The aftermath of flood
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Dr K. M. Nabiul Islam
Local law and order situation in the flood-hit areas demands special attention. Formation of local-level committees and volunteers groups would be helpful. It is important to formulate an effective community-based disaster management system. Strengthening the capacity of LGIs to deal with disaster in an emergency situation needs adequate attention.
Apart from agriculture rehabilitation, the government and NGOs should undertake an extraordinary effort towards the reconstruction of houses damaged. As various BIDS and CPD studies suggest, past flood damage to infrastructure was huge, in the range of 50 to 74 per cent of the total damage, while the residential sector alone suffered in the tune of 25 to 33 per cent.
The school and college students are some of the major victims of the flood. The miseries may have forbidden them to continue with their education. It is important to ensure that the students have immediately returned to their schools, with financial aids to overcome some of the losses that their households have sustained. Reconstruction of the school infrastructures is a priority in this respect.
Concluding Remarks: Bangladesh has a serious lack of flood damage data and assessment methodology. In order to deal with a natural hazard such as flood, it is important to build knowledge and data networks which may be employed to enhance economic resilience. Experience shows that some floods in agricultural sector can often be adjusted while urban and non-agricultural flood losses are comparatively huge. Hence, greater attention has to be given on urban flood hazard, especially in the context of potential 'disaster vulnerabilities' due to the rapid urbanisation process and flawed development activities.
Given the scarce-resource conditions in Bangladesh, the strategic issue of the balanced choice of structural and non-structural flood mitigation deserves a careful consideration. Effective warning along with the emergency preparedness can reduce enormous flood losses but warning system needs to be effective. It is important that people understand the language of the warning and have confidence in it. Bangladesh has 54 common rivers with neighbouring countries, mostly India, and floods do not recognise political boundaries. The management of trans-boundary river flows is thus crucially important for Bangladesh's existence. There is dire need for exchanging updated scientific data among our riparian neighbours in order to effectively deal with floods. Regional cooperation is of utmost importance in this respect. For a long term plan, the development of insurance and redistribution of losses has no option. Emergency reliefs are not, and should not be a strategy towards flood recoveries. It is important that relief works calling upon pressure on development and aid resources are designed to evolve into development works, which in turn will contribute towards a better floodplain management in the country.
In respect of the national poverty reduction strategy and MDG attainment, Bangladesh can hardly afford to ignore the adverse impact of floods on the process of poverty reduction and growth. The primary and long run indirect effects of floods on the poor need careful consideration when formulating mitigation plans. For effective and efficient flood management what is urgently needed is a strong, skilled and reasonably decentralised local-level administration and management. Networking among public institutions, NGOs, community organisations and civil society is a policy imperative towards efficient flood management. Humans also do create disasters. Resource and power in a few hands has potentially created an unhelpful environment in the society. Politicisation and undemocratization of various institutions are potentially liable for deterioration in services to people. Regulations and laws have to be enforced and, where needed, new laws have to be formulated. Coordinated and integrated efforts in infrastructure development, adequate maintenance, sanitation and safe water supply, effective warning system and adequate provision of resources for preparedness at local level constitute the major elements of comprehensive flood management.
Bangladesh, perhaps, has few options but to live with floods. Hence, it is important that they are managed and adjusted successfully. The country has a long experience in disaster management. It is important that we update our lessons from disasters. Unfortunately, however, our researchers and policy makers tend to forget disaster once it is over and the response mechanism remains adhoc, unplanned and uncoordinated. Ironically, there has been a persistent disregard for the emergency preparedness, which has not adequately been reflected in annual or long-term development plans. As we have to live with floods it is important that we concentrate on emergency preparedness and rehabilitation works in a planned, institutional and coordinated way in order to avoid wastage of resources in the aftermath of every occurrence. Concluded
The author is a senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.
Local law and order situation in the flood-hit areas demands special attention. Formation of local-level committees and volunteers groups would be helpful. It is important to formulate an effective community-based disaster management system. Strengthening the capacity of LGIs to deal with disaster in an emergency situation needs adequate attention.
Apart from agriculture rehabilitation, the government and NGOs should undertake an extraordinary effort towards the reconstruction of houses damaged. As various BIDS and CPD studies suggest, past flood damage to infrastructure was huge, in the range of 50 to 74 per cent of the total damage, while the residential sector alone suffered in the tune of 25 to 33 per cent.
The school and college students are some of the major victims of the flood. The miseries may have forbidden them to continue with their education. It is important to ensure that the students have immediately returned to their schools, with financial aids to overcome some of the losses that their households have sustained. Reconstruction of the school infrastructures is a priority in this respect.
Concluding Remarks: Bangladesh has a serious lack of flood damage data and assessment methodology. In order to deal with a natural hazard such as flood, it is important to build knowledge and data networks which may be employed to enhance economic resilience. Experience shows that some floods in agricultural sector can often be adjusted while urban and non-agricultural flood losses are comparatively huge. Hence, greater attention has to be given on urban flood hazard, especially in the context of potential 'disaster vulnerabilities' due to the rapid urbanisation process and flawed development activities.
Given the scarce-resource conditions in Bangladesh, the strategic issue of the balanced choice of structural and non-structural flood mitigation deserves a careful consideration. Effective warning along with the emergency preparedness can reduce enormous flood losses but warning system needs to be effective. It is important that people understand the language of the warning and have confidence in it. Bangladesh has 54 common rivers with neighbouring countries, mostly India, and floods do not recognise political boundaries. The management of trans-boundary river flows is thus crucially important for Bangladesh's existence. There is dire need for exchanging updated scientific data among our riparian neighbours in order to effectively deal with floods. Regional cooperation is of utmost importance in this respect. For a long term plan, the development of insurance and redistribution of losses has no option. Emergency reliefs are not, and should not be a strategy towards flood recoveries. It is important that relief works calling upon pressure on development and aid resources are designed to evolve into development works, which in turn will contribute towards a better floodplain management in the country.
In respect of the national poverty reduction strategy and MDG attainment, Bangladesh can hardly afford to ignore the adverse impact of floods on the process of poverty reduction and growth. The primary and long run indirect effects of floods on the poor need careful consideration when formulating mitigation plans. For effective and efficient flood management what is urgently needed is a strong, skilled and reasonably decentralised local-level administration and management. Networking among public institutions, NGOs, community organisations and civil society is a policy imperative towards efficient flood management. Humans also do create disasters. Resource and power in a few hands has potentially created an unhelpful environment in the society. Politicisation and undemocratization of various institutions are potentially liable for deterioration in services to people. Regulations and laws have to be enforced and, where needed, new laws have to be formulated. Coordinated and integrated efforts in infrastructure development, adequate maintenance, sanitation and safe water supply, effective warning system and adequate provision of resources for preparedness at local level constitute the major elements of comprehensive flood management.
Bangladesh, perhaps, has few options but to live with floods. Hence, it is important that they are managed and adjusted successfully. The country has a long experience in disaster management. It is important that we update our lessons from disasters. Unfortunately, however, our researchers and policy makers tend to forget disaster once it is over and the response mechanism remains adhoc, unplanned and uncoordinated. Ironically, there has been a persistent disregard for the emergency preparedness, which has not adequately been reflected in annual or long-term development plans. As we have to live with floods it is important that we concentrate on emergency preparedness and rehabilitation works in a planned, institutional and coordinated way in order to avoid wastage of resources in the aftermath of every occurrence. Concluded
The author is a senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.