WB project making coastal people\\\'s lives safe, resilient

A World Bank (WB) project on resilient livelihoods and disaster preparedness has significantly improved socio-economic status of the country's coastal people, according to a press release of the organisation.
The global lender has been supporting the government of Bangladesh through the Emergency 2007 Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project (ECRRP) to restore the livelihoods of people, affected by cyclones Sidr and Alia in 2009, and to build long-term disaster preparedness.
Under the project, new cyclone shelters have been constructed, existing shelters repaired and access-roads to shelters in the cyclone-prone areas built. Besides, ECRRP has been repairing embankments, and making peoples' lives and livelihoods safer and more resilient.
In addition, the project has provided support to farmers in forms of improved seeds, agricultural tools, livestock, fish fingerlings, household silos and training on use of such technology.
The project is also supporting in preparation of the first phase of a fifteen-year government programme for disaster risk reduction.
Until now ECRRP has constructed 136 new multipurpose disaster shelters, also used as primary schools during non-emergency situations. Sixty-five more shelters will be completed by June 2015. It has a target of constructing a total of 330 new shelters by 2017.
The project has completed rehabilitation of 241 existing shelters, out of the targeted 460 shelters to be repaired by 2017. Another 81 will be rehabilitated by June 2015. Repair work of 260 kilometre coastal embankments has been completed out of the total target of 460 km.
"A recent monitoring and evaluation report shows significant improvements in the socio-economic status of ECRRP beneficiaries," the WB press release said.
The 2014 Household Survey shows that 90 per cent of the beneficiary households now have annual income of above Tk 60,000, placing them above the poverty line.
This is an improvement compared to previous and baseline surveys - 86 per cent, 58 per cent, and 33 per cent - reported respectively in surveys in 2013, 2012 and in the baseline survey of 2010.
WB has so far supported ECRRP with US$324 million. In addition to the financing, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery provided $2.96 million, the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund $25 million, and KfW contributed 3.82 million Euros to the project.
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