Farid Hasan Ahmed :
Bangladesh is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world.Natural hazards have been part of geographical realities of the country. Over the last three decades particularly under the democratic governments, the country has invested in disaster management and now gained some ability to manage natural disasters, in particular, floods and cyclones in better way. However, the people of hazardous areas particularly the poor still live with extreme uncertainties, risk and multifarious vulnerabilities.In summer, Bangladesh has a long history of facing hazards such as mainly, tornadoesand cyclones. Lives, livelihoods,livestock and properties are lost by these disasters.
Tornados mostly occur in the pre-monsoon (March-May), and post-monsoon (October- November) periods. They are suddenly formed and of brief duration and are extremely localized in nature. ATornado occurred in the ManikganjDistrict (Saturia) on April 26, 1989. It was the costliest and deadliest tornado in Bangladesh’s history. It killed around 1,300 people.
Since independence in 1971, Bangladesh has experienced several major tornados, killing on an average more than 100 people in each event and causing severe damage in their narrow paths.
Also there are severe local seasonal storms, popularly known as nor’westers (kalbaishakhi). Severe nor’westers is generally associated with tornadoes. Wind-speeds in nor’westers usually range 113-130 km/hr (70-80 miles/hr), though often their speeds exceed 162 km/hr (100 miles/hr).
Tropical cyclones from the Bay of Bengal accompanied by storm surges are one of the majordisasters in Bangladesh. They occur mainly in April/May and October/November. The countryis one of the worst sufferers of all cyclonic casualties in the world.
Cyclones and storm surgesare a continuous threat for the coastal population. The average annual frequency of tropical disturbances in the Bay of Bengal ranges between 12 and 13, of which 5 attain the cyclonic strength. Most of these cyclones strike land on the Bangladesh coast or the coast of Myanmar andIndia. On 29 April 1991 a powerful cyclone struck the coastal area of Bangladesh with winds of around 250 km/h. The storm killed at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as 10 million homeless. The cyclonic storm “Aila” hit the south western part (Khulna Division) on 25th May 2009, killing approximately 190 in Bangladesh. Several hundred thousands of homes were washed away when wind-driven tidal surges up to 3 meters destroyed the coastal belt of Khulna region.
Taking into account the history, current capacity, risk and vulnerability of Bangladesh to the summer disasters, the following recommendations are placed to relevant organizations/actors /authorities for appropriate strategies and actions in improving further the emergency and disaster risk reduction performances.
The keytasks are mentioned below for an effective emergency management.
Readiness for a Rapid Responseencompasses those measures taken before a disaster event which are aimed at minimizing loss of life, interference of critical services, and harm when the disaster occurs. It includes the formulation of workable hazard specific emergency plans, the development of warning systems, the maintenance of inventories and the training of workforce. It may also grip search and rescue measures as well as evacuation plans for communities at risk.
Prior to any emergency situation, the contingency plan provides the basis for identifying and further developing response capacity .The Contingency Plan is the basis of readiness and cover 1)Analysis of the context, risk mapping and identification of likely emergency scenarios2) mapping of capacity, vulnerabilities, constraint and resources, tangible/intangible assets 3) identification of other external organizations’ capacity, constraint and resources in the department/ ministry/ area/ country/ region.
It is important to strengthen the emergency medical facilities across the vulnerable locations of the county to treat fatalities in time.
It is expected that responsible authorities will act appropriately for reducing the disaster risks in line with the Disaster Management Vision of the Government of Bangladesh. The vision is to reduce the risk of people, especially the poor and the disadvantaged, from the effects of natural, environmental and human induced hazards, to a manageable and acceptable humanitarian level, and to have in place an efficient emergency response system capable of handling large scale disasters.The major areas of interventions for reducing summer disaster risk could be:
Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in existing development works and future initiatives of different government ministries/departments and Non-Government organizations (NGOs)of the country is very much important. Concern authorities should develop disaster data base which is very important to carry out detailed study and planning. The Governmentauthorities and NGOs need to redesign their development programmes with the active participation of the most vulnerable communities to ensure that they maximize disaster mitigation potential and incorporate traditional community coping practices which are fit technically, environmentally andeconomically. Some targeted but tested disaster risk reduction activities both structural (embankments, river protection, cyclone shelters, housing scheme) and non-structural(improving awareness & networks, early warning dissemination etc.) could be under taken/reinforced in consultation with community at risk and relevant experts/organizations.
The respective authorities at different level should strengthened capacity building initiatives of local government and communities at risk. A well organized and coordinated effort is needed to further strengthening local level planning, implementing decision making process and the allocation of resource to local government for disaster proof programme in the vulnerable location. Proper resources from central government and others should be ensured by authorities and policy makers.
In forecasting cyclone and river floods of Bangladesh is in good form, but in forecasting flash floods, tornados a lot of gaps and limitations are observed. At this point improvement of present forecasting system is very much needed. Bangladesh flood and flash flood warning information will not be at desired level without establishment of a strong regional data sharing and cooperation framework. A Tornado forecasting system is needed where Bangladesh Methodological Department BMD and SPARRSO may play a significant role as tornado generates in the land and provides minimum time for early warning and forecasting.
Great emphasis should be placed on building institutional relationships and effective coordination among various organizations at different level to ensure durable and successful disaster risk management.
Reducing disaster risks of summer season is a noteworthy step to protect lives, livelihoods and properties in Bangladesh. Effective initiatives in this, from the responsible authorities and duty bearers, are very much essential for the betterment of large number of vulnerable people. The key govt. agencies and relevant organizations need to emphasis the previously adopted “all hazard-all risk-all sector approach” – the Disaster Management Act 2012 endorses and promotes. The approach equally focuses Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Response Management, with greaterimportance on equitable and sustainable development. Understanding and enabling policies and acts like Disaster Management Act, Standing Orders on Disasters (SOD) and National Building Code, through political determination, administrative diligence, appropriate resources, and accurate implementation mechanism are of utmost priority for the concerned authorities, duty bearers and organizations in this respect.
(Farid Hasan Ahmed. Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Practitioner.A Fellow of EPFL, Switzerland.)
