They said this at a daylong workshop organised by the Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) under its Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme

(CDMP) at Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) in the city yesterday.

"Media role is imperative in disaster management and risk reduction," said the Food and Disaster Management Minister Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yousuf.

Financed jointly by the government of Bangladesh, UNDP and DFID, the CDMP is a five-year term strategic focus to achieve disaster management reforms.

"Under the programme, we are trying to have a paradigm shift in disaster management strategies," the minister said.

Pre-disaster awareness raising through media is crucial since there is no adequate preparedness in the event of an earthquake-induced disaster, he said, adding that Dhaka has recently been identified as one of the cities extremely vulnerable to earthquake.

Initiatives have been taken under the CDMP to involve all ministries concerned to make a collective effort in managing disaster and reducing risk possibilities, said Deputy Minister for Food and Disaster Management Asadul Habib Dulu.

Deputy secretary of the ministry, Hosne Ara Begum said that the government is going to frame a disaster management law to oblige all concerned to play roles in disaster management. The law will enforce implementation of building codes among other provisions.

National consultant of CDMP Dr Shantana Halder Community, Risk Reduction Specialist CDMP Mamunur Rashid and AP Bureau Chief Farid Hossain made separate presentations on the media coverage of a disaster situation and on media role in disaster management.

Secretary Muhammad Fazlur Rahman, DMB Director Abu Toyeb Sikder, CDMP Chief Technical Advisor Ian Rector and DRU President Shafiqul Karim also spoke on the occasion.