Shelters required under the technical building regulation in new buildings will not protect citizens in the event of war, says MP Dovilė Šakalienė, member of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defence (NSGK).
“Shelters are largely inadequate because they are often too far away. The other thing is that if we are talking about large and open spaces, which are sometimes given the status of shelters, such places will not protect against bombing or shrapnel,” she told a press conference on Thursday.
Šakalienė also said that countries such as Sweden and Finland have shelters for around two thirds of the population. Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, has shelter space for as many as 40 million people.
The politician recalled a statement of Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė, who said the installation of shelters would be “an unbearable burden on the state.” However, Israel’s experience shows that there are cheap options, according to Šakalienė.
“My colleagues working in Israel have shared that there are very mobile shelters, which are basically just a reinforced concrete cube that can accommodate from 15 to 20 people. They can successfully withstand direct shelling and cost USD 10,000,” she explained.
The NSGK member also said the plan for residents to reach the nearest shelter within 15 minutes is unacceptable. Specificity of a region and proximity of the shelter to the border should be taken into account when planning the time limit.
Social Democrat MP Linas Jonauskas said he missed a concrete plan showing people where they should go in the event of a crisis.
“In major cities, even if there are shelters, there will be chaos because people will not know where to go (&) Just as we know where to go to vote, each person should be assigned a shelter location,” he suggested.
The Social Democrats also proposed to buy out private shelters and to regulate their use in emergencies. Businesses could also build shelters that could be rented out, they said.
The Interior Ministry announced in February over 3,300 shelters had been established over the past year to house up to 912 thousand people or 31% of the country’s population.
Twelve municipalities out of 60 have met the target to offer the population a “safe haven” from danger set by the Government, Bilotaitė said. The Government's target is at least 50%.