The New Nation - Internet Edition

Md. Aftabuzzaman

Bangladesh is a reverine country of an area of about 1, 47,570 sq. km. with population nearing 150 million. Bangladesh has some particular geographical features and these particular geographical features have significant bearing on weather system of Bangladesh. The weather system is not always favorable. Due to this weather system, Bangladesh becomes the worst victim of natural calamities causing massive loss of lives and properties. The economy largely depends on weather. Major disasters that occur in Bangladesh are: tropical cyclone, tidal bore, flood, river bank erosion, earthquake etc. A large number of poor people are to live in vulnerable areas of the southern part of Bangladesh. The vulnerability is so miserable that they have to go and settle in the newly accreted land in Bay of Bengal and its surrounding areas which is occasionally hit by tidal bore or devastating cyclone.

Natural calamities come every year on Bangladesh as a curse. If we look on past we see the severe cyclone on November 12, 1970 took a toll of 0.3 million human lives in Bangladesh and damaged property of $ 1 billion; besides another worst cyclone which hit Bangladesh coast on April 1991 and was killed 0.14 million people and property damages were more than $ 2 billion; The cyclone of 1876, 1919, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1985, 1988, 1991 and 1997 were also fierce natural calamity in Bangladesh. But this year (2007) the cyclone Sidr that blew over Bangladesh on November 15 as a devastating mode that the country has never seen. It hit directly 22 districts and more than 4 million people are affected. It causes a lot of lives, crops, cattle and forest.

The amount of loses affected by Sidr is almost the death toll may be as high as 10000 according to the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, a quarter of Sundarban, the world's biggest single unit of mangrove forest is totally damaged, about 13 thousand educational institutions were directly hit, wealth of about 12 thousand crore will be destroyed as a whole, 10 lakh tones Amon rice may be lost. The renowned Economists of Bangladesh also predict that the damages by cyclone may be as high as Tk.90 thousand crore.

Major Disasters affected by Cyclone in Bangladesh

Year Disaster Death

1988 Cyclone 5704

1991 Cyclone 138,868

1997 Cyclone 550

2007 Cyclone About 10,000

Disaster management or Emergency management is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. It is a discipline that involves preparing, supporting, and rebuilding society when natural or human-made disasters occur. In general, any Emergency management is the continuous process by which all individuals, groups, and communities manage hazards in an effort to avoid or improve the impact of disasters resulting from the hazards. The adverse impacts of all the natural hazards affecting socio-economic condition need to be reduced for sustainable development. Realisation of this reality, the Government of Bangladesh has undertaken a lot of plans and programmes for disaster reduction through disaster management. Such as the high powered National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) and In-Ministerial Disaster Management Co-ordination Committee (IMDMCC), developed as effective bodies to promote and coordinate risk-reduction, preparedness activities and mitigation measures, meet twice and four times a year respectively.

While NDMC formulates and reviews disaster management policies and issues directives to all concerned, the IMDMCC plays key role in implementing the directives maintaining inter-Ministerial coordination, supervising the services of the Armed Forces as well as NGOs working in the field of disaster management in the country. Under the mechanism there exists a well-established organisation named Directorate of Relief and Rehabilitation (DRR) within the administrative control of the MDMR wherein Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is located.

The DRR acts during post-disaster emergency situation and operates relief activities for distribution to remote field levels under the supervision and guidance of the Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief (MDMR) / IMDMCC. The MDMR has a small dynamic professional unit known as Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) to perform specialist functions and ensure coordination with line departments/ agencies and NGOs by convening meetings of Disaster Management Training and Public Awareness Building Task Force (DMTATF), Focal Point Operational Co-ordination Group on Disaster Management (FPOCG), NGO Co-ordination Committee on Disaster Management (NGOCC) and Committee for Speedy Dissemination of Disaster Related Warning Signals (CSDDWS) every three months regularly.

In mid 1999 the GoB together with UNDP and other development partners agreed to address the issue of risk reduction in a more comprehensive programmatic approach. Hence with the initiative taken in October, 1999 in the direction as agreed upon, Comprehensive Disaster Management Prgoramme (CDMP) is about to start functioning.

But unfortunately, we have to say that the existing bodies in this concern are not working properly in the country. If they act properly in the situation, it will not be as worst as occurred presently. So, if we want to mitigate the situation and take the challenges to reduce the affect of disasters by adopting suitable disaster mitigation strategies, all bodies related to it would come forward and well functioning.

Regarding our country circumstances, following mitigation strategies may be taken into account- : (i) minimise the potential risks by developing disaster early warning strategies and make arrangement of latest equipments for weather /cyclone signals (ii) weather department should be more professional and active (iii) multi purpose cyclone Shelter centers in every union should be set up (iv) discipline or subject on disaster management will be arrange even in Primary and high school level education curriculum. More research both individual and institutional level should be arranged at University also v) make sufficient mobilised resources including communications and tele-medicinal services (vi) big help in rehabilitation and post-disaster management vii) make embankment where is in need in coastal area (viii) short term and long term plan should be taken on the basis of Focus Group Discussion (FGD) ix) make green belt in coastal area (x) after all government should monitoring and supervise various bodies linked with this process and make them functioning all the year round.

Bangladesh is one of the disaster prone countries in the world, with extremely limited resources; its real development is not possible without the incorporation of disaster mitigation programmes. Our planning thrust is, therefore, diverted towards disaster management as a major consideration in regional development planning. Bangladesh is striving hard to establish a detailed and experienced disaster management system from national down to community level to mitigate the effects of disasters. Being aware of the limitations and the vulnerability of the country to natural disaster, the Government of Bangladesh should continue its efforts to make Bangladesh a part of safer world in the 21st century.

As natural disasters would be kept it continue every year, we cannot avoid it. So, we have to prepare ourselves to make sure realistic management procedure included above, the natural disasters like cyclone, flood, tidal bore, earthquake etc. would be protected more briskly as I believe.