Kabul is situated on a drift zone, which means that there can be an earthquake anytime. This fact is verified by the earthquakes in past and the tremor last year. There is never a year when the city doesn’t experience earthquakes though they are very light and are not generally felt.

In the last 10 years or more, large numbers of new buildings have been built in the city. These buildings were built to meet the needs of increasing urban population of the city. No doubt, these buildings have given the city its good shape but almost all the security measures have been compromised in this regard. Majority of these buildings have been built violating all the building standards. All of these buildings have one or more problems. Some of them have been built without the standard design. In almost all the buildings, the amount and quality of material used is very poor. Almost all the commercial and residential buildings don’t have the compulsory security system. In short, these buildings pose serious threats to the residents and the people around them.

In case of any earthquake, these buildings can create so many problems. They can threaten the lives of thousands of people living in and near them and they can also block the roads for the rescue work.

These buildings put a question mark on the role of concerned authorities. It is a general perception that one can build any kind of dangerous and insecure building in the city and get the relevant permission by bribing the concerned ministry and higher authorities. As these buildings are being built by very influential and rich politicians, tribal leaders or warlords so the authority also feels itself helpless in these situations.

Whatever may be the reasons; this criminal act of government authorities may result in incalculable damage and calamities in case of an earthquake or any other natural disaster. At any such occasion, it would not be appropriate to find the responsible people and punish them as it would not reverse the losses. The only solution to this problem lies in taking action in advance. All the buildings that are not according to the safety standards should be either brought down or given the time to make necessary alterations. But it is not the sole mistake of the owners of these buildings rather the authority that gave them permissions should also be held responsible and responsible officials should face proper punishment.

This situation is quite alarming and the immediate action is the only solution to the problem.