quake.
“None of our halls have been deemed uninhabitable by experts,” Prof Jahangir said. “Students can safely reside in all our halls.”
He said four technical sub-committees were formed after the Nov 21 earthquake to assess damage. Each committee included a professor from the civil engineering department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) as an expert member.
Their reports included short-, medium- and long-term recommendations, he added.
Based on the recommendations, the university has decided to undertake 19 counts of repairs. Immediate repairs were ordered for damaged washroom blocks at Shamsun Nahar Hall.
At the same time, overhead water tanks at the damaged washroom blocks were emptied, while emergency installation of plastic water tanks is nearing completion, Prof Jahangir said.
According to expert assessments, a section of Salimullah Muslim Hall has been identified as “vulnerable”. Repairs for damaged steel props at the hall are set to begin within the next couple of days.
The professor noted that experts also recommended conducting Detailed Engineering Assessments (DEA) for several halls, a process that takes at least three months.
“Necessary steps will be taken quickly. Once the DEA is completed, long-term repair requirements can be determined,” he said.
He added that repairs were “almost done” at three halls. Of the 175 rooms at Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall, repairs have been completed in 167 rooms. All 141 rooms at Surja Sen Hall and all 121 rooms at Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall have also been repaired.
During the magnitude 5.7 earthquake on Nov 21, reports emerged of students being injured after jumping from residential halls in panic. Fear intensified following three more tremors the next day.
In response, Dhaka University suspended all academic activities from Nov 22 to Dec 6 to ensure students’ mental well-being and allow inspections and repairs of potentially risky buildings.
Students were also instructed to vacate halls during that period.
A winter vacation from Dec 6 to Dec 27 was later maintained. According to the schedule, regular classes will resume on Dec 28, when residential halls are also set to reopen.
