Work on protecting coastal people’s lives and livelihoods with strong embankments and afforestation goes slow due to funding and policy constraints. Some 5,700 kilometres of embankments in 19 coastal districts are not sufficient to prevent inundation by high tides, salinity intrusion and tidal surges from cyclonic storms. This is because the embankments around the 139 polders, constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, have been damaged during recurring natural disasters in the coastal region. Around 35 million people of the country are impacted directly or indirectly by the cyclones and other natural disasters.
The Water Development Board (WDB) at different times repaired the embankments but did not upgrade them in a way to make those sustainable. Increasing height, using latest technologies including geo-bags and geo-tubes, afforestation, involving local people and local government in maintenance of the embankments can greatly increase their longevity. A World Bank study has estimated 8 million people in the coastal region vulnerable to inundation depths greater than three metres due to cyclonic storm surges. By 2050, this number may increase to 13.5 million. Risks loom large as the proportion of people living below the absolute poverty line is higher in the coastal region, where salinity intrusion has made vast areas of land uncultivable, while natural calamities displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
Although fatalities in natural disasters declined over the years for early warning systems and cyclone shelters, material damage is still enormous. After the Cyclones Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009, the government obtained loans from the World Bank under the Coastal Embankment Improvement Project (CEIP) to strengthen over 400 kilometres of embankments. However project implementation progress is unsatisfactory. The Department of Forests is planting trees on the embankments to enhance their sustainability. There are also local water associations to supervise the flushing and drainage sluice gates. After the first phase, the government is now discussing with development partners the second phase of CEIP to improve 20 other polders.
Local communities should be involved in maintaining embankments. The polder embankments once blamed by environmentalists for interfering with nature are now considered important to protect from sea level rise and climate induced disasters. Strengthening of coastal embankments are thus urgent.
