An audio-visual documentary on the exercise will also be made by Bangladesh Television and Press Information Department to screen it at upazila level apart from distributing one lakh leaflets among the people on how to tackle the post-earthquake situation.

Food and Disaster Management Minister Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yousuf disclosed this at a meeting on mock exercise at the conference room of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) yesterday.

"The objective of the exercise is to create public awareness and build our capacity at every level," he added.

Replying to a question, Kamal said an earthquake warning system has not been developed as this country is not a quake-prone area. But the tsunami in South-East Asia in December last year and the recent earthquake in Indonesia have evoked the country to think of it.

"We are discussing the matter with some donor agencies," he added.

Initiated by the food and disaster management ministry, the programme will be participated by the army, fire brigade and civil defence, police, DCC, Water and Sewerage Authority, Dhaka Electric Supply Authority, Titas Gas, Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Sandhani, and Anjuman-e-Mufidul.

In the mock exercise, an artificial city will be built up where an artificial earthquake will take place and then the authorities concerned will immediately launch its rescue and relief operations, the meeting was informed.

The venue of the exercise has been selected at Dhupkhola maidan in the old part of the city as many buildings in this area are vulnerable to earthquake, said Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

He apprised that a survey is going on to identify the vulnerable buildings in the old town and these will be demolished, if necessary.

The city mayor said as severe earthquake generally takes place in every 100 years, the country is now passing a danger period.

He apprehended that many buildings in the city would collapse if an earthquake measuring only three to five in Richter Scale occurs.

Deputy Minister for Food and Disaster Management Asadul Habib Dulu refuted the press reports that the administration was asleep on Monday when an earthquake hit Indonesia.

"Immediately after the broadcast of the news by the BBC at 11:00pm, I directed the secretary to alert all deputy commissioners, and it was done accordingly," he added.