Stakeholders and Initiatives on Early Warning and Civil Defense in Bangladesh
Implemented by: Stakeholders and Initiatives on Early Warning and Civil Defense in Bangladesh
Implemented by:
CONTENTS
Foreword from GIZ 5 Acknowledgement BDPC 7 Glossary 9 Executive Summary 13
Chapter 1 Introduction 18 Importance of Early Warning Systems 19
Chapter 2 Methodology 20 Chapter 3 Early Warning Systems and Stakeholder Mapping for Cyclone 23 3.1 The Current Dissemination System 23 3.2 Stakeholders 24 3.2.1 Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) 27 3.2.2 Department of Disaster Management (DDM) 30 3.2.3 Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) 32
Chapter 4 Early Warning Systems and Stakeholder Mapping for Flood 35 4.1 The Current Dissemination System 36 4.2 Stakeholders 37 4.2.1 Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) 37 4.2.2 Department of Disaster Management (DDM) 40 4.2.3 Flood Preparedness Programme (FPP) 40
Chapter 5 Early Warning System and Stakeholder Mapping for Drought 43 5.1 The Current Dissemination System 44 5.2 Stakeholders 45 5.2.1 Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) 45 5.2.2 Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) 46 Chapter 6 Early Warning System and Stakeholder Mapping for Landslide 47 6.1 Stakeholders 47 6.1.1 Geological Survey of Bangladesh 47 6.1.2 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme 48
Chapter 7 Fire Service and Civil Defense 50 Civil Defense in Bangladesh 50 Urban Vulnerability to Disaster Risks 50 Stakeholders for Civil Defense in Bangladesh 50 Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD) 51 Mandate 51 Organization Structure 51 Services 52 Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER) 52 Current Initiatives 52 Success Stories 52
Chapter 8 GIZ – Coastal Livelihoods Adaptation Project (CLAP) 55 Chapter 9 Recommendations 56 List of Annexure 60 List of the Policies and Institutional Framework for disaster management 61 Short list of key representatives for Key Informant Interviewees 62 Source of Secondary Data 65 Sample of cyclone warning bulletins issued by BMD 67 The operation of the Storm Warning Center of BMD 68 The organizational structure of CPP 69 The dissemination system for cyclone early warning 70 Sample of a flood early warning bulletin issued by FFWC 71 Flood Preparedness Programme MoU 73 Research and Writing Team 86
Imprint 87 Foreword from GIZ
Dr. Purnima Doris Chattopadhayay-Dutt Principal Advisor Coastal Livelihoods Adaptation Project (CLAP)
Bangladesh has a long history of natural disasters and faces multiple challenges due to the impacts of climate change, poverty, population growth, increasing urbanisation and calamities. It is not only one of the world’s most densely populated regions, but also one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
Over the past few decades, the country was able to minimize casualties through tremendous efforts, investments and the support of the international community, bilateral agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Despite past achievements and its leading role in disaster management and risk reduction, the loss and damage caused by catastrophes still remain high, e.g. the cyclones Aila (2009) and Sidr (2007) had lasting effects on millions of people. Furthermore, slow-onset disasters like increasing salinity, water logging, drought, etc. have immense impacts on the country and its people. Studies show that for every Euro invested in early warning systems and disaster risk reduction (DRR), between four and seven Euros of recovery costs are saved.
Germany has been cooperating with Bangladesh for more than 40 years and on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements projects like the Adaptation to Climate Change and Rehabilitation of Livelihoods in South Bangladesh (CLAP), to promote DRR and climate change adaptation (CCA).
I would like to express my gratitude to Muhammad Saidur Rahman (Director of BDPC) for his effort to prepare this publication and using his experience and extensive knowledge to make a valuable contribution to analyse the stakeholders and early warning system of Bangladesh.
Furthermore I would also like to thank the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM) of GIZ and in particular Olaf Handloegten and Stephan Huppertz for their cooperation and support.
February 2015
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BANGLADESH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS CENTRE House # 151A, Road # 8, Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh Phone : +88 (02) 986 2769, 988 0573, 881 9718, Fax: +88 (02) 986 2169 E-mail: [email protected]. web: www.bdpc.orq.bd
Acknowledgement
The impact of natural hazards could be significantly reduced by structural and nonstructural measures. The first one requires huge capital investment for physical infrastructure developments such as construction of embankments, dikes, cyclone shelters etc. Resource-constrained countries like Bangladesh should focus more on low-cost non- structural measures, of which early warning dissemination at community level is one of the most important components.
We are grateful to GIZ, fur taking the right initiative at the right time to commission a study with the objective to identify and analyse the national and international stakeholders and their initiatives in tile field of early warning and civil defense in Bangladesh.
Allhamdulillah (thanks to ALLAH), in spite of the political unrests severely restricting travels and movements, this report has been made possible due to the support and cooperation received from many individuals and organizations engaged in the field of disaster management in Bangladesh. My appreciation and gratitude to all of them, some to mention are: Mr. Mohammad Abdul Qayyum (National Project Director - Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme), Mr. Mohammad Abdul Waned (Director General, Department of Disaster Management), Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmed Khan (Director General, Fire Service and Civil Defense), Mr. Ahsan Zakir (Executive Chairman of BARIND project). Mr. Moniruzzan Chowdhry (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief) and Engr. Selim Bhuiyan (Former Chief Engineer, Bangladesh Water Development Board).
Special thanks to my colleagues in Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre, for assisting me in conducting interviews in Dhaka and compiling information collected from various sources. I am indebted to my friends who conducted Focus Group Discussions rod Key Informant Interviews in remote and high risk auras. Finally, I hardly have words to express my deep sense of gratitude to Dr. Purnima Doris Chattopadhayay-Dutt, Principal Advisor of GIZ, and her colleagues in Dhaka and Bonn for the level of confidence and trust they have shorn in us.
Muhammad Saidur Rahman Lead-Consultant and Director
Professionals in Disaster Risk Management Risk Reduction through Community Empowerment Community Adaptation to Climate Change, Action Research, Planning and Strategy Formulation, Capacity Building and Training, Pre-disaster Preparedness, Post Disaster Response Monitoring, Material Development, Monitoring and Evaluation.
7
Glossary
ADB Asian Development Bank ADPC Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre AFD Armed Forces Division AIS Agriculture Information Service AMCDRR Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction AWOS Automatic Weather Observation System BCCSAP Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan BDPC Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre BDRCS Bangladesh Red Crescent Society BMD Bangladesh Meteorological Department BMDA Barind Multipurpose Development Authority BTV Bangladesh Television BWDB Bangladesh Water Development Board CBS Cell Broadcasting System CDMP Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme CEGIS Center for Environment and Geographic Information Services CERDI Central Extension Resource and Development Institute CPP Cyclone Preparedness Programme DA Department of Agriculture DAE Department of Agriculture Extension DDM Department of Disaster Management DDMC District Disaster Management Committee DEM Department of Emergency Management DIANA Digital Analysis DMC Disaster Management Committee DMC Disaster Management Committee DMIC Disaster Management Information Center DMRD Disaster Management and Relief Division DRRO District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer DSM Digital Surface Model ECMWF European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ECRRP Emergency Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Process EOC Emergency Operations Center EU European Union EWS Early Warning System FFWC Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre FGD Focused Group Discussion FPP Flood Preparedness Programme
9 GBM Ganges-Brahmaputra- Meghna GIS Geographic Information System GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH GIDRM Global Initiative for Disaster Risk Management GoB Government of Bangladesh GPDRR Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction GSB Geological Survey of Bangladesh GSM Global System for Mobile Communication GTS Global Telecommunication System HCTT Humanitarian Country Task Team HFA Hyogo Framework for Action ICT Information and Communication Technology IFRCS International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IIT-D Indian Institute of Technology Delhi IMD Indian Meteorological Department IMO International Migration Office IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IVR Interactive Voice Response IWM Institute of Water Modeling JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency KII Key Informant Interviews LAN Local Area Network M&GC Meteorological Geo-Physical Centre MFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs MFI Meteo France International MoDMR Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief MoU Memorandum of Understanding MoWR Ministry of Water Resources MPO Month of Pay Order MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging NARRI National Alliance for Risk Reduction & Response Initiatives NARS National Agricultural Research System NGI Norwegian Geo-Technical Institute NGO Non-Government Organization NHM Natural History Museum NMI Norwegian Meteorological Institute NW North West NWP Numerical Weather Prediction
10 PIO Project Implementation Officer QPF Quantitative Precipitation Forecast RAOB Rawinsonde Observation RIMES Regional Integrated Early Warning System RMC Regional Meteorological Centre RSMC Regional Specialized Meteorological Center SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SBT Satellite Based Technology SC Save the Children SIM Subscriber Identity Module SMS Short Message Service SOD Standing Order of Disaster SOP Standing Operating Procedure SPARSO Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization SREX Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation SSB Single Side Band SWC Storm Warning Centre TDP Town Defense Party ToR Terms of Reference UAO Upazila Agriculture Officer UDMC Union Disaster Management Committee UN United Nation UNDP United Nation Development Programme UNISDR United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction UNOCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UzDMC Upazila Disaster Management Committee VHF Very High Frequency VDP Village Defense Party WARPO Water Resource Planning Organization WB World Bank WHO World Health Organization WMO World Meteorological Organization WRF Weather Research and Forecasting
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Executive Summary
Bangladesh is prone to several hydro-meteorological hazards in a changing climate. Floods, tropical cyclones (including storm surges), droughts, tornadoes, river-bank erosions, landslides are the most frequent and common phenomena, wreaking havoc on the lives and livelihoods of the poor and disadvantaged communities, who have no other options but to live in high disaster-risk areas. The magnitude of poverty and high population density (approx. 1200 per square kilometre1) contribute to the rising levels of vulnerability to catastrophic episodes. Under the anticipated climate change context, floods and cyclones will be severe, frequent and will have potentials to cause colossal damages in the coming years.
To adjust with this changing situation, the disaster management system in Bangladesh has also changed significantly in the past few years. Disaster management and climate change adaptation (CCA) initiatives in the country are aiming to build stronger resilience to prepare for, respond to and recover from various disasters but also adapt to the situations with a dynamic risk reduction framework. In this nexus of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction (DRR), strengthening of the multi-hazard early warning systems in the country has remained as a key aim to build resilience against disaster.
In the context of Bangladesh, structural interventions, such as embankments and cyclone shelters, need to go hand in hand with environmental measures, e.g. reforestation, and non-structural measures, including early warning dissemination, capacity building, contingency planning, etc. Effective early warning is not about merely forecasting and warning services - it encompasses inter-related systems and actions spanning knowledge over the risks through preparedness and to learn to respond to impending consequences. The success of early warning depends on the coordinated actions involving all these inter-related systems. Such actions must be based on adequate legal basis in terms of laws and regulations, institutional responsibility, and trained manpower and most importantly with strong political will.
In recognizing the importance of early warning and efforts to respond to growing urban risks in Bangladesh, GIZ has commissioned this very relevant and timely study on ‘Mapping of Stakeholders and Initiatives on Early Warning and Civil Defense in Bangladesh’ within the framework of the Global Initiative for Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM)2.
This exercise for mapping of EW stakeholders is attempted in a cautious way to cover the four prominent hazards; tropical cyclones (inclusive of storm surge), monsoon floods, droughts and landslides.
1 http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST 2 The GIDRM has been initiated by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It’s coordinated by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and brings together a wide range of German and regional stakeholders and provides a forum for new and innovative ways of collaboration in disaster risk management.
13 The approach taken is a mixture of consultative methods (interviews, agency visits, talking to the key resource persons) and secondary reviews. Methodologically the mapping looked into the key elements of EWS that is inclusive of knowledge of risks, technical monitoring service, dissemination of warnings to those at risk, public awareness, preparedness to act and other emerging features. The existing processes of early warning system are documented as well as the details of the key stakeholders’ mandates, structures, functions and other institutional roles are charted by hazards. The strengths, weaknesses and future plans for these hazard early warning systems are also reported in a systematic manner.
Considering the scope of the assignment, an exhaustive list of the stakeholders was drawn for each of the four hazard types addressed, which are cyclone, flood, drought and landslide. The stakeholders were then screened on the basis of their relevance and importance to the expected and targeted findings of the assignment.
While web-based search and collection of relevant published reports and documents were recommended for secondary sources, Key Informant Interview (KII) was chosen as a means of primary source for information. Interviews with the key actors at sub-national and local levels and also Focused Group Discussions (FGD) with vulnerable communities were undertaken to validate and cross-check the claims of national level actors for effective early warning system.
Due diligence were made to carry out systematic reviews of the existing materials, technical reports and study findings. The documents, reports and information collected were analyzed to understand the progress made against each of the four hazards and assess the critical gaps that need to be addressed urgently to protect lives, assets of the people vulnerable to the hazards.
Some of the emerged findings from this mapping exercise, for all the hazards under review, are presented below.
Cyclone Early Warning
On an average, a severe tropical cyclone (wind speed 90-119 km/h) strikes Bangladesh once in every three years, potentially causing huge loss of lives, properties and infrastructure. The worst cyclone in the recorded history of the world was the one that hit the west coast of Bangladesh on 12 November 1970, killing over half a million people.
Through the lens of ‘Early Warning’, there exists a range of actors and stakeholders engaged and involved in cyclone warning and preparedness in Bangladesh. The Checklist for Effective Early Warning System, as agreed in UNISDR’s Third Early Warning Conference held in Bonn (2006), has provided strategic guidance to the analysis of the stakeholders. Further validation was made through the feedbacks, comments and perspectives of the primary respondents.
Among the key stakeholders, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), Department of Disaster Management (DDM) of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) and the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) are the most strategic actors engaged in vital functions of cyclone early warning, from generations to dissemination and response management.
Cyclone warnings are generated by BMD for direct dissemination to Government functionaries, UN, CPP, humanitarian partners, media and all relevant actors by fax, email and telephones. CPP transmits the warning messages to all the37 offices located at Upazila level through single sideband radio. In turn, the warnings are conveyed to the village-unit teams via Union leader through VHF or cell phones. In addition, the village volunteers listen to the special weather bulletins continuously broadcast by the
14 national radio and television channels during the danger period when warnings are announced. Finally, the volunteers disseminate the warning to all the population under risk by blowing sirens, hoisting of flags and announcement by megaphones, etc.
However, the public administrative way to provide services vis a vis the committed voluntary approach creates an atmosphere which demotivates volunteers of CPP. The study has also found that there are vacancies in important key positions of CPP at the field level. Apart from the absence of modernized equipment and need for regular training of volunteers, CPP also faces challenge such as eroding spirit of volunteerism due to contradictory approaches by NGOs engaged in emergency response. On the other hand, DDM needs to ensure that the fisher folk at deep sea receive early warning signals and conduct mock drills at community levels as per the guidance of SOD, while BMD requires additional number of observation stationsto cover the country’s prediction and warning needs and upgrade skills and technical capacity.
Among the key recommendations, technical skill enhancement and institutional capacity building have been emphasized by the stakeholders. The study findings reveal the need for undertaking urgent actions for ensuring effective dissemination of early warning messages to fishermen engaged in deep sea fisheries. Urgent actions are called to develop a systematic and sustainable approach, involving the public administration, local government, civil society, communities and volunteer programs, such as CPP, under the leadership of the respective government authorities, supported by the development partners and international organizations.
Flood Early Warning
Regular monsoon floods are blessings in disguise for Bangladesh. The torrent carries billions of tons of alluvium from the Himalayas making the country one of the most fertile in the world. On the other hand, when it exceeds the limit, it turns out to be a curse.
Flood management includes both flood forecasting and early warning. Flood forecasting involves predicting the water levels, areas and depths of water in rivers and floodplains. Flood warning is the preparation of forecasts in a meaningful format for dissemination to concerned organizations, and most important of all, to vulnerable communities and families.
Bangladesh has made impressive achievement on flood forecasting and early warning. A number of institutions are engaged in strengthening these systems, including Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), CEGIS, IWM, BMD, WARRPO etc.
FFWC has been the central hub for flood forecasting and early warning messages. Itcollects information on water level and rainfall from its 85 and 56 field stations respectively, interprets satellite images and simulates the water level conditions by the use of a numerical model of the Bangladeshi river network. FFWC collaborates on a regular basis with BMD for information support and DDM to disseminate flood forecast and early warning across the country. It receives technical and financial support from a number of national, international programs and organizations, including CDMP, JICA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
FFWC delivers the following products on a regular basis: Rainfall Distribution Map, Daily Bulletin and River Summary, Forecast Bulletin & Hydrograph, Warning Message, River Situation Map, UpazilaFloodStatus Map, Countrywide Coarse Flood Inundation Map, and Dhaka City Flood Inundation Map.
15 The study findings stressed the urgent need to expand the network of FFWC’s gauge stations (currently 343) across all the important rivers so as to enhance flood forecasting and warning precision to benefit the vulnerable communities. Lack of skilled manpower continues to hinder flood information analysis and development of hydrographs. It is therefore recommended to assess the capacity of FFWC, followed by provisioning adequate staffing and skill development programs. Disseminating flood forecasting and warning messages relevant to the local contexts of the vulnerable communities has been a major shortcoming in Bangladesh which undermines the key achievements in the areas of early warning disseminate in the country.
Based on the successful experience of the widely acclaimed and time-tested Cyclone Preparedness Programme model, a new initiative called Flood Preparedness Programme (FPP) has just been launched. This programme aims to establish a robust network of volunteers, who will enhance flood preparedness at family and community levels. Bangladesh Ansars and Village Defense Party (Ansar& VDP) is entrusted to implement this promising programme and Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre (BDPC) to provide professional and technical support, along with Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) with financial assistance. The pilot project is currently being implemented in 1563 villages, 94 Unions and 9 Upazilas of the two most flood prone districts, Gaibandha and Sirajganj.
Drought Early Warning
Bangladesh faces unpredictable drought hazard in the dry monsoon due to inadequate and uneven rainfall, mainly in the north-western region. Drought impact spreads over a large geographical area – much larger than areas affected by other natural hazards. Bangladesh experienced major droughts in 1973, 1978-79, 1981-82, 1989, 1992 and 1994-95.
The widespread human distress resulting from reduced crops, low income, unemployment, and increased food prices are the negative attributes of droughts. Livestock also suffered a lot; with many farmers having to sell their cattle at extremely low prices.This was mainly because they did not have enough fodder or cash to buy food for them, which had increased
Although a number of stakeholders are engaged in the process of generation of weather information related to drought and the dissemination to the farmers, the key actors among them are the Agro-met Division of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
DAE’s mission is to provide need-based extension services to all categories of farmers, to enable them to optimize their use of resources, in order to promote sustainable agricultural and socio-economic development. Although there is a need, but an effective drought early warning system is yet to be put in place in Bangladesh.
Landslide Early Warning
In Bangladesh, landslides have increased both in frequency and intensity and sometimes caused extensive damage to life and property. In June 2007, 127 people were killed due to landslide in Chittagong. In early 2013, four automatic weather stations for monitoring and predicting rainfall induced landslides have been installed - two stations in Chittagong, one each in Cox's Bazaar and Teknaf. While the country has started responding to landslide events through pilot initiatives, mostly supported by Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) and CDMP, there has not been any progress on systematic advancement towards establishing early warning system for landslide hazards in Bangladesh.
16 Some of the suggested interventions described in the report include introduction of land use planning regulations to reduce development interventions in high hazard prone areas, establishing community based landslide early warning systems in high risk areas, regular conduction of community awareness program and introducing structural and non-structural landslide hazard mitigation and preparedness practices in landslide prone districts.
Civil Defense
Since independence, civil defense in Bangladesh appeared in the form of “civil protection”, i.e., saving lives and preventing losses and damages from hazards and events. The civil protection structure and services have mostly been integrated to that of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Department, which is a service-oriented government organization under the Ministry of Home Affairs and mandated to be the first respondent in all types of disasters. Bangladesh Army, Border Guard of Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion, Police and other organizations are also partnering with the Fire Service and Civil Defense to help manage emergency response.
A number of projects have been undertaken by FSCD to strengthen their capacity of civil defense including basic life support during emergencies through systematic training on Medical First Responder (MFR) and Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR) under the Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER) supported by OFDA/USAID.
Nonetheless, there are limitations such as lack of modern equipment, inadequate resource for continued training of staff members, limited number of fire engines and Upazila coverage.
With support from CDMP, FSCD has taken a laudable initiative to form and train urban community volunteers in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet Cities of Bangladesh. 26,000 plus volunteers, out of 62,000 planned, prepared themselves with skill development training on urban search, rescue, fire-fighting, evacuation and first aid in order for effective response to urban disaster emergencies.
17 Chapter 1 Introduction
Bangladesh is vulnerable to a range of natural hazards mainly due to its unique geographical location. Major hazards are cyclones, storm surges, floods, river-bank erosions, droughts, landslides,etc. most of which are hydro-meteorological in nature.
The impacts of hazards are loss of human lives and cattle, damage to crops, properties, physical infrastructure and development services. Although much of the losses and damages like psycho-social sufferings, lost income generation and so forth are not monetised and accounted for in national estimates, the official figures are alarming and have adverse effect on the economy as well as the society.
The impact of cyclones and storm surges have been the most severe in terms of loss of human lives and properties, ecosystem, physical infrastructure, and often with long term negative consequences. The worst cyclone recorded in the history of the world struck the west coast of Bangladesh on 12 November in 1970 and claimed over half a million lives. Over 138,000 people were killed by the cyclone, associated with high tidal surge, on 30 April 1991, in the east coast. Recent cyclones, Sidr (2007) and Aila (2009), caused severe damage to crops and properties as well.
The unprecedented floods of 1988 inundated two-third areas of Bangladesh. Just a decade later (1998) another devastating flood, lasting for almost nine weeks, rendered over 34 million people homeless and caused over1100 deaths.
Besides many other hazards, Bangladesh is also extremely vulnerable to droughts. Between 1949 and 1991 the country was affected 24 times by drought, covering 47% area and 53% of the population (WARPO, 2005).
Being the largest Delta in the world, Bangladesh is a flat country with an average height of not exceeding three meters above the mean sea level. Only the south-eastern parts are a bit hilly, where sometimes landslides are caused due to heavy rainfall. 122 human lives were lost due to landslides in Bandarban, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar districts on 27 June 2012 (DDM website).
The types of major natural hazards that have impacted the country in the past are weather-related and climate-induced. Global warming evidence reviewed by scientists confirms significant consequences to climate variability, climate change, and extreme weather events and phenomena for Bangladesh and countries in South Asia (IPCC, 2007 & 2011). It is projected that Bangladesh will face increased cyclones and storm surges with higher intensity andfrequency in unpredicted periods of the year. There will be more floods, landslides as well as drought conditions in the country due to rainfall patterns becoming uncertain, erratic, and sudden (BCCSAP, 2009).
Bangladesh has put in place a policy and institutional framework, dynamic in nature and performance, to deal with hazards and the consequential humanitarian crises that follows. This is well manifested in having a Ministry entirely dedicated to serve disaster management needs of the country. The most significant aspect of national response to disaster is the effort put to shift the paradigm fromthe tradition of relief and rehabilitation towards a culture of disaster prevention and risk reduction, mainly through Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP), a multi-donor funded programme. The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) of the United Nations International Strategies for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), to which Bangladesh is a signatory, along with the declarations of GPDRRs and AMCDRRs, is acting as international drivers for this positive change.
18 The disaster management systems and processes in the country ensure that identified actors and stakeholders have mandated functions to perform in response to hazard events as well as to reduce risk from disasters. The Standing Order on Disaster, National Plan for Disaster Management andtheDisaster Management Act are the national level instruments to guide and sustain the system. The country has been integrating disaster risks from the major hazards into plans, policies and guidelines across sectors and at different levels of governance. However, the level of preparedness and capacity of majority of the people to reduce their risk and respond to the hazards effectively is still deficient to the magnitude of the challenges that lie ahead.
The consequences of rapid global warming are most likely to influence the severity, intensity, coverage and uncertainty of the four major hazards in Bangladesh – cyclones, floods, droughts and landslides in the coming years and decades. The country’s response to global warming impacts aptly recognizes this and has integrated comprehensive disaster management as a key strategy for national response (BCCSAP, 2009). A list of the Policy and Institutional Frameworks for Disaster Management is attached to this report as Annex 1.
Importance of Early Warning Systems
The impacts of disasters could be reduced significantly by structural and non-structural interventions. The first one requires huge capital investment for the construction of embankments, dikes, raised roads, reinforced cement concrete shelters and houses. Resource constrained countries like Bangladesh should focus more on less expensive non-structural measures, including effective dissemination of early warning to population at risk.
Effective early warning systems (EWS) address the following questions: 1. What is happening with respect to the hazard(s) of concern? 2. Why is it a threat in the first place (what are the underlying causes for potential adverse impacts)? 3. When is it likely to impact (providing as much lead time as possible to at-risk populations)? 4. Which regions are most at risk? 5. Who are the people most at risk (i.e., who need to be warned)?
Also, a EWS must be people-centred and integrate four elements (EWC3,Bonn 2006): 1. Knowledge of risks; 2. Technical monitoring and warning service; 3. Dissemination of warnings to those at risk; and 4. Public awareness and preparedness to act
"Bangladesh commits that an effective system and procedure will be in place to identify, assess and monitor national and cross border risks, leading to an effective community based early warning system”(MoDMR, 2013: HFA Progress Report for Bangladesh 2011-2013).
Against the backdrop mentioned above, the Mapping of Stakeholders and Initiatives in Early Warning System and Civil Defense in Bangladesh, initiated by GIZ-Bangladesh is relevant and timely. The hazards covered under the mapping assignment are cyclones, floods, droughts and landslides.
19 Chapter 2 Methodology
This section describes the approach taken and methods followed to undertake and complete the Assignment. It includes how the tasks were planned and designed, how information was collected and from whom and where, how information was processed for analysis, and finally how the findings were presented in an agreed format for review and feedback from GIZ. The conceptual framework, analytical approaches, different tools and techniques applied, types of sources from where information was collected, processed, analysed and presented are described in this chapter. The mapping of stakeholders and initiatives in early warning relies essentially on qualitative information and accordingly, appropriate means have been applied, as called for. The following steps define and describe how this assignment has been undertaken:
Step 6: Step 6: FINAL OUTPUT (Finalize Report) MONITORING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE Step 5: PREPARE DRAFT REPORT (Present Findings in Draft Report) MANAGEMENT, SUPERVISION,
Step 4: ANALYSE INFORMATION (using the Lens of Effective EWS)
Step 3: PROCESS INFORMATION
Step 2: COLLECT INFORMATION
Step 1: STUDY PLANNING AND DESIGN
MAPPING OF STAKEHOLDERS AND INITIATIVES FOR EARLY WARNING AND CIVIL DEFENSE IN BANGLADESH
Figure: 1 MAPPING OF STAKEHOLDERS AND INITIATIVES FOR EARLY WARNING AND CIVIL DEFENSE IN BANGLADESH
20 Step 1 Study Planning and Design
Team Mobilization and Orientation
disaster risk management and also well known in climate change adaptation concerns. Easy access to key stakeholder actors and organizations is an essential attribute of this team.
Early disaster warning systems in Bangladesh have stakeholders and initiatives at international, regional, national, sub-national, local and community levels. Considering the scope of the assignment, an landslide). The stakeholders were then screened on the basis of their relevance and importance to the contact details of key representatives at different functional levels were obtained. The list of the stakeholders interviewed is attached to the report as Annex 2.
Selection of Field locations for information collection with the key actors at sub-national and local levels to validate and cross-check the claims of national level actors for effective early warning system. They include leaders of District, Upazila and Union Disaster Management Committees and also some communities at risk. The following locations were
Hazard Location Cyclone Kutubdia (Cox’s Bazar) Island Borguna Mainland
Flood Chowhali (Sirajganj) Char3 Area Gaibandha Mainland Drought Rajshahi Perennialdroughtpronearea Landslide Cox’s Bazar Pilotingof EW done
Collection and review of documents
Management Act (2012), Standing Orders on Disaster (2010), National Plan for Disaster Management standards for required information. These were instrumental in designing study tools and techniques.
3 Char is a tract of land surrounded by the waters of an ocean, sea, lake, rivers or stream (Banglapedia)
21 Designing tools and identification techniques to collect information The team identified both primary and secondary sources for information collection. While web-based search and collection of relevant published reports and documents were recommended for secondary sources, Key Informant Interview (KII) was considered to be the most suitable for primary source. Focused Group Discussion (FGD) was selected to gather feedback from at-risk-community. A work plan with time schedule was also prepared to conduct the activities identified.
Step 2- Collect Information Information from secondary sources were collected and compiled for desk research. This included websites of stakeholder organizations and their relevant published documents and reports. The sources of secondary information are listed in Annex 3. The consultant team collected information through conduction of intensive Key Informant Interviews (KII) with over thirty key actors of different stakeholder organizations. They included the Director Generals of DDM, DAE, FSCD, Ansar& VDP, National Project Director of CDMP, Executive Chairman of BMDA; Directors of BMD and CPP, Secretary General of BDRCS, Chief Engineer of BWDB etc. KII with district, upazila and union level functionaries were also carried out during the period. FGDs were organized with communities at risk, ensuring the participation of both men and women.
Step 3- Process Information Information collected from both primary and secondary sources were compiled and processed, edited and updated with more recent information, where necessary, and cross-checked in case of reasonable doubt. The information was then compiled for further analysis and consideration.
Step 4- Analyse Information The compiled information went through a series of analytical assessment where the Lens for Effective Early Warning System (EWC-3) was applied. This ensured the robustness and reliability of the analysis on one hand and utility of the findings on the other. Analysis also took the effects of global warming and resulting climate change events under consideration for which effective early warning systems need to be updated or put in place in Bangladesh. Also the institutional system and priority needs for people at risk were the guiding principles for this analysis.
Step 5- Present Findings in Draft Report A draft outline to present the findings of the assignment was prepared and shared with Dr. Purnima Doris Chattopadhayay-Dutt, Principal Advisor of GIZ and contact person for the assignment in Bangladesh. On the basis of the analysis of collected information, a report was drafted in a simple reader-friendly format. The report included an executive summary, an introduction with rationale for the study, description of the study method, tools and techniques, and the findings and a set of key recommendations. To support the findings in the report, a list of attachments was also annexed. The draft report was shared with GIZ for their comments.
Step 6- Finalize Report addressing feedback Based on the feedback from Dr. Purnima Doris Chattopadhayay-Dutt, Mr. Stephan Huppertz and Ms. Hanna Maier this final report was produced.
22 Chapter 3 Early Warning Systems and Stakeholder Mapping for Cyclone
Bangladesh is a part of the humid tropics with Himalayas in the North and the funnel shaped coast touching the Bay of Bengal in the South. This very geographic location makes the country prone to cyclones. The coastal areas and the offshore islands are low lying and very flat with an average height of less than three meters above mean sea level. These factors, combined with inadequate physical infrastructure and poor socio-economic conditions of the people, are responsible for the heavy loss of lives and properties caused by cyclones.
Records show that as early as in the year 1582, a severe cyclone killed over 200,000 people in this part of the world, the country we know as Bangladesh today. The worst cyclone in the recorded history of the world is the one which struck the western coast of the country on 12 November 1970. It caused unprecedented scale of damage to lives and properties. Over half a million human lives were lost. The main cause for this colossal loss of lives and properties was the failure of the public authorities to disseminate early warning at family and community level. In order to address this problem, Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) was initiated by the International Federation of Red Cross in 1972.
The recent cyclones (Sidr 2007 and Aila 2009) and the emerging weather patterns are clear evidences of increased and intensified cyclones and storm surge patterns due to the impact of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirms the likelihood of more frequent and intense cyclones in South Asia in the coming years (SREX Report 2011). Figure 2: Cyclone Prone Areas of Bangladesh (Banglapedia)
3.1 The Current Dissemination System
At the present, the warnings are generated by the Storm Warning Centre of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) with the support of real time data and information received from the radar and the observatory stations installed in the country, as well as from a number of international and regional institutions (WMO, RMC, IMD, etc.). As soon as a depression is formed in the Bay of Bengal, the cyclone warnings are instantlytransmittedwidely to a large number of recipients, including the President, Prime Minister, all Ministries, Directorates and Departments, Armed Forces, media, humanitarian organizations and also the CPP. The warnings are shared with the recipients through fax, email and by telephone, as appropriate. The cardinal dissemination channel for cyclone early warning from national to local level is administered by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and Department of Disaster
23 Management to the Disaster Management Committees (DMCs) at various tiers e.g. district, upazila and union levels through emails, fax, and telephones. DMIC (Disaster Management Information Centre) established at the Department of Disaster Management, under the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme, disseminates early warning information through dedicated and nation-wide email network to a range of stakeholders including Government, field DMIC nodes, Development Partners and humanitarian actors, NGOs and relevant institutions.
CPP, through its own channel, immediately transmits the warning messages to their coastal nodes, particularly the Upazilalevel offices by SSB Radio and from there to the Unions and villages through cell phones or Very High Frequency VHF radio. The team of 15 volunteers of CPP in every village continues disseminating the warnings to the population at risk , from the time of formation of depression till the cyclones make the landfall, through hoisting of flags, blowing of sirens, announcement through megaphones, interpersonal communications etc.
The state owned Bangladesh Betar (radio) and several television channels broadcast special weather bulletins round the clock mainly when Great Danger signals are announced (signal 8-10).
Through an agreement with the Government of Bangladesh, early warnings are disseminated by all the six cell phone companies through Cell Broadcasting System, Short Message Service and Interactive Voice Response. In addition, Bangladesh NGO Network for Radio and Communication also play a major role in disseminating early warning for cyclones in Coastal Bangladesh4.
MoDMR CPP WMO DMD Cellphone
RMC DDMC
IMD STORM Upazila UzDMC (Radio) SPARSSO WARNING MEDIA CENTRE OF BMD Union UDMC Radar station
Observatory Villageuni station
Satelliteimage Community
Figure 3: The Cyclone Early Warning and Dissemination System
3.2 Stakeholders As evident in the flowchart presented above, a large number of stakeholders (international, regional, national, sub-national and local ones) are engaged in cyclone early warning in Bangladesh with different responsibilities e.g. data collection, information sharing, analysis, forecasting and warning generation at
4 http://www.bnnrc.net/home/community-radios-in-coastal-bangladesh-in-addressing-cyclone-mahasen
24 national level and also dissemination at family and community levels. The knowledge about cyclones as well as understanding of the hazard patterns, characteristics and corresponding risks are important areas for engagement of stakeholders. Hazard and vulnerability assessment, risk analysis and information provide means to plan and mobilize for effective early warning system and better preparedness at each and every level. The next area for engagement is monitoring cyclone events and taking decisions, generation and transmission of early warnings to the responsible stakeholders for dissemination among the population at risk. The third area is spreading of warning across responders and at risk population. Fourth, the capacity of family and community to respond to the warning and take necessary safety measures to reduce losses and damages. The final area for stakeholder engagement is in the governance of the early warning system and service, a determining factor to ensure a people-centered cyclone early warning system is in place.
Brief description of responsibilities and functions of the stakeholders The stakeholders identified have specific roles and responsibilities mandated in their scope of work. In addition, the SOD describes specific responsibilities of a wide range of actors for emergency response which include early warning dissemination. The Government has published the Emergency Preparedness Plan for Cyclone, which describes the various measures to be taken in the event of cyclone emergency. A list of the primary and secondary stakeholders summarizing their engagements in cyclone early warning system as seen through the lens of the four elements of ISDDR’s EWS (2006) is presented in Table 1.
Table 1: Stakeholders and their Engagement in Cyclone Early Warning
Engagement (as per elements of early warning) Stakeholder Coverage Risk Dissemination Knowledge Monitoring and Response and Analysis and Warning Communication Capability WMO International RSMC Regional IMD Regional SPARRSO National BMD National DDM National BDRCS National Broadcast media National Cellphone National CPP Upazila, Union,Village and Family Level DDMC Sub-national UzDMC Sub-national UDMC Sub-national Humanitarianand National Development Partners.* NGOs Local
*UNDP, CDMP, GIZ, IFRCS, SC, NARRI, German Red Cross etc.
25 The present study has identified the following key stakeholders to be of strategic significance in terms of attaining an effective people-centered cyclone early warning system:
Institutions Responsibility Bangladesh Meteorological Department Warning generation and dissemination (BMD) Ministry of Disaster Management and Warning dissemination and response operations. Relief (MoDMR) and Department of Disaster Management (DDM) Broadcast Media (TV and Radio) Broadcasting the weather bulletins, especially the danger signals(current status of the cyclone is received from BMD) Cellphone Companies Early warning messages are delivered to responsible individuals in the coastal areas for dissemination. Community people can also dial 10941 to listen to the recent updates of the Cyclone. NGOs Some of the NGOs have organized groups in disaster-prone areas for warning dissemination, preparedness and response at community level Table 2: Key stakeholders in terms of attaining an effective people-centered cyclone early warning system
A more detailed analysis of the selected stakeholders follows where the Lens of Effective Early Warning has been applied. In this respect, the Checklist for Effective Early Warning System, a key outcome of the UNISDR’s Third Early Warning Conference held in Bonn (2006) has provided strategic guidance to the study analysis. Another important source of guidance was the primary respondents through their feedback, comments, and perspectives. Each organization is considered in relation to their mandated roles and responsibilities in cyclone early warning system and also their present performance. Their constraints toward discharging mandated responsibility as well as weaknesses in the system or administration has also been considered at different levels. Finally, and most important of all, the invaluable feedbacks from families and communities living in selected high cyclone- prone areas provided insights to the strengths and weaknesses in the existing warning system, particularly in relation to receiving people-centered and area specific early warning at appropriate time.
From the above list, a number of key stakeholders are considered in more depth for the present mapping exercise. These are Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), Department of Disaster Management (DDM) of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), and the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP). All three institutions are engaged in vital functions of cyclone early warning, from generation to dissemination and response management. The following describes the background, mandated responsibilities, functions, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, challenges, initiatives and plans, partners and collaboration for each of these stakeholders.
26 3.2.1 Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) is a government institution under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defense with the following two main responsibilities; • Monitor and issue forecasts and warnings of all meteorological extreme events like tropical cyclones, severe thunderstorms/tornadoes, heavy rainfall, droughts, cold and heat waves along with daily routine forecasts round the clock. A sample of cyclone warning bulletins issued by BMD is attached in Annex 4. • Archives all weather and climate data, maintain historical records of all meteorological and seismological extreme events in numeric and graphical forms.
BMD is entrusted to perform the following key functions • Weather Forecast forthepublic • Agro-meteorologicalforecasts • Forecast for the inland river ports • Forecast for ships , fishing boats and trawlers in north Bay of Bengal
Organizational setup and technical facilities
The organizational structure covers a range of facilities including observation stations, laboratories, workshops and divisional offices. The Meteorological Training Institute is responsible for imparting professional training according to WMO standards. Climate Division is responsible for extraction, compilation, quality control, analysis, archive, retrieval and publication of climate data. Agromet Division ensures operational functioning of all agromet stations, provides weekly agromet bulletins for farmers, supervises and conducts research in Agro-meteorology. Workshop and Laboratory are responsible for calibration and repairing of meteorological instruments and also manufacture of some conventional instruments.
The operation of the Storm Warning Center of BMD in warning generation and dissemination as well as preparing weather products as summarized in Annex 5.
The institutional structure for early warning dissemination from BMD is presented in Figure: 4.
27 STORM WARNING CENTRE BMD (www.bmd.gov.bd)
MEDIA COAST DDM MoDMR AFD CPP Fax., GUARD Fax. Fax. Fax. Fax. Internet Fax., Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone Internet
Army PRINT ELECRONIC Coastal Navy MEDIA MEDIA Volunteers Air Force
MARINE & FFWC NEWS BANGLADESH BTV PrivateTV RIVERINE Fax. AGENCIES BETAR & Fax. Telephone PAPERS (Radio) Radio Telephone
GENERAL COASTAL MASS PEOPLE
Figure 4: The institutional structure for early warning dissemination from BMD
28 Table 3:The following table will present the strength, gaps of BMD and also its plans, donors and areas of collaboration.
Strengths • Sufficient capability to discharge its mandated functions and responsibilities • Provides cyclone forecasting and warning services through generation and communication of warnings • Qualified professionals in relevant areas of expertise, trained as per global standards. • Clear and consistent lines of delegation and control to the functions and responsibilities • Well maintained technical facilities in operation
Gaps • No satellite of its own. • Need for additional number of observation stations to cover the country’s prediction and warning needs • Need of upgraded skills and technical capacity • Need to acquire and apply Numerical Weather Prediction • Requires upgrading of PC cluster. Initiatives 1. Weather/ extreme weather events forecasting: and plans • Daily provision of simulated weather forecasting • Monitoring of cyclone and other extreme events and provision of simulation products 2. NumericalWeatherPrediction: • Usage of customized Weather Research Forecasting model • Increasing lead time weather forecasts from 24 to 72 hours. • Enhancingproductdissemination 3. Storm Surge Modeling: • Generating high-resolution storm surge and wave forecasts CDMP under its Phase II is funding to address development activities in the following areas: • Models for time and location specific early warning • User-friendly EW mechanisms and facilities • Data managementsystemandcapacities • Professional training Donors and BMD is funded under the government’s national revenue budget for all of its recurring Partners expenditure. Major technical development support has been from JICA (technical) and WMO and also under CDMP II (with a funding support from UNDP, DFID, EU, AusAid, Norway and SIDA.) Collaboration The most important and steady collaboration at international level is with WMO, which sends data and technical information daily at three hours interval. BMD has functional collaboration with the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) of – WMO, located in IMO in New Delhi. At national level, BMD has a functional relationship with SPARRSO, BWDB (FFWC) and DAE for information sharing and generation of forecasts. For warning dissemination and communication, BMD has links with relevant stakeholders and actors, e.g. MoDMR, DDM, CPP, Media (Radio and TV) etc.
29 3.2.2 Department of Disaster Management (DDM) The Department of Disaster Management under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) was set up in September 2012 following the enactment of the Disaster Management Act 2012, merging the erstwhile Directorate of Relief and Rehabilitation and the Disaster Management Bureau.
DDM is mandated with the following key responsibilities: • Reduce the overall vulnerability of the people at risk from different impacts of disasters by undertaking various risk reduction activities • Strengthen and coordinate programs undertaken by various government and non-government organizations related to disaster risk management, including post-disaster relief and rehabilitation operations As per the terms of SOD, DDM has the following responsibilities during emergency response which pertains to early warning dissemination:
In Normal Times • Facilitate promotion of cyclone warning signals at the community level through posters, cultural functions, documentary films, etc. • Organize meetings / seminars / workshops at national, district, upazila and union levels to increase awareness about disaster preparedness through concerned DMCs and other organizations • Ensure awareness-raising campaigns on weather signals • Coordinate the activities of NGOs related to disaster management • Collect and preserve the lists with location, condition and ownership of cyclone shelters, embankments etc. • Establish an EOC and strengthen DMIC with improved communication facilities at national level and to disseminate information on disaster warning and management issues to government and private agencies
During Alert andWarning stage • Ensure dissemination of warning signals among all the key stakeholders including concern officials, agencies, and also the committees at risk. • Activate EOC and keep constant touch with other agencies for making their Action Plan effective and also to activate the Control Rooms in the field locations • Assist the DMRD for undertaking emergency programs by different agencies • Instruct local authorities for assessment of loss and damage and requirement of relief support
Early Warning Actions by the field officials Early warning dissemination and coordination at the field level and corresponding response capacity needs are addressed through District, Upazila and Union level Disaster Management Committees, which are also mandated with specific roles and responsibilities by SOD. The District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) and the Project Implementation Officer (PIO), secretaries of the DMCs at District and Upazila respectively, are instructed to “Ensure speedy and effective publicity of forecasts and warnings relating to disasters among all officials of the district, relevant individuals/organizations and take measures to send the messages to the concerned individuals at the Union, Pourashava and Upazila levels” (SOD 2010)
30 Actions for early warning dissemination by Disaster Management Committees during warning phase are as follows: • Disseminate warnings to all the people at threat, evacuate the vulnerable people as per evacuation plan, check the overall preparation for search and rescue operation and prepare the search and rescue teams • Engage trained institutions, volunteers and people in the field for effective and speedy dissemination of early warnings/forecasts and also coordinate and monitor the whole warning dissemination system • Visit the pre-selected emergency shelters/safe centers and ensure that different organizations and individuals are alert and ready to provide essential services and security at the shelter
Table 4: The salient aspects of DDM in terms of strength, gaps and partnership are explained below:
Strengths • Has robust disaster risk reduction, preparedness and response mechanisms, further strengthened by the enactment of the Disaster Management Act in 2012 • Strong Government capacity for immediate response through existing systems at national, district, upazila and union levels • Annual allocation of resources by the Government through MoDMR (both cash and in kind) as part of its disaster preparedness and response efforts • Added advantage of DDM’s position as Co-chair of Humanitarian Country Task Team (HCTT) and important member of the Local Consultative Group – Disaster Emerging Response (LCG-DER) • Committees at different levels (DDMC, UzDMC, UDMC, etc.) are mandated to coordinate emergency response activities, including the early warning dissemination
Gaps • The level of engagement and quality of service experienced in some districts, upazilas and unions provide much room for improvement • More focus on post-disaster relief activities than pre-disaster risk reduction and early warning dissemination by the DMCs • Fisher folk at deep sea often do not receive warning as they have no receiver (e.g. radio) • Many cyclone shelters are observed as unusable due to lack of maintenance and supervision. • Mock drills in communities are not conducted as per the guidance Activities and • DDM has taken a number of initiatives to address the needs to establish an effective plans early warning system for cyclones. Among them, the Emergency Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project (ECRRP) is foremost. It has its ongoing planned activities for strengthening capacities of the field level DMCs through harmonized training module, GO-NGO coordination etc.
Donors and • UNOCHA, UNISDR, World Bank, UNDP, BDRCS, NGOs, etc. Partners • A consortium of donors (UK Aid, EU, Norway, Aus Aid, Sweden) supporting the CDMP of the Government, a part of which will contribute to strengthening the capacity of DDM to perform and discharge its mandated responsibilities.
31 3.2.3 Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) After the devastating cyclone of 1970, the United Nations General Assembly mandated the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies ( then called the League of Red Cross Societies) to take the lead role in establishing and improving the cyclone early warning dissemination system in Bangladesh. IFRCS developed the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) in 204 Unions of 24 high cyclone-risk sub-districts. A total of 20,400 volunteers were recruited and trained taking 10 from each and every village of the programme area. During the last four decades, the Programme has expanded significantly both in its geographical coverage and volunteer strengths. A brief current statistics of CPP is presented below: Coverage Data District 13 Upazila 37 Union 322 Village 3,291 Population covered 20m Volunteersengaged 49,365
The primary responsibility of the team of 15 volunteers in each and every village of the coastal belts and offshore islands of Bangladesh are the followings: 1. Dissemination ofearlywarnings 2. Evacuationtoshelter 3. Conductionofsearchandrescue 4. Provision offirst aid 5. Support for post-disaster relief and rehabilitation operations The organizational structure of CPP, from Headquarters down to village volunteer level, is presented in Annex 6.
Dr. Purnima Doris Chattopadhayay-Dutt, Principal Advisor GIZ- CLAP CPP-volunteers and implementing partners distributing Equipment to CPP-volunteers. Mandated Responsibility The CPP is mandated to perform responsibilities described in the Standing Orders on Disasters (SOD). Its function is further described in the Emergency Cyclone Preparedness Plan (2013) of the Government. The responsibilities for the CPP Headquarters and the field level offices are separately described in the SOD signifying the importance of their function in cyclone early warning dissemination and family level preparedness.
32 Responsibilities for CPP Headquarters, Field Level Officers and Volunteers Normal Times • Ensure issue of warning signal kits to the leaders and volunteers and use by them • Organize simulation drills before the cyclone season starts (in April and September) and monitor the status of preparedness • Ensure wireless communication between CPP Headquarters and Upazila Offices and between Upazila and Union Offices • Conduct public awareness programs about cyclone signals with the help of DDM and popularize preparedness plans, through discussion meetings, posters, pamphlets, films and drama etc. • Advise local level DMCs for selection of shelters, and high-rise safe places and inform people about evacuation plans • Examine the wireless system and keep it running in order to maintain communication between CPP Headquarters, Upazila and Union level offices
Alert Stage • Establish Control Room at CPP Headquarters and in regional offices and assist District, Upazila and Union authorities in the establishment of Control Rooms • Instantly disseminate weather bulletins, mobilize the volunteers for reaching out to the field offices and ultimately to the communities to undertake actions as per CPP guidelines • Alert the Chairmen of District, Upazila and Union DMCs, members, religious leaders, local elites, teachers and persons connected with different organizations
Warning Stage • Send the special weather bulletins through wireless to Regional, Upazila and Union Offices • Instruct CPP Officer for advising Chairmen of the Upazila and Union DMCs to call meeting • Disseminate early warning to all the people at risk by using megaphone, hoisting of flags, blowing of sirens and flash lights and interpersonal contacts. • Ensure that the people are properly warned through the volunteers • Depute CPP volunteers for shifting the livestock, poultry and other domestic animals to raised land and killas5.
Disaster Stage • Ensure rescue operations by the volunteers in times of need • Instruct the officers to maintain constant wireless communication and touch with HQ and to transmit loss and damage report as soon as it is received • Providefirstaid
Relief and Rehabilitation Stage • Instruct officers and volunteers to send a preliminary report of loss and damage to support the post-disaster relief and rehabilitation initiatives taken by Government and Non- Government Organizations • Collect data on loss and damage due to cyclone, prepare report and send it to CPP Headquarters, Union, Upazila and District DMCs • Assist local administration in the burial of dead bodies and animal carcasses.
5 Bengali word: high raised land or forts.
33 The above responsibilities mandated on CPP reveal the degree of its importance to the cyclone early warning system for reducing loss of lives and damages to property in Bangladesh.
Dissemination of Cyclone Early Warning by CPP Cyclone warnings are generated by BMD and transmitted to the CPP Headquarters by fax, email and telephones. The HQ passes it on to all the offices located at Upazila level through single side band radio. In turn, the warnings are conveyed to the village teams via Union leader through VHF radio or cellphones. In addition, the village volunteers listen to the special weather bulletins continuously broadcast by national radio and television channels. Finally, the volunteers disseminate the warning to all the population at risk in their command areas by blowing of sirens, hoisting of flags and announcement by megaphones etc. The dissemination system for cyclone early warning from national to family level along with the communication technology used at each level is explained in a diagram in the Annex 7.
Table 5: The following table presents the strengths and gaps of CPP and also its activities plans and donors.
Strengths • The dedicated services provided by the volunteers of CPP have contributed to significant reduction of loss of lives and properties in cyclonic disasters. CPPis widely acclaimed globally and is being replicated in several countries. • The inner strength of the Programme is the deep rooted commitment of the volunteers to serve the vulnerable communities. • CPP has the guarantee of sustained financial support from Government of Bangladesh to cover their recurring expenses e.g. staff salary, operating costs, etc. • Continued support from international community, particularly from IFRCS, for its expansion and development is also the strength of the Programme. Gaps • The public administrative approach to discharge the services vis a vis the committed voluntary approach has made the way for an environment where the motivation of volunteers is affected significantly for which only the CPP remains to suffer. • Vacancies in important key positions (officers) at field level • Need for regular training of volunteers and leaders. • Lack ofmodernizedequipment • Some areas prone to cyclone need to be brought under the coverage of CPP • The spirit of volunteerism is undermined due to conflicting approaches taken by NGOs engaged in emergency response at field level • The problem is rooted in the present governance and management structure and practices of the programme. In addition to the points mentioned above, today the major external threat to the volunteerism in CPP and also for the country is the infiltration of NGOs operating with foreign funds in all the villages of Bangladesh and their engagement of able, committed and dedicated local Activities and • CDMP is providing support to five upazilas for volunteers training, establishment of plans new communication network, and supply of warning equipment and volunteer gears. • American Red Cross is providing support to rest of the 32 upazilas in the field Donors and CDMP, IFRCS, Save the Children, World Bank, UNICEF,GIZ, etc. Partners
34 Chapter 4 Early Warning Systems and Stakeholder Mapping for Flood
Bangladesh is criss-crossed by 405 rivers and rivulets (FFWC), out of which 57 are trans-boundary ones. Regular monsoon floods are blessings for Bangladesh as the torrent brings in billions of tons of silts from the Himalayas and fertilizes the crop field. Floods on the other hand become a curse when it exceeds the limit. The floods of 1988, 1998 and 2004 were catastrophic, resulting in large-scale destruction of crops, properties, communication infrastructure and loss of lives. Approximately 37%, 43%, 52% and 68% of the country was inundated with floods of return periods of 10, 20, 50 and 100 years respectively (MPO, 1986). Fourtypesoffloodingoccur in Bangladesh. • Monsoon floods caused by major rivers usually in the monsoon season (during 88° 89° 90° 91° 92° FLOOD PRONE AREAS June-September); BANGLADESH 26° 26° • Rain floods caused by heavy rains and drainage congestion;
• Flash floods caused by overflowing of hilly 25° rivers of eastern and northern Bangladesh 25° (in April-May and September-November); • Coastal floods caused by storm surges. 24° 24° The present study concentrates on stakeholders and initiatives in early warning dissemination for monsoon floods. 23° 23°
Losses and damages from catastrophic floods are phenomenal – at family level as well as to the Bay of Bengal 22° economy. The 1988 flood affected about two-third 22° LEGEND area of the country. The 1998 flood alone caused Severe River Flooding District Boundaries Moderate River Flooding Urban Low River Flooding Sundarban and Reserved Forest 1,100 deaths, rendered 30 million people homeless, Severe Flash Flooding Rivers and Bay of Bengal Moderate Flash Flooding Kaptai Lake and Waterbodies Low Flash Flooding damaged 500,000 homes and caused heavy loss of Severe Tidal Surge 21° 21° Moderate Tidal Surge Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council BARC/UNDP/FAO GIS Project: BGD/95/006 Not Flood Prone crops and infrastructures. In 2004, floods inundated JULY 2000 89° 90° 91° 92° about 38% of the country (WARPO, 2005) and caused economic loss of about US$ 2.2 Billion. The most Figure 5: Areas prone to different types of floods (FAO) 1. recent devastating monsoon floods were in 2007.
Global warming is changing our climate. Analysis of evidences, observations as well as projections confirms the likelihood of the following in Bangladesh: • Heavier and erratic rainfall in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) system, including Bangladesh, during monsoon resulting in higher river flows, causing overtopping and breaching of embankments and widespread flooding in rural and urban areas • Melting of the Himalayan glaciers, leading to higher river flows in the warmer months of the year
35 4.1 The Current Dissemination System Flood management includes both flood forecasting and early warning. Flood forecasting is the prediction of water levels, areas and depths of flooding in rivers and flood plains. Flood warning is the preparation of forecasts in a meaningful format which can be numerical or visual. In order to be effective, the warning has to be disseminated to concerned organizations, and most important of all, to vulnerable communities and families. The country’s flood early warning system is linked to the National Plan for Disaster Management, the Standing Orders on Disasters (2010) and Disaster Management Act, 2012. Recognizing the IPCC findings on climate change with regard to more flood risks for South Asia, the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2009 considers flood early warning as one of the priorities the country should address on urgent basis. In Bangladesh, developing an effective response to flood is complex, not only because of the multitude of such hazards, but also because of the country’s geography. Major parts of Bangladesh occupy the deltaic plain of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system. Flood mitigation options planned and implemented in the past have been controversial, where mainly structural measures, such as embankments, were used. Since it is neither possible nor desirable to control floods completely, a new approach to flood management focusing on early warning dissemination has been recognized as the most effective measure to reduce flood damage. . The concept of ‘living with flood’ has been adopted in Bangladesh with more focus on early warning and community preparedness to deal with the challenge.
Flood Forecasting Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) of the Bangladesh Water Development Board everyday collects information on river water level and rainfall from its 85 and 56 field stations respectively, studies the satellite pictures and simulates the water level conditions by use of a numerical model of the Bangladeshi river network. During most of the monsoon season, the model simulates the water level conditions for the previous seven days (hind-cast simulations) and for the coming three days (forecast simulation). More precisely the forecasting starts during early monsoon when one of the measuring stations shows a water level 60 cm below danger level. For obvious reasons, no measurements exist in the forecasted period and simple relations estimate boundary conditions for the numerical model during this period. The uncertainties of the estimated boundary conditions propagate into the model domain. Results from the model simulations are used to provide flood forecasting and warning.
Warning and Dissemination FFWC disseminates flood warnings throughout the monsoon season. The warning is related tothe measured and forecasted water levels and the danger levels: a) Normal flood: water level is more than 100 cm below danger level b) Moderate flood: water level is between 100 cm below danger level and 100 cm above danger level c) Severe flood: water level is 100 cm above danger level. Warnings are disseminated to a host of Government Ministries, Departments, Public and Private Institutions, NGOs, media, etc. through a daily flood bulletin via e-mail, FFWC’s home page etc. The flood forecasting and warning service is comprised of a management system for display and dissemination of flood information and flood warnings, use of Bangladesh radio and television to broadcast flood warning messages and a series of phased warning messages. These introduce early notification to other agencies and additional phases of warning messages as the severity and impact of flooding increases. Example of a flood early warning bulletin is provided in Annex 8.
36 4.2 Stakeholders The mandated responsibility for flood forecasting and early warning is the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), under the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR). Bangladesh Meteorological Department also has an important role to play in providing weather information, particularly rainfall data and prediction to FFWC. The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) is the key national stakeholder and responsible to mobilize the Disaster Management Committees as well as its offices at District, Upazila and Union levels is responsible for emergency response including warning dissemination to people at risk.At village level, the concerned Union Parishad Member is responsible for warning dissemination. Media broadcasts through TV, radio and newspapers aware the general public. The Stakeholders addressing the four elements for flood forecasting and early warning system in Bangladesh are identified in Table 6:
Table 6: Stakeholders and their Engagement in Flood Early Warning
Engagement (as per elements of early warning) Stakeholder Coverage Risk Dissemination Knowledge Monitoring and Response and Analysis and Warning Communication Capability WMO International IMD Regional RIMES Regional SPARRSO National 40 BMD National FFWC National DDM National FPP Broadcast media National Cellphone National DDMC Sub-national UzDMC Sub-national UDMC Sub-national CEGIS, IWM, BDPC, National CDMP, NARRI, NGOs National
From the stakeholders identified above, description of selected key stakeholders ie FFWC, DDM, DMC at different levels, which are engaged in community early warning dissemination, is presented below.
4.2.1 Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) In Bangladesh, flood forecasting and generation of flood early warning is the responsibility of Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). The Standing Orders on Disasters (SOD) describes the following as mandated responsibilities of FFWC:
Risk Reduction • Conduct flood risk assessment and develop a long term risk reduction action plan for flood and other water-related disasters
37 • Continue research in extending the lead time for flood and flash flood forecasting and maintain linkages with regional flood forecasting sources • Identify the flood-prone areas in Bangladesh
Alert and Warning Stage • Take steps to alert all stakeholders through telephone, cell phone, email, telex and wireless according to needs regarding flood and flash floods • Inform DDM and BMD about the long, mid and short term flood foresting information for ensuring better preparedness. FFWC delivers the following products on a regular basis: Rainfall Distribution Map; Daily Bulletin and River Summary; Forecast Bulletin & Hydrograph; Warning Message; River Situation Map; Thana Status Map; Countrywide Coarse Flood Inundation Map; and Dhaka City Flood Inundation Map.
Recent progress and achievements made in flood forecasting and early warning services are: • Since June 2010, during the monsoon season, FFWC is receiving water level information on a daily basis from India for seven locations in the upstream of the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra, Teesta and Borak. This information flow is helping in providing more accurate forecasts and warnings • Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application technology to disseminate flood bulletin on a daily basis in Bangla through Cellphones have been introduced since June 2011. Now, by dialing the number 10941 from a cellphone, one can find out daily flood situation and early warnings • Since June 2013, five day forecasts for floods have been introduced replacing the earlier three day forecast and early warning A dynamic website has also been introduced (www.ffwc.gov.bd) in June 2013. The website provides easy access to products including flood forecast and warning messages in Bangla along with English.
DATA COLLECTION PREPARATION OUTPUT DISSEMINATION (MANUAL SYSTEM)
FIELD FFWC FEED INTO FLOOD DISSEMINATION OBSERVATION OFFICE COMPUTER BULLETIN THROUGH WATER LEVEL PREPARATION HARD COPY, Email RAINFALL OTHER FAX, PHONE, ERROR SOURCES WEBSITE, SMS WATER CHECK BMD RAINFALL CELL, BROADCAST, LEVEL FROM IVS SATELUITE SURFACE 73 STATIONS IMAGE MODEL MAP DISTRIBUTED TO 73 x 5 = 365 Website RUN Indian data POLICY MAKERS DISASTER ANAGERS RAINFALL (GO/NGO) FROM 56 ANALYSIS & RESULT FLOOD INUNDATION MEDIA STATIONS QUALITY CONSISTENCY OTHERS DAILY BASIS CHECK CHECK MAP
06:00 to 09:00hrs 06:00 to 09:00hrs 10:30 to 11:00hrs 11:00 to 12:00hrs 11:30 hrs onward.
Figure 6: Flood Forecasting and Warning Activities of FFWC
38 Table 7: The salient aspects of FFWC in terms of strength, gaps and partnership are explained below:
Strengths • Committed and trained professionals, state of art technology, equipment and tools, providing forecasts with very high accuracy levels comparable to international standards. Gaps • Insufficient forecast lead time • Limited data from upstream station outside Bangladesh • Warnings are not relevant to the local context hence not understood by the community people at risk • Local government is not trained to and do not frequently use the website of FFWC • Non-availability of updated DEM; • Non-availabilityof Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF); • Forecasts available only for major rivers; • No functional system for dissemination upto village and family level; • Feedback from users and community on flood warning effectiveness not available. • Lack of personnel to collect data from 22 stations. • Coastal districts are not currently covered by any stations.
Plans • Application of Information Technology and Satellite Based Technology (SBT) in flood forecasting system • Extension of the lead time of flood forecast • Expansion of the flood forecast mechanism to the coastal zone as well • Facilitation of automatic data collection and transmission • Ensuring collaboration among the basin countries (Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh) for data sharing Initiatives • A project titled “Strengthened Flood Forecasting and Early Warning Capacity” under implementation by FFWC supported by CDMP-II. • Technical assistance with JAXA and IWM as partners titled as “Applying Remote Sensing Technology in River Basin Management (BWDB Part)”. • “The Regional Integrated Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES)”has supported Bangladesh in developing long-lead flood forecasting with improved lead times.
Collaboration It receives river water level for selected locations from upstream India. FFWC collaborates on a regular basis with BMD for information sharing. The Centre collaborates with the DDM to disseminate flood forecast and early warning across the country; and technical support from a number of national and international organizations, including IWM, CEGIS, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
39 4.2.2 Department of Disaster Management (DDM) Department of Disaster Management (DDM) under the Ministry of Disaster Management W-Water level (wec`mxgvi) and Relief has been described in details under A-Above (Dci) paragraph 3.2.2 and Table 4 i.e. cyclone early GrameenPhone/ DL-Danger Level (wec`mxgvi) warning system. TeleTalk CM- Centimeter (†mtwgt) DDM provides early warning to key actors at WADL042CM,+032CM,24H + Increasing (evovi m¤¢vebv) - Decreasing national and District, Upazila and Union levels WADL042CM,-032CM,24H (Kgvi m¤¢vebv) 24 H-Next 24 Hours through DMIC and directly by fax, e-mail, Cell (cieZx© 24 NÈvq) Broadcasting, IVR, SMS etc. ** hgybv b`xi cvwb wmivRMÄ Cell Broadcasting serves as an extremely c‡q‡›U wec`mxgvi 42 †mtwgt Dci useful addition to the conventional public w`‡q cÖevwnZ n‡”Q| warning methods, especially in Bangladesh ** AvMvgx 24 NÈvq hgybv b`xi where there is continuing significant coverage cvwb wmivRMÄ c‡q‡›U 32†mtwg of the mobile phone technology and service. e„w× A_ev Kgvi m¤¢vebv Av‡Q| IVR (Interactive Voice Response) is another technology using the mobile telephones for Figure 7: IVR promoting awareness on disaster related information. General public can access the pre-recorded weather advisory and disaster early warning by dialing a specific code (10941) from their mobile set on 24/7 basis. SMS (Short Message Service): Coordination within government, including communication to first responders responsible for early warning dissemination, evacuation and communication to mass media who serve a critical function in public warning, can be achieved through the use of an SMS (Short Message Service). DDM focuses on networking and collaborating with the various Ministries, Departments and Scientific, Technical, Research and Academic institutions, Development Partners, UN Agencies and non-government Organizations working on various aspects of disaster risk reduction and response management.
4.2.3 Flood Preparedness Programme (FPP) As mentioned earlier, while the FFWC is quite efficient in forecasting floods, its warnings are not disseminated to the population at risk. To address this problem, a praiseworthy initiative has been undertaken to establish the Flood Preparedness Programme, in line with the time-tested and widely acclaimed CPP. This initiative will dedicate 10 volunteers in each and every village in flood prone areas. CDMP–II is providing financial support, while Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defense Party under the Minsitry of Home Affairs are implementing the Programme with technical and professional support from BDPC. A MoU has been signed between the collaborating parties (attached in Annex 9). Commencing from January 2014, the key objective of FPP is to disseminate flood early warning and better prepare vulnerable communities by utilizing the mandate and unique structural capacity of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP operating at grassroots level. Flood Preparedness Programme (FPP) has started in the flood-prone districts of Gaibandha and Sirajganj. Approximately 2.8 million people in 9 Upazilas and 94 Unions are covered under the Programme. A team of 10 volunteers (5 male and 5 female) in each of the 1563 villages has been identified. Their basic responsibility is to disseminate the early warning against approaching floods and promote family and community level preparedness.
40 During Year 1 (2014), the foundation of the Programme is being laid. Senior Officials of Ansar& VDP have been given basic orientation about disaster management in general and flood preparedness in particular. Training modules and materials have been developed; basic trainings to all the Upazila and Union Leaders of Ansar& VDP and ToT to 100 master trainers have been given. Training of over 15000 volunteers at the village level and special training for Upazila, Union leaders, and Union Information Service Centers for contextualization of the warnings to the local level has also taken place. Year 2 (2015), will be devoted for institutionalization of the Programme and conduction of massive public awareness building activities. This will include linkage of the Programme with the Disaster Management Committees (DMCs) at District, Upazila and Union levels and other stakeholders such as NGOs. .Programme will need to continue beyond the pilot phase and expand gradually to cover all flood-prone areas in the country. At the same time, advocacy and lobbying should be initiated and continued so that the Programme is eventually integrated within national budgetary processes. Volunteers receiving training from FPP
The key stakeholder in flood warning dissemination at village and family level will therefore be Ansar and VDP, detail of the agency is summarized below. Directorate of Ansar& VDP ‘AnsarBahini’ was started as early as 1948. In 1995, necessary statutes were passed in the Parliament to accord legal coverage to the three major components of the Ansar and VDP. These are: AnsarBahini Act (1995); Battalion Ansar Act (1995); Village Defense Party Act (1995).The primary duties of the AnsarBahini are to assist the government or any concerned authority to maintain public order and social security, to take part in any programme for socio-economic development of the country and to assist other forces by order of the government. The duties of Ansar Battalions are to participate in disaster management activities and to assist other forces by the order of the government in addition to the duties entrusted under the relevant acts of the AnsarBahini. The duties of VDPs are: to assist all sorts of welfare activities in order to develop the socio-economic condition of the country; to participate in all types of activities in order to maintain law and order and social security; and to perform any other duties assigned from time to time by the government. Village Defense Party (VDP) In 1976, it was a unique decision of the government to raise a huge voluntary force titled as Village Defense Party (VDP) to reconstruct law and order backbone in the rural areas. The significant aspect of this force is the equal participation of men and women to rebuild social order and to develop socio-economic condition. The root level organization includes one male and one female platoon (32 members in each) in every village of Bangladesh. At union level command channel, there is one male and one female Union Leader. Total strength of VDP is about 5.6 million with equal ratio of male and female. The urban version of VDP is called the Town Defense Party or TDP. There are one male and one female
41 TDP platoon in each ‘ward’ of every Pouroshava/Metropolitan City. The VDP and TDP members are employed in socio-economic development and income generating activities and in various awareness programmes.
Mandated responsibility The duties of VDPs are to assist all sorts of welfare activities in order to develop the socio-economic condition of the country, to participate in all types of activities in order to maintain law and order and social security and to perform any other duties assigned from time to time by the government.
Operation in Warning Dissemination The Standing Orders on Disasters (SOD) describes, ‘because of their existence all over the country, Ansar and Village Defense Party (VDP) can play an important role in Disaster Preparedness and post disaster periods. Their disaster-related activities include publicity of warning signals, rescue, evacuation, security, law and order situation and rehabilitation operations’.
Challenges and Opportunities to Effective EWS for Floods The following areas are identified as challenges for effective flood EWS in Bangladesh. Non-availability of accurate data for Digital Elevation Model (DEM) hinders production of precise inundation information for flood and storm surges which can be disseminated to communities to enable better preparedness. Flood related risk scenario needs to be developed with scientific data and use of appropriate technology. Vulnerable communities’ livelihood risks must be assessed along with development of mitigation plans. Bangladesh Government faces numerous challenges to provide effective early warning to floods that devastate life and livelihood of the poor. A key reason is the absence of a regional cooperation framework on rainfall and water flow data sharing among three neighboring countries (Nepal, India and Bangladesh) of SAARC in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin. Bangladesh’s flood warning information will not be at the level desired without establishment of a regional data sharing and cooperation framework. Moreover, the forecasting’s not relevant to the local context and difficult for the community people to understand. No matter how huge investments are made, if the warnings are not understood by the rural people, it will have no impact. The forecast lead time should also be extended for better flood preparedness. There are both technical and administrative constraints of FFWC limiting the extent to which these concerns can be addressed. For example further localisation of the warnings issued by FFWC will require a more accurate digital elevation model (DEM) than the one in use. Similarly, the increase in model lead time can only be realised if the data exchange with India is improved or meteorological model forecast data become available. A critical challenge is to spread early warning messages to the people at risk in remote areas. Programs such as FPP further needs to be extended in all remote flood prone areas for disseminating flood warning to the people. Media workers also need to be trained properly on early warning messages and system so that they can transmit the warnings to the public on time. While the country has developed sound policies and frameworks for disaster management, it still lacks ample capacity to implement all aspects of those instruments. Especially at local levels from Upazila to Union and below, the compliance with instructions and responsibilities following the SOD, or the contingency plans are inadequate. The main reasons are lack of capacity, in terms of not having sufficient trained staff, financial and technical resources. In some cases, the lack of responsiveness of the actors works as a major barrier for effective early warning dissemination.
42 Chapter 5 Early Warning System and Stakeholder Mapping for Drought
Drought is an abnormal condition where there is an absence of sufficient water to meet the normal needs of agriculture, livestock, industry, or for human use. While generally associated with semi-arid or desert climates, droughts can also occur in areas that normally enjoy adequate rainfall, and moisture levels (ADB, 1991). It is the result of insufficient or no rainfall for an extended period, and causes a considerable hydrological (water) imbalance. The ensuing water shortage leads to stream flow reduction, depletion of ground water and soil moisture, and hence, crop damage. In drought conditions, evaporation and transpiration exceed normal levels.
If it continues for a prolonged period, a serious 88° 89° 90° 91° 92° threat is posed to agricultural production, PRE-KHARIF DROUGHT PRONE AREAS specifically on rice. Based on drought severity, crop BANGLADESH loss ranges between 20->60% for T. Aman 26° 26° (transplanted aman- local variety) and other rice varieties (Iqbal, 2000). 25°
Droughts caused by varying rainfall patterns 25° occurring in some parts of Bangladesh, causing substantial damage and loss to agriculture and allied
sectors. Drought impact, associated with late or 24° 24° early monsoon rains or even complete absence of monsoon, spreads over a large geographical area – much larger than areas affected by other natural 23° hazards. Bangladesh experienced major droughts in 23° 1973, 1978-79, 1981-82, 1989, 1992 and 1994-95.
Drought can affect the rice crop in three different 22° 22° seasons, which accounts for more than 80 percent of BAY OF BENGAL the total cultivated area in the country. Droughts in LEGEND Very Severe Kaptai Lake and Waterbodies March and April prevent timely land preparation and Severe Sundarban and Reserved Forest
Moderate Rivers and Bay of Bengal 21° ploughing, delaying planting of crops during 21° Slight Urban No Drought monsoon season. Inadequate rains in July and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council BARC/UNDP/FAO GIS Project: BGD/95/006 November 2000 August delay transplantation of Aman in highland 89° 90° 91° 92° areas, while droughts in September and October Figure 8: Pre-Kharif Drought Prone Areas reduce yields of both broadcast and transplanted (Bangladesh Agriculture and Research Council) Aman and delay sowing of pulses and potatoes. Boro, wheat and other crops grown in the dry season (summer) are also periodically affected.
Drought affects not only the seasonal crops but also the fruit-bearing trees, forestry and the environment as a whole. Moreover, the crop environment during the monsoon (Kharif-II) season is not favourable for achieving full potential yields because of uneven distribution of rainfall, flooding etc.
Bangladesh faces unpredictable drought hazard in the dry monsoon due to inadequate and uneven rainfall, especially in the north-western region. The food grain production loss in the 1978-79 droughts was probably 50 to 100 percent more than that was lost in the severe floods of 1974, showing that drought can be as devastating as a major flood or cyclone (Paul, 1998). Livestock also suffered a lot, with many farmers having to sell their cattle at very low prices because they lacked fodder or needed cash to
43 buy food. The prices of such necessities increased due to a shortage of supply, leading to an increased in price. The widespread human suffering resulting from reduced crops, incomes, and increased food prices was substantial. The droughts of 1994-95 in the northwestern districts of Bangladesh led to a 3.5 million tonnes shortfall of rice and wheat production. According to IPCC (2007), it is likely to have erratic rainfall pattern in the coming decades, resulting in drought conditions in some parts of the country. The challenge to cereal crop production is considered to be high, questioning food security for the nation’s population. BCCSAP (2009) has not considered drought warning system as a concern for investment, although cyclone and flood early warning systems have been identified as priorities.
5.1 The Current Dissemination System Drought early warning is critical to farmers because it enables them to reduce agricultural production loss and damage, as well as for the sector as a whole with regard to food security. Mandated organization for warning generation and dissemination are BMD, FFWC, Department of Agricultural Extension and Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA). However, BMD is currently providing only flood forecasting warnings and rainfall distribution for 24-72 hour period. It provides general drought index which is not of significance as they are not crop specific. DAE currently collects 7-days rainfall forecasts from BMD and through their control room, the information are communicated to the Upazila Agriculture Officer (UAO) via the Additional Director of Regional offices. The Upazila offices are supposed to send the information to the farmers through their extension agents (Block Supervisor). The drought forecasts disseminated however are not always received by the farmers, nor are farmer-friendly. Advisories given to farmers’ by DAE and NARS to avert the risk are shown below:
Crop Type of risk Advisories to avert the risk Aus rice (local variety of rice) Dry spell in March/April Timely/delayedsowing T. Amanrice Dry spell in July/August Delayed transplanting application of supplementary irrigation Boro (winter) rice Inadequate soil moisture at Early/delayed transplanting, transplanting coinciding rainfall Wheat Inadequate soil moisture at Sowing under minimum tillage to sowing exploit residual soil moisture Rabi crops (agricultural crops Inadequate soil moisture at Timely sowing under minimum tillage sown in winter and sowing to exploit residual soil moisture harvested in spring)
Dissemination of weather forecast, preparation of agro-advisories and their transmission to farmers may take place in the way presented in the figure below:
BMD Agro-met Division Prepares Prepare farmer’s advisories by Forecast Information DAE, NARS at District level
Disseminates to DAE, NARS at Disseminate advisories to farmers National level for specific locations (through media, fax, etc.)
Figure 9: Dissemination of weather forecast, preparation of agro-advisories and their transmission to farmers.
44 5.2 Stakeholders Although a number of stakeholders are engaged in the process of generation of weather information related to drought and their dissemination to the farmers, the key actors are the Agro-met Division of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
5.2.1 Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD)
Agro-met Advisory system Present BMD Services The Agro-met division of BMD operates • 10 day actual rainfall in mm its activities through a network of 12 • 10 days normal rainfall in mm agro-met stations. The stations record • Departure (in %) of actual rainfall with normal weather forecast information • No. of rainy days synoptically on rainfall, average • Maximum temperature and normal Maximum max/min humidity, average max/min temperature temperature, flood and drought around • Minimum temperature and normal Minimum the area etc. The stations are responsible temperature to collect weather data as inputs for the • Average evaporation and Evapotranspiration preparation of agro-met bulletin for • Average sunshine hours different users. The data are collected • Weather forecast for next 10 days twice a day at 0000 GMT and 1200 GMT • Advisories for the farmers from all agro-met stations and sent to the Agro-met division of BMD in Dhaka for consolidation. The agro-met bulletin is issued every 7 days using the data collected from all the 12 agro–met stations. The forecast information thus generated are disseminated by e-mail, website, fax and postal service to different end users mainly DAE, NARS, Agriculture Information Service (AIS), Ministry of Agriculture, etc.
Present Dissemination Mechanism of Agro-met Advisory Services Agro-met advisories are received mainly by DAE and NARS at regular intervals from Agro-met division of BMD. The advisories are disseminated to their district offices through telephone, fax or postal services. However, the dissemination mechanism of DAE and NARS with BMD is still weak. This will require BMD to obtain feedback from farmers, DAE and NARS on the quality of weather forecast information, its content and relevance of farmers’ advisory services.
Current Initiatives Weather forecasts and climate information is crucial for the people of Bangladesh. The two projects “Institutional support and capacity building for mitigation of weather and climate hazards in Bangladesh” and “RiceClima”, coordinated by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and Bioforsk, respectively, aim to improve the information on weather and climate in general for Bangladesh, while the latter project aims to improve rice farmers’ possibilities to adapt their crop production to weather or climate driven effects.
45 5.2.2 Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) In 1982, six agencies responsible for technology transfer, DAE, DA, Plant Protection Directorate, Horti- culture Board, Tobacco Development Board and Central Extension Resource and Development Institute (CERDI) , were merged to form the present Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). DAE’s mission is to provide efficient and effective need based extension services to all categories of farmers, to enable them to optimize their use of resources, in order to promote sustainable agricultural and socio-economic development. It is one of the largest Departments of the Government of Bangla- desh with the strength of 32,000 staff members having presence at and below the Union block level. The Block Supervisor (Sub-Assistant Agricultural Officer) has direct and functional linkage with farmers.
Needs for early warning from DAE experience • Extend long-lead and seasonal agro-meteorological forecasts • Location specificclimateinformation • Adjustment of cropping pattern and planting time of crops • Long Lead Drought forecast particularly for NW Region • Climate impact assessment & outlooks on agriculture • Local agro-meteorological data collection and monitoring
Present DAE initiatives Under the ongoing project titled as ‘Disaster and Climate Risk Management in Agriculture Project’, DAE plans to establish at least ten (10) climate and weather monitoring and agriculture information centers at community level.
Limitations Present agro-climate forecasting is valid for one week only. Seasonal rainfall forecasts are essential to farmers for selecting crop types, plantation and harvesting time. It also helps decision makers and plan- ners to ensure food security of the country. While improved meteorological and agro-meteorological services allow the society to better adapt to the prevailing weather conditions, the future expected long term changes in weather patterns and climate change – creates a need for information in order to carry out planning. To establish and provide effective farmer-centered drought early warning services, considerations should be given to the following points: • Develop 3-4 months and seasonal forecasting schemes for drought particularly for crop agriculture (location and crop specific). • Enable the intermediary users and communities to use forecast products • Long-term numerical prediction on rainfall • Continuous monitoring of soil moisture conditions.
46 Chapter 6 Early Warning System and Stakeholder Mapping for Landslide
Landslides are a complex-disaster phenomenon that can be caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, heavy rainfall, typhoons, hurricanes, continued rainfall, heavy snowmelt, unregulated anthropogenic developments, mining etc. In Bangladesh, landslides are mostly triggered by heavy rainfall. Other underlying causes of landslide include deforestation, cutting of hills, unregulated development work, etc. Moreover, high population densities and poverty and landlessness coupled with unplanned Landslide Hazard urbanization force the poor people to live Deciles th th in the risky hill-slopes. 6 - 7 8th - 10th Landslide has emerged as a major hazard only recently, particularly after the disasters in Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox’s Bazar areas during the years from 2007 to 2010. The worst landslide killed 127 people in the city of Figure 10: Landslide prone zones of Bangladesh http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/chrr/research/profiles/bangladesh.html Chittagong in June 2007.
System administrator control 6.1 Stakeholders the system via mobile An effective early warning system for Browsing Raingauge data via web page landslides is yet to be put in place in Bangladesh. Two pilot initiatives in this respect, by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) and Comprehensive
Disaster Management Programme Automatic Broadcasting towards 10 mobiles when Sendening all information threshild value reach (CDMP), deserve to be mentioned. The at every 15 minutes to server Geography and Environmental Studies Departments of Chittagong and Dhaka University are Early Warning System and Stakeholder Mapping for To know condition of Landslideworking for sustainable system by individual mobile geo-hazards management of the country.
Figure 11: Dissemination of information using Rain Gauge 6.1.1 Geological Survey of Bangladesh Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) is the focal organization of geo-hazards research. GSB provides basic data as well as recommendations for identification, prevention and mitigation of hazards to reduce the risks helping the government to make a sustainable Disaster Management Plan.
47 It implemented a project titled as “Enhance institutional support and capacity building of Geological Survey of Bangladesh for mitigation of geohazards in Bangladesh (September 2009-June 2012)” with the technical assistance from Norwegian Geo-technical Institute (NGI) and funding from the Government of Norway. One of the main objectives of the project was to reduce the risks from natural hazards, with emphasis on slope instabilities and seismic hazards. Under this collaborative project, Automatic Weather Stations for Landslides Early Warning has been installed in Chittagong City and Chittagong University Campus which record precipitation data every 15 minutes and send it to an online system. In addition, the weather stations have been programed to send SMS to 10 organizations as soon as the rainfall exceeds the threshold level, set-up in the systems. This is intended to facilitate the evacuation of the people residing close to landslide-prone areas. The automatic weather stations installed in Chittagong are completely autonomous, receiving power from a solar panel to charge the batteries. The stations work with standard mobile telephone SIM cards and do not require any special infrastructure from the local mobile telephone operator. Installation is simple as the station is a compact unit that can be placed on the ground or on a roof, or mounted on a mast.
6.1.2 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme Considering the potential rainfall induced landslide hazards in Bangladesh and recent landslide events, Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) under its current phase (Phase II) has initiated the development of landslide hazard maps of Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf Municipal areas. Community-Based Early Warning System for the municipalities of Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf has been developed with technical support of Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC). The first step was the consideration of the landslide hazard zonation mapping and the existing vulnerability of the communities. The basic criteria used for identifying most vulnerable communities are previous landslide record, loss of lives, damage to assets, frequency of hill cutting, most vulnerable houses in the hilly area, high density of population in the hilly area, underprivileged and most vulnerable people in the community like elderly, child, disabled etc. In the second step, community volunteers were identified from each of the vulnerable communities to orient the threshold values, different levels and actions to be taken for preparedness of the community, including evacuation. The volunteers were also oriented with the reading and setting of Rain Gauges installed in the respective communities. A three step alerting system was developed and applied: • “Alert” at 75 mm rainfall for 24 hours: Increase vigilance and observe appearance of any symptoms of slope destabilization on critical slopes. • “Get ready for Evacuation” at 100 mm rainfall for 24 hours: Prepare to evacuate to safer location from high risk locations • “Evacuation” at 200 mm rainfall for 24 hours: Warning for evacuation to safer places Details of reading the threshold values as installed at community level. These rain gauges have three different color codes as shown below:
Color code Level Threshold Values Actions Evacuate 101-200 mm rainfall recorded within 24 hr Evacuate to Safer Place Ready 76-100 mm rainfall recorded within 24 hr Get Ready Alert 0-75 mm rainfall recorded within 24 hr Get Alert
48 A number of volunteers have been trained in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf Municipality and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) has been developed for Volunteers, Community and Municipality for assigning more specific responsibilities at different period of landslide hazard.
Since the initiative has been taken, sustainability and effectiveness will depend on continued interest of the Municipalities and receipt of funding support.
Reference
CDMP, 2012 Rainfall Triggered Landslide Hazard Zonation in Cox’s Bazar &Teknaf Municipalities as well as Introducing Community-based Early Warning System for Landslide Hazard Management – Final Report.
Landslide Inventory, Hazard Zonation and Vulnerability Study
Indentification of Landslide Prone Areas Rainfall Monitoring and and Vulnerable Communities Situation observation
Monitoring Record and Dissemination of Daily Rainfall Group Formation from Communities
wbivc` ¯’v‡b cÖ¯’vb Ki“b 24 NÈvq 200 wgwg e„wócvZ wbivc` ¯’v‡b cÖ¯’v‡bi cÖ¯‘Z wbb 24 NÈvq 100 wgwg e„wócvZ mZK© _vKzb 24 NÈvq 75 wgwg e„wócvZ
Precipitation Threshold Limit Established
Rain Gauge Installation at Community Level Training of Volunteers
Figure 12: Landslide induced early warning system
49 Chapter 7 Fire Service and Civil Defense
Civil Defense in Bangladesh Civil Defense in Bangladesh is described as “any measures not amounting to actual combat, for affording defense against any form of hostile attack by a foreign power or in part, whether such measures are taken before, during or after the time of the attack” (Civil Defense Act, 1951 amended in 1972). During the last four decades since independence, civil defense has been mostly in the form of “civil protection”, i.e., saving lives and preventing losses and damages from hazards and events. The civil defense structure and services have integrated with the Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD) Department of the Government of Bangladesh. Now FSCD is the key first responder organization in this country to any disaster emergencies.
Policy and Institutional Framework Fire Service and Civil Defense Directorate is operated under the following main legal frameworks: • Civil Defense Act, 1951 (amended in 1972) • Fire Services Ordinance-1959 • Fire Services Rules-1961 • Fire Prevention & Extinction Act-2003 • Gazette Notificationsand Standing Orders
Urban Vulnerability to Disaster Risks During the last two decades or so, in addition to natural hazards, several incidents of landslides, fire, building collapse, ferry tragedy and road accidents have taken place in different parts of the country, resulting in disaster emergencies. At the same time, some of the urban cities are at risk from earthquakes. The high rate of migration of rural population and unplanned growth of urban centers contribute to new dimension of urban disaster risks. A study on earthquake vulnerability under the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) reveals that if an earthquake of major magnitude hits Dhaka city, half of the 326,825 buildings will be severely damaged. Considering the range of disaster risks and challenges to civil protection, it is critical to take necessary preventive and protective measures to reduce losses of lives and injuries, and damages to assets and infrastructures.
Stakeholders for Civil Defense in Bangladesh There are a range of stakeholders responsible for civil protection in Bangladesh. They include the Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief, Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Disaster Management, Armed Forces Division (AFD), Local Civil and Municipal Administration, Bangladesh Police & other Law Enforcement Agencies, Directorate General of Health Services; Utility Services (DESA, WASA, TITAS, etc.), Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (RAJUK); Red Crescent and other volunteers organizations, Urban Community Volunteer of Fire Service & Civil Defense. The only key stakeholder is the Fire Service and Civil Defense Directorate.
50 Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD) The Fire Service and Civil Defense Directorate is a service oriented government organization under the Ministry of Home Affairs and mandated to be the first respondent in all types of disasters. Its Vision is “To acquire competency as one of the leading firefighting and disaster management organizations in Asia by 2021”
Mandate FSCD is mandated with the responsibility to fight all types of fire breaking out at any time of the day and night. In addition to firefighting, they are also expected to conduct rescue from burning buildings, underneath collapsed structures, wreckages, launches and boats capsized and all other situations that render casualties due to accidents. They also ensure first aid service and provide transportation for the casualties to the hospital. The Directorate is expected to advice on fire prevention and fire protection measures for buildings, industrial and commercial installations etc. They are entrusted to train government service personnel and general public on fire fighting, first aid and rescue techniques, civil defense and self-protective measures. The Directorate is expected to advise Government offices, private institutions and premises on protective measures against air raids during war.
Organization Structure Fire Service & Civil Defense is headed by a Director General, who is the chief executive, of the rank of Brigadier General of Bangladesh Army. He is assisted by three Directors responsible for i) Administration and Finance, ii) Operation and Maintenance, and iii) Planning, Development & Training. There is a purpose built Training Complex in the city of Dhaka. FSCD has a total of 275 fire stations throughout the country. The government has decided to expand fire stations in all the 465 upazilas. The hazard events and incidents where FSCD provides services are floods, tropical cyclones, storms/tidal surges, tornadoes, river bank erosions, drought, earthquake, landslide, fire, building collapse, road accident, launch/boat capsize, aircraft accident etc.
Director General
Director (Dev. Trg. Plg) Director (Admin & Fin) Director (Ops & Maint)
Principal (T.C)
DD Dhaka DD Ctg. DD Rajshahi DD Khulna DD Barishal DD Sylhet DD Rangpur
Control Room Assistant Director Workshop
Deputy Assistant Director
Senior Station Officer
Warehouse Inspector
Station Officer Staff Officer
Figure 13: Fire Service and Civil Defense Organization Structure
51 Services Services currently provided by FSCD are fire prevention, firefighting, search, rescue, first aid, ambulance service, arrangement of fire drill/demonstration, arrangement of fire safety training, development of urban and landslide volunteers, consultancy for fire prevention, dead body management, public relation activities, fire safety inspection, Civil Defense, public awareness, issue fire license and high-rise building clearance certificates.
Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER) Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER) is a regional training program initiated in 1998 by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) to strengthen disaster response capacities in Asia. Bangladesh became a participating country of PEER during its 2nd phase of implementation (2003-2009), in consideration of its high seismic vulnerability, need to improve disaster response capacity and interest of the government to participate in the program. During this period, FSCD strengthened its capabilities to provide collapsed structure search and rescue and basic and advanced life support during emergencies. This took place by strengthening and institutionalizing the PEER Core Courses, namely Medical First Responder (MFR) and Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR). In phase 3, (2009–2013) Bangladesh built on the successes of phase 2, through furthering the institutionalization of MFR and CSSR courses. New concept has been added to the PEER’s program scope – the Community Action for Disaster Response (CADRE), bringing down the training of emergency response to the community level volunteers.
Current Initiatives A key initiative of FSCD Directorate is the Urban Community Volunteers Training Programme. In 2008, this program was launched to develop 62,000 urban community volunteers throughout the country. The purpose of this program is to train these volunteers on urban search, rescue, firefighting, evacuation and first aid so that they can respond to any kind of disaster and work shoulder to shoulder withthe professionals. The Urban Community Volunteer Training Programme is being implemented with financial support from Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP). Till date, a total of about 26,000 volunteers have been trained, some of whom have taken part in saving hundreds of lives in several disasters including tragedies like the "Rana Plaza" building collapse, Begunbari building collapse, the 2012 landslide in Chittagong, among others.
Success Stories 1. PEER graduates in landslide rescue in Chittagong (June 2007) The Fire Service and Civil Defense personnel played a laudable role by quickly responding to the disaster caused by a series of devastating landslides due to heavy down pour in the port city of Chittagong and its surrounding areas. The disaster claimed 127 human lives and left hundreds of others injured. Most of the victims were asleep when the devastating incident took place. The people living in the foothills of inaccessible areas were buried under the mud and debris while some people were washed away by rainwater rushing down the hills.
52 The FSCD personnel, including those who received training under the Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER), immediately rushed to the affected areas, conducted search and rescue operations, provided emergency medical aid and shifted the injured people to the hospital. Other organizations which were engaged in the operations included Bangladesh Army, Police, BDR, City Corporation, BDRCS, NGOs etc. 2. FSCD in Rana Plaza Building Collapse Rescue in April 2013; On April 24, 2013, at 8:45 am, an eight-storied building named ‘Rana Plaza' at Savar, 30 km north of Dhaka City, collapsed. The building housed four garment manufacturing factories and a market. It was feared that more than 3,000 garment factory workers, mostly women, were in the building when it collapsed. While 1,129 dead bodies were recovered, over 2000 people were rescued alive from underneath the debris of the collapsed building. Bangladesh Army, Border Guard of Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion, police and other organizations were heavily engaged in the rescue operations with the Fire Service and Civil Defense personnel. Over 200 FSCD workers, mostly trained under the Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER), led by the Director General himself, did an excellent job on the site for over two weeks. In addition, more than 100 community volunteers trained by FSCD were also in action at every shift of operation. After ten years of PEER training, FSCD rose up to the challenge posed by devastating events like the recent incidents of collapse of multi-storied buildings. FSCD demonstrated their most efficient and effective rescue operation so far - thanks to the continued capacity development support given by PEER during the last one decade.
Table 8: Strength, Gaps and Donors of FSCD
Strengths • Commitment and dedication of all the personnel starting from the Director General down to firemen in the field. • Appreciated, respected and accepted by the community at large. • Eagerness of common people to extended hands at time of emergencies. Gaps • All Upazilas are not covered by fire stations • Many equipment are old and almost redundant • Limited numbersoffire engines • Lack of heavy equipment and limited number of light equipment for conduction of search and rescue operation from multi-storied collapsed structure. • Not adequate equipment for handling chemical fire and accidents. • Limited accessto modern technology • Resource for continued training of staff members • Modernizationofthe Training Academy
Donors National and International donors/partners working with FSCD in the last five years, are including CDMP, NARRI etc.
The Strategic Management Plan of the FSCD (2013) identifies the following needs as priority: • Arrange knowledge and skill exchange programs (Advanced Training on USAR, CBRN, Hazmat, K-9, Inspection and Investigation Methods, etc.) • Conduct joint exercises with other stakeholders to develop community capability; • Arrange modern equipment for firefighting and civil defense; • Arrange equipment for Urban Community Volunteers; • Identify and acquire appropriate technology; • Upgrade communicationsystem; • Establish an Emergency Operation Center (EOC);
53 • Develop light, medium & heavy teams of INSARAG; • Develop Special Search & Rescue Squad; • Assess Risks of various infrastructures
Challenges Fire Service and Civil Defense Directorate face a multitude of challenges. Inadequate operational equipment restricts carrying out services timely and effectively. Professionals of FSCD lack training in certain specialized skill. Unplanned urbanization, unregulated construction of buildings and their use, mushrooming growth of high-rise buildings (without complying the Building Code), narrow roads and traffic congestion preventing quick and timely access to disaster incidents, scarcity or non-availability of natural water sources for firefighting, difficulty in controlling crowds at incidents, are among the key challenges.
Limitations of Resources: The service areas where FSCD is expected to perform but are not being able to due to constraint of resources are: • Emergency Medical Services; • Advanced Search &Rescue; • Hazardous Materials Emergency Response; • Advanced Inspection of commercial and industrial facilities; • Aerial Rescue and Fire Fighting by Helicopter; • CoastalRescue; • Research for Fire Prevention, Chemical Emergency and Modernization of FSCD; and • ForensicFire Investigation
Needs Additional resources (equipment, personnel, skills, capacity, collaborative network, etc.) are required to enable adequate service coverage including 1) Equipment as perLong Term Plan and 2) Reserve forces such as: Two Reserve Force Teams for each Divisional Headquarters, and one for the Training Complex.
Conclusion The existing legal (policy and institutional) framework for Civil Defense needs to be reviewed, with a view to identify and integrate civil defense, civil protection, and reducing disaster risks into mainstream policies and processes. As Fire Service and Civil Defense Directorate is currently entrusted to discharge key responsibilities as first responder to disaster emergencies, the need to strengthen capacity to respond effectively is a top priority. This translates to adequate number of committed staff, appropriately trained in relevant skills, and equipped with the right type of gears and tools to conduct their services. Also, civil defense coverage requires adequate facilities all over the country. The Strategic Action Plan, 2013 of the FSCD identifies specific areas and resources to address capacity strengthening.
54 Chapter 8 GIZ – Coastal Livelihoods Adaptation Project (CLAP)
The project “Adaptation to Climate Change and Rehabilitation of Livelihoods in Selected Districts of South Bangladesh” (CLAP-Project) is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In alignment with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), as the line ministry, and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), CLAP supports the rehabilitation of the livelihoods destroyed by Cyclone, Sidr and Aila since 2011. Together with its partner NGOs the Resource Development Foundation (RDF), Wave Foundation, INCIDIN Bangladesh, Gonoshasta Kendra (GK) and the Association for Disaster Mitigation and Development (ADMD), CLAP supports the most vulnerable households in selected communities in the south of Bangladesh. Besides the promotion of climate-resilient agricultural production systems and livelihood support through income generating measures, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) at community level and school level are further components of the project, to strengthen the resilience of the population.
DRR and CCA CLAP supports the formation of community-level disaster preparedness action groups, with special attention to female-headed households and members of deprived minority groups. The local government and the Union Disaster Management Committees (UDMCs) assist these groups to develop disaster contingency plans. Training on disaster preparedness, community-based first aid, search & rescue, water rescue is being provided in cooperation with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) and the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP). Since inception of its activities, the project distributed Volunteers receiving first aid and search & rescue training equipment to more than 1800 CPP-volunteers. The project strengthens resilience capacities of the community through repair and strengthening of critical infrastructure, cash for work measures and the distribution of equipment. Furthermore disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation are also promoted at schools through different measures. In collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), GIZ developed a School Disaster Safety concept: ‘Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction’ to train teachers and students of grade 5 and 8. Further activities include the distribution of first-aid and rescue equipment, rehabilitation and strengthening of school compounds and preparation of disaster contingency plans. CLAP implements activities in 52 villages in the three districts Barguna, Patuakhali and Bhola; overall more than 252.000 people are benefitting (direct and indirect beneficiaries) from project measures.
55 Chapter 9 Recommendations
From the current EWS mapping exercise, both generic and hazard-wise recommendations have emerged. In this section first we will start with the generic set of recommendations followed by hazard-specific ones.
General Recommendations Bangladesh, being a lower riparian country of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, must continue to strengthen collaboration, partnership and networking at the regional level to secure international cooperation with India, Nepal, Bhutan and China for data and information sharing. This would significantly enhance the country’s early warning capacity that would allow improved predictability and lead time for the poor and vulnerable people to prepare and save their lives, assets and livelihoods. Although many INGOs are involved in early warning initiatives, their interventions are project based. As a result, the question of sustainability remains after the project is phased out. On the other hand, involvement of the public authorities in the initiatives by the INGOs will significantly contribute to sustainability. In this context, a positive example of effective and sustainable early warning system at community level is the CPP. The programme was initiated in 1972 with funding from IFRCS. In two years’ time, the GoB took over the responsibility of covering all the recurring expenses of the program which is the main reason for sustainability of CPP for the last four decades. As such, it is recommended that participation, ownership and leadership of the Government should be ensured in all the initiatives taken by development partners and international organization in respect of early warning. Disaster management committees at sub-national and local levels (DDMC, UzDMC, UDMC etc.) play the vital role of disseminating and responding to early warning messages. It is therefore important to strengthen the capacity of these committees to capture, interpret, disseminate early warning messages and most importantly to coordinate to and act on preparedness actions for effective response. With this concept in mind a project titled as, ‘Strengthening Local Disaster Management Practices through GO-NGO Partnership (SLDPGP)’ was initiated in 2013 in the five most vulnerable districts of Bangladesh (Jamalpur, Gaibandha, Bagerhat, Pirojpur and Sathkhira). The project is being implemented by BDPC, funded by ERF-UNDP under the guidance, ownership and leadership of Department of Disaster Management. The Government has been involved throughout the conceptualization, designing and the implementation processes of the project. To address sustainability, SLDPGP will advocate ensuring that one of the Directors of DDM is given specific and official responsibility to monitor the functionality of the DMCs. In this regard a MOU will be signed among BDPC, ERF-UNDP and DDM in the near future. However, there is a need to extend this initiative further in the other districts of the country. For an effective and wider dissemination of early warning information, automation of government offices at the local level is extremely important. There is a need to promote a supportive policy for national allocation to equip local-level government offices with computers and network connections. Following the guidance from the newly enacted DM Act 2012, the focus of disaster management practice must be towards pre-disaster risk reduction and early warning dissemination at all levels. For EW dissemination purposes, various volunteers, agents, educational institutions, religious entities, haat-bazaar committees and other social institutions and their representatives can be innovatively used. Micro Finance Institutions (MFI), NGOs, CBOs and their respective village/credit groups which are operational at community level can be effectively linked with the UDMC and UzDMC on EW dissemination networks.
56 Volunteer coordination at ground needs a systematic and sustained mechanism where national standards and local activation can be further improved. It was found in the study that various NGOs, projects, programs have their own volunteers and are working often for similar kind of EW activities. A well-coordinated approach through an overseeing role of DMCs (UzDMC and UDMCs) could be a fruitful way. Recently a guidebook in Bengali titled as,’Operationalization of SOD: DMCs’ Guidebook’ has been published under the SLDPGP project focusing on roles and responsibilities of DMCs and the coordination and partnership between GO and NGOs. Apart from these generic issues of early warning systems in the country, presented below are some of the hazard specific recommendations:
Recommendations for Cyclone Early Warning System • Bangladesh is a high risk country to recurrent disaster and the country needs to build its capacity for weather monitoring and observations and effective tracking of cyclones and tornadoes. Given that country has successfully established institutions like BMD and SPARRSO, it is appropriate to acquire its own satellite for dedicated weather services which will significantly improve early warning capacity. • Bangladesh needs to scale up its efforts for developing professional and technical skills of officials and staffs in the key government institutions and agencies such as BMD, DDM, FFWC, SPARRSO etc. • Fishermen while engaged in deep sea fishing often do not receive warning due to a variety of reasons which include limited network coverage, poor receiving capacity (radio etc.) and also absence of appropriate policy, regulations as well as local monitoring and enforcement by the authorities. It is strongly recommended to carefully review the situation and to adopt fitting measures to ensure effective dissemination of EW messages to them. • Maintenance and service ability of cyclone shelters continue to remain as a major challenge for effectively responding to early warning information. It is recommended to undertake actions and to allocate resources so that these cyclone shelters acts as the key centres for community based early warning actions at the local level. • The CPP has turned into a highly specialized network of volunteers with its proven ability and strong niche on cyclone early warning dissemination and preparedness. However, the current governance structure has not capitalized the full potentials of the spirit of volunteerism. It is strongly recommended that the Government of Bangladesh (in co-ordination with the civil society) develops a more holistic and sustainable approach and system, which will also enable CPP to effectively function and discharge their services. There is a need for thorough study and strategic planning for effective CPP governance and enhancement of spirit and commitment of volunteers. • Current vacancies of CPP in various important positions should be filled up immediately. Further, there is an urgent need to step up the efforts for skill enhancement training of CPP volunteers. • Lack of equipment has been the major barrier for effective engagement of CPP volunteers. It is important to mobilize resources for provisioning necessary equipment in order to support the response to early warning messages and actions. • The coverage of CPP network needs to be expanded to cover all coastal areas prone to cyclone risks. • The spirit of voluntarism is undermined due to conflicting approaches taken by NGO’s engaged in emergency response. There is a need to take a closer look to this issue and adopt appropriate policy response to maximise the full potentials of volunteerism for an effective early warning dissemination and response.
57 Recommendations for Flood Early Warning System • The laudable initiative of starting Flood Preparedness Programme in the two most vulnerable districts of Bangladesh, implemented by a Government Organization Ansar& VDP with financial support from CDMP and technical and professional support from BDPC, should be supported for its strengthening and expansion. • The main concerns emerged for the flood forecasting and dissemination system in the country is that the warning messages should be relevant to local context as much as possible, meaning that the warning should contain information that can be of direct relevance and understandable to the end recipients with sufficient lead-time. FPP, addressing the situation, is training the Upazila, Union Leaders and Union Information Service Centres for contextualization of the early warnings which are directly sent from FFWC in Dhaka. • There are both technical and administrative constraints of FFWC that limits the extent to which these concerns can be addressed. For example, further localization of the warnings issued by FFWC will require a more accurate digital elevation model (DEM) than the one currently being used by FFWC.Similarly the increase in model lead time can only be realized if the data exchange with India is significantly improved and/or meteorological model forecast data become available. • Flood forecasting system should be expanded from the major river-systems to the tributaries which need to be further reinforced for nationwide development of the community based flood early forecasting. • Dissemination of forecasts and warning messages will need a higher degree of institutional structure, processes and corresponding emergency preparedness at the receiving end will need to be further upgraded. A critical challenge is for the early warning messages to reach the people at risk in remote areas. • The successful experience of community dissemination of cyclone early warning and preparedness under CPP needs to be harnessed and leveraged for early warning and preparedness for other form of hazards in Bangladesh. It is essential that the GOB and the humanitarian partners strongly support the expeditious implementation of the promising initiative on Flood Preparedness Programme (FPP) that aims to establish a robust network of volunteers, 10 dedicated individual from each village across flood prone regions.
Recommendations for Drought Early Warning System • There is a need to revisit and strengthen existing components of BMD and DAE for drought warnings to farmers and additionally acquire input from them on the quality and significance of such information. • Agro-met division of BMD needs to be supported with state-of-the-art-technology and GIS and remote sensing capacity for capturing and analysing quality information on weather forecast which would lead to effective drought warning services. To generate agro-met database for research, all existing agro-met stations of BMD may need to be staffed with professionals and Automatic Weather Observation Systems (AWOS). • It is imperative to ensure timely and regular publishing of agro-met advisory bulletin based on major crop seasons (winter and summer) for the farmers of distinctive agro-climatic zones. • An Agro-met Advisory Committee should be established at the district level with representatives from farmers and NARS under the coordination of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) to develop the agro-met advisory services. • Agro-met Advisory services, which are limited to crop sub-sector of agriculture, should be extended to incorporate livestock and fisheries as well.
58 Recommendations for Landslide Early Warning System • In recent years, many landslide events have been experienced in hilly districts of Bangladesh such as Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, and Teknaf. It is important to study these events and develop a sustainable mechanism to undertake appropriate actions. There is a strong need to identify an appropriate nodal institution which can lead the process to undertake landslide hazard zonation mapping, landslide studies, manage databases on past events, provide associated services, and provide technical advice to local governments and other institutions involved in development practice within landslide-prone areas. • There are scopes of expanding the existing community based landslide monitoring and EWS that was initiated under the CDMP phase–II in a wider and replicable manner, particularly where the resource-intensive observation and monitoring system of precipitation is not available.
Recommendations for Fire Service and Civil Defense • Lack of equipment and skill development training are the two biggest challenges for for Fire Service and Civil Defense to effectively undertake search and rescue operations. It is therefore strongly recommended that the Government of Bangladesh and development partners should urgently mobilize actions and resources to fill this critical capacity gap. • The issue of civil military coordination and cooperation in Bangladesh should independently review for the perspective of benefitting vulnerable communities and a concrete plan needs to be agreed and strengthened.
59 List of Annexure
1 List of the Policies and Institutional Framework for disaster management 2 Short list of key representatives for Key Informant Interviewees 3 Source ofSecondary Data 4 Sample of cyclone warning bulletins issued by BMD 5 The operation of the Storm Warning Center of BMD 6 The organizational structure of CPP 7 The dissemination system for cyclone early warning 8 Sample of a flood early warning bulletin issued by FFWC 9 Flood Preparedness Programme MoU 10 Research and Writing Team
60 Annex 1
List of the Polices and Institutional Frameworks for Disaster Management 1. Standing Orders on Disaster 2. Disaster Management Act 2012 3. National Plan for Disaster Management 4. Cyclone Shelter Construction, Maintenance and Management Policy-2011 5. Emergency Preparedness Plan for Cyclone Bangladesh, April 2013 6. Flood Response Preparedness Plan of Bangladesh, June 2014
61 Annex 2
Short list of Key Information Interviewees
Sl Organization Contact 01 Ministry of Disaster Management Mr. MoniruzzamanChowdhury and Relief Joint Secretary Dr. Mohammad Abdul Wazed 02 Department of Disaster Director General Management (DDM) Mr. Dilder Ahmed Director 03 Comprehensive Disaster Mr. Mohammad Abdul Qayyum Management Programme (CDMP) National Project Director Mr. Md. Shah Alam Director & PR of Bangladesh with WMO Mr. Shamsuddin Ahmed Deputy Director, Storm Warning Center 04 Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) Mr. Md. Shameem Hassan Bhuiyan Meteorologist and in-Charge, Agromet Division Project Director (1st Class Meteorological Observatory at Five Places) Brigadier General Ali Ahmed Khan, PSC Director General 05 Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Maj. Md. Zihadul Islam Defense Director, (Planning, Development & Training) Mr. Muhammad Mamun Warehouse Inspector 06 Bangladesh Red Crescent Mr. B.M.M. Mozharul Huq Society Secretary General 07 German Red Cross and Red Crescent Mr. Richo Wallenta Society Mogh Bazar, Dhaka 684-86, Red Crescent Sharak, Boro Mob: 01755628346 Mr. Ahad Ali Director, Administration Cyclone Preparedness Program Mr. KhairulAnam Khan Director, Operation 08 Cyclone Preparedness Programme Mr. Ruhul Amin (CPP) Deputy Director &Programme Coordinator Mr. Bashir Ahmed Deputy Director (Admin) Mr. Md. Hasanul Amin Deputy Director
62 Sl Organization Contact Engr. SalimBhuiyan Bangladesh Water Development 09 Chief Training and Staff Development Board (BWDB) (Former Chief Engineer, FFWC) Engr. Md. AmirulHossain 10 Flood Forecasting and Warning Executive Engineer Center (FFWC) Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre Mr. Mukul Chandra Roy Director General 11 Department of Agricultural Dr. AbulWaliRaghib Hassan Extension Project Director (CDMP- II /DAE Part) Mr. BadrulAlamTalukder Project Monitoring officer Major Gen. Md. NazimUddin, psc Director General 12 Bangladesh Ansar & VDP Mr. A K M Mizanur Deputy Director General Center for Environmental and Engr. Md. WajiUllah 13 Geographic Information Services Executive Director (CEGIS) Mr. Ahmadul Hassan, PhD Director, R&D and Training AhsanZakir 14 Barind Multipurpose Development (Additional Secretary), Executive Director Authority (BMDA) Phone : 0721-761368 Cell : 01715-017268 Dr. Sirajur Rahman Khan Director General (C.C) 15 Bangladesh Geological Survey Phone: + 88 02 933069; + 88029333858 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Md. Amirul Islam (Fotik) 16 Individual Farmer Bidirpur, Rajshahi
63 Leaders of Disaster Management Committees (DMCs)
Designation Sirajganj Cox’s Bazar Gaibandha Borguna Secretary of Md. Jakiur Rahim Md. Abdul Mojid Md. Shah alam Mr. Prakash DDMC and (Shahed) Phone: Phone: Chandra Biswas DRRO Phone: 034-164254 01716929614 Phone: 01718057631 01915106664 Secretary of Md. Enamul Hasan Md. Shamsul Hoque Shahrul Islam Mr. Prakash UzDMC and PIO Phone: (Office assistant Md. Abu Hena Chandra Biswas 01719256550 cum computer Phone: Phone: operator) 01712233675 01915106664 Phone: (Fulchori) 01710-120414 Chairman of UDMC Md. Rafiqul Islam Mohammad Shree Monotosh Nurul Haque Mir and Chairman of Phone: Ajomdir Matbor Rai (Aylapatkata Union) Union Parishad 01714808375 Phone Phone: Phone: (Khashkhaulia 01714-374722 01715234603 01718072327 Union)
64 Annex 3
Source of Secondary Data
Sl Organization Source http://www.wmo.int/gsearch/gresults_en.html?q= 01 World Meteorological Organization (WMO) bangladesh&submit.x=-236&submit.y=-512&submi t=SEARCH 02 India Meteorological Department (IMD) http://www.imd.gov.in/ Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre http://www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/static/welco 03 (RSMC) me.htm Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing http://www.sparrso.gov.bd/new/mandate/ 04 Organization (SPARRSO) 05 Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) http://www.bmd.gov.bd/ 06 Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief http://www.dmrd.gov.bd/ (MoDMR) 07 Department of Disaster Management (DDM) http://www.ddm.gov.bd/ 08 Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) http://www.cpp.gov.bd/ 09 Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning http://www.rimes.int/ System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) 10 Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) http://www.ffwc.gov.bd/ 11 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme http://www.cdmp.org.bd/ (CDMP) 12 Center for Environmental Geographical and http://123.49.36.82/cegisweb/ Information Services (CEGIS) 13 Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) http://www.iwmbd.org/ 14 National Alliance for Risk Reduction and Response http://www.narri-bd.org/ Initiatives (NARRI) 15 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) http://www.bd.undp.org/bangladesh/en/home.html 16 Department of Agriculture Extension, Bangladesh http://www.dae.gov.bd/ (DAE) 17 Geographical Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) http://www.gsb.gov.bd/english/ 18 Bangladesh Ansar& VDP http://www.ansarvdp.gov.bd/ 19 Department of Environment (DoE) http://www.doe-bd.org/policy.html 20 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale http://www.giz.de/en/ Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) 21 International Federation of Red Cross and Red http://www.ifrc.org/en/ Crescent Societies (IFRCS) 22 Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) http://www.bdrcs.org/ 23 Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) http://www.adpc.net/v2007/ikm/Country%20Profile s/Bangladesh/Default-Bangladesh.asp 24 World Bank (WB) http://www.worldbank.org/ 25 European Centre for Medium-Range Weather http://www.ecmwf.int/ Forecasts (ECMWF)
65 Sl Organization Source 26 Central Extension Resource and Development http://www.cerdi.gov.bd/ Institute (CERDI) 27 The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction http://www.unisdr.org/we/coordinate/global-platf (GPDRR) orm 28 Government of Bangladesh (GoB) http://www.bangladesh.gov.bd/ 29 Government of Inter Governmental Panel on http://www.ipcc.ch/ Climate Change (IPCC) (GoB) 30 Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) http://www.jica.go.jp/english/ 31 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html 32 Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) http://wrmin.nic.in/ 33 Meteo France International (MFI) http://www.mfi.fr/en/ 34 Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) http://www.ngi.no/en/About-NGI/ 35 Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) http://www.imdmumbai.gov.in/ 36 Save the Children http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGI pI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm 37 Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) http://www.wrf-model.org/index.php 38 Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO) http://www.warpo.gov.bd/ 39 United Nations Office for the Coordination of http://www.ochaopt.org/ Humanitarian Affair (UNOCHA) 40 United Nations International Strategy for Disaster http://www.unisdr.org/ Reduction (UNISDR) 41 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation http://www.saarc-sec.org/ (SAARC) 42 Asian Development Bank ( ADB) http://www.adb.org/countries/bangladesh/main 43 Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) http://www.bwdb.gov.bd/ 44 Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) http://www.bwdb.gov.bd/ 45 Automatic Weather Observation System (AWOS) http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/land-base d-station-data/land-based-datasets/automated-w eather-observing-system-awos
66 Annex 4
Cyclone Bulletin by BMD
evsjv‡`k AvenvIqv Awa`ßi
Govt. of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Phone: 9135742, 9141437 Bangladesh Meteorological Department FAX : 8118230 StormWarningCenter Email: [email protected] Agargaon, Dhaka-1207 [email protected] Web site: www.bmd.gov.bd
ISSUE TIME: 11,2100BST
Special weather bulletin: sl. No. 22 (twenty two), date: 11-12-2013 The deep depressoinover westcentralbay and adjoining southwest bay moved southwestwardsover the same area and was centred at 06 pm today (the 11 December 2013) about 1375 kms southwest of chittagong port, 1315 kms southwest of cox’s bazar port and 1220 kms south-southwest of mongla port (near lat 13.30 n and long 83.30 e). It is likely to weaken gradually and move in a southwesterly direction Maximum sustained wind speed within 48 kms of the depressoin centre is about 50 kph rising to 60 kph in gusts/squalls. Sea will remain moderate near the system centre. All fishing boats and trawlers over north bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till morning tomorrow (December12, 2013). [No further special weather bulletin will be issued in this series.]
AvenvIqvi we‡kl weÁwß µwgK b¤^i 22 (evBk) , ZvwiL: 11.12.2013 Bs cwðg-ga¨ e‡½vcmvMi I ZrmsjMœ `w¶Y-cwðg e‡½vcmvMi GjvKvq Ae¯’vbiZ Mfxi wbæPvcwU `w¶Y-cwðgw`‡K m‡i wM‡q GKB GjvKvq Ae¯’vb Ki‡Q| GwU AvR mܨv 06 Uvq (11 wW‡m¤^i, 2013 Bs) PÆMÖvg mgy`ªe›`i †_‡K 1375 wKt wgt `w¶Y-cwð‡g, K·evRvi mgy`ªe›`i †_‡K 1315 wKt wgt `w¶Y-cwð‡g Ges gsjv mgy`ªe›`i †_‡K 1220 wKt wgt `w¶Y-`w¶Ycwð‡g Ae¯’vb KiwQj (13.30 DËi A¶vsk Ges 83.30 c~e© `ªvwNgvsk)| wbæPvcwU µgvš^‡q `ye©j n‡q `w¶Ycwðg w`‡K m‡i †h‡Z cv‡i| wbæPvc †K‡›`ªi 48 wKt wgt Gi g‡a¨ evZv‡mi GKUvbv m‡e©v”P MwZ‡eM N›Uvq 50 wKt wgt hv `gKv A_ev S‡ov nvIqvi AvKv‡i 60 wKt wgt ch©š— e„w× cv‡”Q| wbæPvc †K‡›`ªi wbK‡U mvMi gvSvwi ai‡bi DËvj i‡q‡Q| DËi e‡½vcmvM‡i Ae¯’vbiZ gvQ aivi †bŠKv I Uªjvi mg~n‡K AvMvgxKvj mKvj (12 wW‡m¤^i, 2013) ch©š— DcK‚‡ji KvQvKvwQ †_‡K mveav‡b PjvPj Ki‡Z ejv n‡”Q|
67 Annex 5
The operation of the Storm Warning Center of BMD in warning generation and dissemination as well as preparing weather products is summarized in Figure below.
68 Annex 6
The Organizational Structure of Cyclone Preparedness Programme
CPP Head Office Dhaka
Zonal office, District level No-0-
Upazila Office, Upazila Level, No.37
Union Office, Union Level, No-322
Unit- 2-sq.-km, Village/Ward 3291 2-3 Thousand People
Unit Committee-15
Warning Shelter Rescure First aid Relief Group Group Group Group Group
Warning Voluntree (M) Rescue Voluntree (M) Relief Voluntree (M) Addi. Warning Volunteer (M) Addi. Rescue Volunteer (M) Addi. Relief Volunteer (M) Addi. Warning Volunteer (F) Addi. Rescue Volunteer (F) Addi. Relief Volunteer (F)
Shelter Voluntree (M) First aid Voluntree (M) Addi. Shelter Volunteer (M) Addi. First aid Volunteer (M) Addi. Shelter Volunteer (F) Addi. First aid Volunteer (F)
69 Annex 7
The following figure presents the dissemination system for cyclone early warning from national to family level along with the communication technology/equipment used at each level.
Dissemination of Cyclone Warining in Bangladesh
SWC (BMD)
HQ CYCLONE BANGLADESH PREPAREDNESS BETAR (RADIO) HF PROGRAMME (CPP)
ADMINISTRATION OF LOCAL HF SYSTEMS ZONAL OFFICE UPAZILA COX’S BAZAR
VHF ZONAL OFFICE CHITTAGONG UNION ZONAL OFFICE NOAKHALI VHF
ZONAL OFFICE BHOLA VILLAGE & ISOLATED ISLANDS (UNITS)
ZONAL MEGPHONE, SIREN & FLAGS OFFICE BARISAL
ZONAL COMMUNITY PEOPLE OFFICE BARGUNA
70 Annex 8
71 72 Annex 9
Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
Reference: MOU/CDMP II/DC/0023 October 10, 2013
Memorandum of Understanding
Among
Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Division Ministry of Food and Disaster Management
And
Bangladesh ANSAR and VDP Ministry of Home Affairs Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
&
Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre Registered with NGO Affairs Bureau Under Prime Minister's Office
For DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF FLOOD PREPAREDNESS PROGRAMME
MOU/CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC Page 1
73 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
1.1 Parties of the Agreement: Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop and implementation of flood preparedness programme through structural and non-structural activities.
First party:
The Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP), Disaster Management and Relief Division of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (MoFDM). Disaster management and Relief Bhaban.92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka- 1212, Represented by National Programme Director, the Additional Secretary, Disaster Management and Relief Division, Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, Government of the Bangladesh.
Second party:
Bangladesh Ansar and VDP. Khilgaon, Dhaka, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Bangladesh, Represented by the Director General.
Third party :
Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre. Registered with NGO Affairs Bureau, Under Prime Minister’s Office, House 15/A. Road 08, Gulshan l, Dhaka-1212. Represented by the Director.
1.2 Roles and responsibilities of all the parties are as follows:
The Comprehensive Disaster Bangladesh Ansar and VDP, Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Management Programme (CDMP), Ministry of Home Affairs Centre Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDR) CDMP will provide the financial. Bangladesh Ansar-VDP will execute 1. BDPC will prepare detail plan of support for implementation the the Flood Preparedness Programme at actions activities agreed under this MoU. Upazila, Union and village level, 2. BDPC will provide technical which arc identified as vulnerable by support to Bangladesh Ansar & VDP CDMP As executing partner of FPP, BDPC will support through providing Bangladesh Ansar & VDP will training for Master Trainers, resource organize all the activities at local level persons and IEC Materials planned in this MoU. IEC Materials printing and distribution Development of IEC materials and in the targeted villages designing (Training module, handbook, flip chart, audio cassette, warning flag etc) Component 1: Capacity Building Orientation to key officials Training Need Assessment ToT for 466 Master Trainers (Upazila and Union leaders)
MOU/CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC Page 2
74 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
Basic Training for 15630 Village Volunteers by master trainer Training for 09 UzDMCs and 94 UDMCs 18 Special Training for Upazila officers, union leaders and UISC operators on contextualizing warning from FFWC to local level Component 2: Establishment of Institutional Linkage Organize inception Meeting with 9 Conduction of inception Meeting with UzDMCs and 94 UDMCs 9 UzDMCs and 94 UDMCs Coordination with local level DMCs Support/Facilitate Development of Jointly conduction of first 188 RRAPs RRAPs and contingency plans in 1563 and contingency plan villages Partnership with local Level Service Providers (GO & NGO) Engagement with Media Engagement with Media Component 3: Community Mobilization Conduction of 1563 Sensitization Meetings and selection of 15630 volunteers (e.g. courtyard meeting) Conduction of 1563 Community Risk Jointly conduction of first 188 Assessments (CRA) Community Risk Assessments (CRA) Development of 1563 Community Vulnerability Maps Planning workshops with 9 UzDMCs Planning workshops with 9UzDMCs and 94 UDMCs on CRA and 94 UDMCs on CRA Component 4: Strengthening Flood Warning at Local Level Identification of danger lever in 1563 villages Linkage with UISC with FFWC Establishment of Flood Marker posts in 1563 villages Identification of information Dissemination Plan (with specific responsible persons) Component 5: Family and Community level Preparedness through Massive Public Awareness Conduction of 1563 courtyard sessions at family and community level using flip chart audio cassette etc Discussion in religious and educational institutions Conduction of 94 Cultural programs at Jointly conduction of Cultural Union level programs in first 10 Unions Conduction of essay competitions in educational institutions Conduction of Mock drills in 94 Jointly conduction of Mock drills in Unions first 10 Unions Observation of National Disaster Preparedness Day (in every Upazila) Share regular progress with CDMP & Continuous monitoring and progress BDPC sharing
MOU/CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC Page 3
75 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
2. Purpose:
Since 1950, Bangladesh – a country known worldwide for adverse phenomenon like flood, tropical cyclone, landslide, drought etc have seen number of' catastrophically destructive events. No absolute information available before 1950s regarding disasters that happened in Indian sub-continent. 75% of Bangladesh is less than l0m above sea level and 80% is flood plain, therefore rendering Bangladesh a nation very much at risk of further widespread damage despite its development. As being lower riparian country. Bangladesh receive massive quantity of water flowing through 57transboundary rivers (India and Bangladesh share 54 and Bangladesh and Myanmar share 03) where there are mighty rivers like Indus. Ganges, Brahmaputra (Yarlungtsanpo). There are apparent hydrologic and political effects of' Transboundary Rivers that cross significant boundaries. These rivers have constructive effects in that they carry an important quantity of sediment, which helps in building land in estuarine regions. However, this sediment raises the height of riverbeds, thereby causing flooding.
Two consecutive catastrophic floods struck in the year 1987 and 1988 have covered respectively 40% and 60% of total area. 1987 flood has intensely affected regions were within and beyond the catchment area of western side Brahmaputra. Ganges and Brahmaputra confluence together and inundated a larger portion of Khulna division. The return period of such event was estimated at 30-70 years. The immediate next one, occurred in 1988, has broken the recent past flood history of country. heavy rainfall in both country India and Bangladesh along with high water flow from upstream has caused for 20 days long flood and covered about 82000 km2 (60% of the total area). The return period of such event was estimated at 50- 100 years. Within a decade, in 1998. country experienced another catastrophic flood when over 75% of the total area of country was inundated. This was similar to the event happened in 1988. Analogous catastrophic event attacked country again in 2004 and inundated two thirds of the country. Besides all these hostile flood events, annual monsoon flooding results in the loss of human life. damage to property and communication systems, and a shortage of drinking water, which leads to the spread of disease.
Floods impact on both individuals and communities, and have social, economic, and environmental consequences. The consequences of floods, both negative and positive, vary greatly depending on the location and extent of flooding, and the vulnerability and value of the natural and constructed environments they affect. On average. one-third of the country goes under water every year. The people living in the low-lying floodplains have learned to adjust their lifestyles to this annual flooding. Millions of country's dweller's livelihood depends on water bodies from the small pond to the haor, canal, river and ocean. Climate Change is one aspect or explanation of how the livelihood of farmers can be threatened. Rural poor suffer the most because of unreliable flooding. Abnormal flooding has been affecting thousands of rural communities annually. 80% of the total country population live in floodplain areas. Rural households surviving by means of nominal economic safeguard are somewhat obliged to inhabit in low-lying areas. As a result, their livelihood and associated belongings are shattered after every occurrence like a flood. Crops, fish, livestock, small business. communication its means of living are adversely affected by regular River Flooding.
MOU/CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC Page 4
76 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
Bangladesh, as one of the most vulnerable developing countries has developed up-to-the-minute flood warning system with support from development partners. Bangladesh is a country of rivers; the total annual runoff of surface water flowing through the rivers of Bangladesh is about 12,000 billion cubic meters (Annual Flood Report 2012, 1'FWC. BWDB). Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, under the Bangladesh Water Development Board relentlessly monitoring water level of' different river basin like Brahmaputra Basin. Ganges Basin, Meghna Basin etc and providing day-to-day information. The ultimate goal of FFWC is to protect lives and property of country people through effective information dissemination. FFWC does maintain up-to-date information and produce daily forecast. The history of flood and its magnitude shown below in the table:
Year Flood affected area Year Flood affected area Year Flood affected area Sq-Km % Sq-Km % Sq-Km % 1954 36,800 25 1975 16600 11 1995 32000 22 1955 50,500 34 1976 28300 19 1996 35800 24 1956 35,400 24 1977 12500 8 1998 100250 68 1960 28,400 19 1978 10800 7 1999 32000 22 1961 28,800 20 1980 33000 22 2000 35700 24 1962 37,200 25 1982 3140 2 2001 4000 2.8 1963 43,100 29 1983 11100 7.5 2002 15000 10 1964 31,000 21 1984 28200 19 2003 21500 14 1965 28,400 19 1985 11400 8 2004 55000 38 1966 33,400 23 1986 6600 4 2005 17850 12 1967 25,700 17 1987 57300 39 2006 16175 11 1968 37,200 25 1988 89970 61 2007 62300 42 1969 41,400 28 1989 6100 4 2008 33655 23 1970 42,400 29 1990 3500 2.4 2009 28593 19 1971 36,300 25 1991 28600 19 2010 26530 18 1972 20,800 14 1992 2000 1.4 2011 29800 20 1973 29,800 20 1993 28742 20 2012 17700 12 1974 52,600 36 1994 419 0.2 Sourch: FFWC
The majority of our country people live with water. Rural dweller does not go away when water level keeps rising above the average level in monsoon. This is a normal picture; nevertheless, poor understanding of early warning and prolonged inundation causes loss of properties and even human life. Inadequate information down-streaming, lack of coordination at the local level, understanding the intensity of flooding situation, and growing population is also disaster damage heightening factors. Appreciating the muse to piloting ‘Flood Preparedness Programme’ brought to light mutually by CDMP, Ansar-VDP and BDPC. To protect precious assets, the volunteer network of FPP under Bangladesh Ansar and VDP would be activated automatically. Besides pre-disaster and emergency response in the locality, volunteers would be capacitated to make people understand early warning, to-do things during normal period and long term preparedness to withstand disaster in their respective locality. As the technical partner of FPP. I3DPC will be responsible for preparing IEC materials and capacity building of volunteers and personnel.
MOU/CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC Page 5
77 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
2.1 Programme Areas
Considering the situation mentioned above, Flood Preparedness Programme in line with Cyclone Preparedness Programme, focusing on the strength of VDP at village level for implementation by Ansar& VDP with financial support from CDMP is planned. The Flood Preparedness Programme has incorporated two major floods-prone districts from Northern region. Sirajganj and Gaibandha, for its pilot phase. Administrative status and demography of said two districts are articulated in the table below:
District Name Division No of Upazila No. Of Union No. Of Village Sirajganj District Rajshahi 05 (Sadar, Kazipara, Chowhali, 49 1015 Belkuchi & Shahajadpur) Gaibandha District Rangpur 04 (Sadar, Saghata, Fulchori & 45 548 Sundarganj) 09 94 1563 Population Male Female Poverty Sirajganj District 3220814 (2011) 1613173 1607641 33-43% (WB) Gaibandha District 2471681 (2011) 1214563 1257118 33-43% (WB) 56,92,495 (2011) 2827736 2864759 Sourch: Community Report 2012, BBS, WB = World Bank
Sirajganj and Gaibandha, both the districts are extremely flood-prone. River floods resulting from the bank overflows from major rivers like Jamuna. Ghaghat, Ichamati, Tista and their tributaries and distributaries throughout the monsoon season from June to September. At the same time. silent disaster bank erosion of these rivers is causing in-country migration. structural losses, social instability and social chaos. Periodically, inhabitants of these two districts are facing annual flooding and reckless riverbank erosion. Consequently, as most people are well aware, the instantaneous impacts of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and deterioration of health conditions owing to waterborne diseases. As communication links and infrastructure such as, roads and bridges are damaged and disrupted, some economic activities may come to a standstill, people are forced to leave their homes and normal life is disrupted.
3. Brief on each organization:
3.1 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) CDMP of the Government of the Bangladesh is being implemented by the Disaster Management and Relief division of Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (MoFDM) and is supported by UNDP, UK Department of International Development-Bangladesh (DFID-I3), the European Commission (EC), Norwegian Government, Swedish International Development Agencies and Australian Agency for International Development. CDMP is designed to strengthen the
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Bangladesh disaster management system and to achieve a paradigm shift from reactive response to proactive risk reduction culture.
CDMP (2010-2014) is a vertical and horizontal expansion of its Phase I activities designed based on the achievements. lessons learned and tile strong foundation laid during CDMP I by continuing the processes initiated deriving actions from the lessons learned. utilizing knowledge resources generated and knowledge products published.
The approach of CDMP II is to channel support through government and implementing partners, civil society and NGOs into a people-oriented disaster management and risk reduction partnership. That partnership will promote cooperation. provide coordination, rank priority programmes and projects, and allocate resources to disaster management activities. risk reduction activities and climate change adaptation activities in Bangladesh.
CDMP II offers an outstanding opportunity to improve linkages with, and synergies between,. disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change. This applies both at the community and at the general Stakeholder level. The linkages are clearly expressed in many of the activities outlined in the operational outcomes of the project design, as well as through strengthened institutional capacities.
CDMP II is designed around the following six interrelated outcome areas:
Outcome 1 Development of strong, well-managed and professional institutions in Bangladesh that is able to implement a comprehensive range of risk reduction programmes and interventions at tile national level, as well as contributing to regional actions, international learning and best practice.
Outcome 2 Reduced risk to rural populations through structural and non-structural interventions, empowerment of rural communities and improved awareness of, and planning for, natural hazard events, including the likely impacts of climate change.
Outcome 3 Reduced risk to urban populations through structural and non-structural interventions, improved awareness of natural hazard events and the piloting of urban community risk reduction methodologies targeting the extreme poor.
Outcome 4 Improved overall effectiveness and timeliness of disaster preparedness and response in Bangladesh by strengthening management capacity and coordination as well as networking facilities at all levels.
Outcome 5 Better disaster-proofing of development funding across thirteen ministries. This will achieved by generating increased awareness of hazard risks and the provision of technical information, advisory services and resources to stimulate positive changes in planning and investment decisions over the long-term. Outcome 6 Community-level adaptation to disaster risks from a changing climate is effectively managed.
MOU/CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC Page 7
79 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
CDMP as an indistinguishable programme, so far has attained notable success in flood management. In last eight Nears, CDMP in cooperation with partners has accomplished following project: 1. "Adopting Early Warning System to Address Flash Flood in the Deeply Flooded Haor Basin in Tahirpur of Sunamganj District"; in partnership with Centre for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS) 2. "Risk Management Framework LDRRAP"; in partnership with Grameen Jano kallayan Sangsad (GJKS) 3. "Flash Flood Study of Sunamganj District for the development of an Early Warning System, Bangladesh"; in partnership with Department of Geology, Dhaka University 4. 'Dissemination of flood warning at community level" in partnership with Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre.
3.2 Bangladesh Ansar& Village Defence Party Bangladesh Ansar and VDP is a very unique organization with equal opportunity for both Men and Women. The Force has the highest level of community interaction. Statute has enabled this force as one of the law enforcing agencies working under the Ministry of Home Affairs in Bangladesh. Ansar officers are members of Law and Order Committees at Upazilla [Sub-District], District, Division and national levels. Ansar Bahini and Battalion Ansar are discipline forces as defined in Article: 152 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Ansar-VDP members arc dedicated for maintaining law and order abreast and ensuring human security all over Bangladesh. The organization consists of the following three basic components: A. The Ansar Bahini (Commonly known as Sadharon Ansar). B. The Battalion Ansar, C. The Village Defense Party (VDP).
Mission: To ensure safety and security of rural Bangladesh, mobilize the force for socio-economic development and to come under operational control of Army during emergency/war.
Motto of the organization,”Everywhere for Peace, Discipline, Development & Security”
OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF THE FORCE: Members of Ansar and VDP are presently engaged in three types of operations. Those are: A. Law and Order Operation B. CHTs Operation C. Development Operation
Development Operation: In order to promote poverty alleviation and economic development of the country. Ansar-VDP members have so for participated in various socio-economic programs, projects and activities like Depot Holder Project, Immunization Program. Rural Sanitation Program, Mass Education & TLM, Plantation. Advocacy on Reproductive Health & Gender Issues, Unnata Chulli Project. Disaster Management Program, etc.
MOU/CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC Page 8
80 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
Disaster Management and Bangladesh Ansar& V DP During disasters like flood, cyclone, earthquake or any epidemic the members of ANSAR-VDP take part in disaster management work with all other concerned agencies. After the devastating floods of 1970, 1987,1988, 1998 and the cyclones of 1991, 2007, 2009 and 2010 members of ANSAR-VDP took part in all kinds of rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction works. During any epidemic or health hazards in the rural areas members of the organization always extend their help and assistance to the people. Humanitarian assistance is one of the great assets of ANSAR & Village Defence Party. ANSAR-VDP members are always motivated for tree plantation and use of bio-technology in agriculture. In most of the training courses the issue of climate change and the ways of adaptation are covered.
As stated in the SoD, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP has significant roles and responsibilities in Disaster Preparedness and post disaster period. Their involvement in disaster-related activities includes all the stages of Disaster Management, from Risk Reduction to Emergency Responses.
Support all Local Committees at the field level 'I hr field level units i.e. tile Ansar Company at UHQs, the Ansar platoons at each Union & the VDP Platoons (male + female) at each village can extend the first hands of assistance to both the affected people & the local disaster management committees. They have always extended all sorts of co-operation & assistance in relief operations both with civil & military authorities in the past.
3.3 Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre Disaster Management requires highly professional skill. The Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre (BDPC) is the brainchild of Mr. Muhammad Saidur Rahman. Director of BDPC, who was the first director of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme, BDPC was established in 1992 as Bangladesh's first independent, local NGO focused solely on disaster risk management (DRM). Devastating floods in 1988 and a cyclone claiming 138.000 lives in 1991 highlighted the need for a shift from post-disaster response to pre-disaster preparedness. BDPC set out to put vulnerable communities at the centre of disaster management. adopting a community-based approach. complemented by advocacy, policy advice and knowledge sharing. Twenty years later, change is evident. Disaster risk reduction has been integrated into policies and practices. disaster management committees have been formed from national to local levels of government and public awareness programs have been established. BDPC has been one of many players in this process of change, alongside the Government of Bangladesh and numerous local and international NGOs. This extensive history of working with vulnerable communities has provided BDPC with an excellent understanding of the hazards faced by vulnerable communities, their current coping strategies and their needs for capacity building. Numerous Community Risk Assessments have been conducted with the participation of community members, to identify the sped lie risks, capacities and needs of individual communities. In addition to community level capacity building. BDPC regularly conducts training sessions with disaster practitioners and institutions and is regularly engaged by other institutions to conduct training courses or produce training materials on their behalf. Therefore, numerous training modules, manuals and handbooks have been developed by BDPC. Furthermore, BDPC has conducted training courses and produced materials for a wide range of audiences, with varying levels of literacy and DRR knowledge.
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81 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
BDPC, in last 20 years has promoted different community-based flood management programme across the flood-prone areas of Bangladesh. BUPC’s significant exertion invested till dates are as follows: 1. “Community-based Flood Information System (CMS)”; in partnership with Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), Bangladesh and Riverside Technology. Inc (RTi), USA 2. “People-oriented Flood Warning Dissemination Procedure”; in partnership with Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) 3. “Strengthening of Flood Warning and Preparedness System”; in partnership with Disaster Management Bureau (DMI3) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 4. “Community Based All Hazards Early Warning and Dissemination Systems”; in partnership with Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP). 5. “Dissemination of flood warning at community level” in partnership with Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP). 6. “Operationalization of an Effective Local Disaster Risk Reduction Action Plan (LURRAP)” in partnership with Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP). 7. “Improved Dissemination of Flood Forecasting and Warning”; in partnership with DANIDA. 8. “Implementation of Disaster Preparedness and Management Plans for Meghna-Dhanagoda Irrigation Project (MDIP) and Pabna Irrigation & Rural Development Project (PIRUP)”; in partnership with Bangladesh Water Development Board. 9. “Development of a training manual - Handbook on “Family and Community Level Disaster Preparedness” for flood and cyclone-prone areas”; Department For International Department (DFID) 10. “Promotion of Family and Community Level Flood Preparedness through public awareness program”; in partnership with European Union through (APS)
BDPC will provide all technical and professional support to Bangladesh Ansar-VDP. Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC will detail out all the activities agreed in this MoU. soon after signing. Both the Flood Preparedness Programme executing parties will sign further financial agreement prior to execution of the programme.
4. MoU Rationale:
The first Party Requires a MoU with the Second and third Parties Because of 4.1 CDMP is mandated to work with or through the Government of Bangladesh 4.2 DG. ANSAR-VDP as part of the Ministry of I1ome Affairs for ensuring human security for community people at the village level. 4.3 Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre, registered with NGO bureau, devoted to empowering disadvantaged communities and capacity building of GO-NGO officials and national advocacy for disaster risk reduction 4.4 Piloting Flood Preparedness Programme in Sirajganj and Gaibandha Districts to better prepare vulnerable communities to withstand adverse situation and justify expandability throughout the country utilizing the unique structural presence of VDP up to grassroots level.
MOU/CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC Page 10
82 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
Area of Cooperation
The articulated project herein understood has incorporated a series of customized endeavour. Bangladesh Ansar and VDP and Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre will be FPP executing parties with the financial support from CDMP. The piloting phase of Flood Preparedness Programme in Sirajganj and Gaibandha Districts has been designed with following components: 1. Capacity Enhancement 2. Establishment of Institutional Linkage 3. Community Mobilization 4. Strengthening Flood Warning System 5. Family and Community level Preparedness through Massive Public Awareness
5. Institutionalizing family and community preparedness with respect to flood CDMP will provide financial and technical supports to accomplish the services as mentioned in clause 1.2. It is expected that Bangladesh Ansar and VDP shall take necessary steps to institutionalize the whole Flood Preparedness Programme for family and community through their own initiatives as soon as CDMP-II support is over. The said organization under the Ministry of Home Affairs will try to mobilize resources to continue the programme at all levels starting from HQ to the village. Moreover, the organization will take further necessary actions to expand the programme in other flood-prone districts where Ansar-VDP has their operation. 6. Maintenance of MoU: Modification of the scope of this agreement shall be made by the issuance of a written modification by all parties prior to any changes being performed. hey officials are the primary points of contacts and are responsible for implementing the provisions of this agreement. The key Officials agency will be designated by the signatory as the representative for that agency. 7. Duration and termination of MoU: This MoU shall enter effect on the day it is signed and remain active until 31 December 2014unless mutually agreed on and amended by all parties in writing only. Any Extension or significant modification of this MoU shall be by agreement of the all parties. The changes will be contained in an addendum to this MoU, describing the precise terms and conditions that apply to the extended agreement. The MoU may be terminated by either party two weeks or fifteen days (15) after the date of receipt a written notice of termination. Any dispute arising in connection with the interpretation or application of the Mot shall be settled through consultation and mutual agreement. 8. FOCAL POINT TERMS OF REFERENCE
CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BUPC: will nominate one Focal Point each who will be responsible for implementation. co-ordination and harmonization. Pro-active support and interaction of the Focal Point is crucial in the operationalisation of mainstreaming approaches.
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83 Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Disaster Management and Relief Bhaban (6th Floor), 92-93 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 989 0937; 882 1255; 882 1459. Fax : + 880 2 989 0854, Email : [email protected], Web : www.cdmp.org.bd
Focal Points are to serve as the operational contact points of their respective organizations. They are to be experts having appropriate position in CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC and having an overview of objectives, authorities, role. duties and responsibilities of their own organizations.
Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC will sign a Memorandum of Agreement, Financial Agreement and Letter of Agreement (LOA) with the National Project Director, CDMP. The MOU, FA and LOA will outline overall aims and objectives, and define the extent of advisory support and financing to be provided by the project to support agreed activities. Bangladesh Ansar and VDP will nominate a Focal Point who will have dual reporting and accountability functions - to the NPD and to his/her own directorate or line manager - and will hold the following responsibilities:
Duties & Responsibilities The Focal Points are responsible on behalf of Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC, for: • Implementation of policy guidelines/directives developed to improve the effectiveness of Disaster Preparedness at the community level according to the MOU. • Proper coordination and harmonization of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP and the Ministry of Home Affairs and BDPC. • Focal Point from Bangladesh Ansar-VDP will act as 'Member-Secretary', to a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) overseeing implementation: • Focal Point from Bangladesh Ansar-VDP will serve as the primary point of contact and liaison with CDMP’s Inter-ministerial Coordination Officer (IMCO) and other relevant CDMP Specialists; • Ensure the preparation of project documents including work plans and budgets; • Ensure the preparation and submission of requests for half yearly NEX advances to CDMP Management Support Unit (MSU); • Ensure the implementation of agreed project activities and reports requirements from CDMP. • Ensure appropriate monitoring of progress and quality assurance; • Ensure that the necessary technical experts are engaged in projects to facilitate the expected outputs agreed in the project; • Prepare requests for procurement of needed goods and services for agreed activities for processing by MSU; and • Ensure representation at Project Coordination (Project Board) and Steering Committee meetings.
9. TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP (TWG) TERMS OF REFERENCE
A seven member Technical Advisory Group (TAG) including one each from CDMP. DDM, BDPC and FFWC shall be formed in the HQ of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP. The TWG can adopt more in case of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP feel more members areneeded in the TAG for technical/administrative support. The major responsibilities will be:
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• Provide technical and policy guidance to the project Focal point (CDMP, Ansar-VDP and BDPC) • Develop strategies to carry out project activities and provide necessary administrative support • Ensure that the project activities are targeted to strengthen disaster management capacity and coordination of all stakeholders including Bangladesh Ansar and VDP, BDPC and community at all level. • Endorse the project work plan and budget. hire resource persons and procure necessary equipment and material according to Bangladesh Ansar-VDP rules and regulation. • Monitoring and evaluate the project activities after regular interval • Coordinate to share outputs with all other stakeholder including Ministry of Home Affairs.
TAG committee will be able to shift the budget 10% +/- within the line items.
10. Intellectual Property Rights: All the parties shall acknowledge each other as the source of information and resources whenever it is used.
11. Signatures: Each Party shall receive a copy of fully executed Memorandum of Understanding which is deemed as original.
National Project Director. Director General. Director, Comprehensive Disaster Management Bangladesh Ansar and VDP Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre Programme (CDMP) Ministry of Home Affairs Registered with NGO Affairs Bureau Disaster Management and Relief Division Under Prime Minister’s Office Ministry of Food and Disaster Management
Date: Date: Date:
MOU/CDMP, Bangladesh Ansar-VDP and BDPC Page 13
85 Annex 10
Research and Writing Team Muhammad Saidur Rahman Consultant Nasimul Haque Associate Consultant
Research Associates Umme Khadiza Shajib Kamal Munshi Syeda Lamia Hossain Zafrin Akhter
Volunteers Md. SamadMiah (Chowhali) Zakir Hossain Miraj (Borguna) Md. MonjurulAlam (Kutubdia)
Special Thanks to: Md. Tarik-ul-Islam Assistant Country Director UNDP, Bangladesh Atiq K. Ahmed Program Specialist (Early Warning Systems) Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre
86 Published by Coastal Livelihoods Adaptation Project (CLAP) on behalf of the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM) Implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Responsible for publication Dr. Purnima Doris Chattopadhayay-Dutt
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Text Muhammad Saidur Rahman
Design and printing by Sikder Enterprise
Photo credit ECPP/IFRC/Amcross: Cover page CLAP/GIZ: CPP Volunteers;First aid/search & rescue training FPP/BDPC: FPP Volunteers
Place and date of publication Dhaka - Bangladesh March, 2015
Disclaimer The expressed in the case studies do not represent the official views and/ or policies of GIZ or any of the organizations, institutions, or bodies named along this publication
87
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