Resourcing for Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction: the Case of Cyclones Sidr and Aila in Bangladesh

RESOURCING FOR POST-DISASTER HOUSING RECONSTRUCTION: THE CASE OF CYCLONES SIDR AND AILA IN BANGLADESH Md Zahidul Islam A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of London South Bank University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy SEPTEMBER 2018 INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, EMERGENCIES AND REFUGEES STUDIES SCHOOL OF LAW AND SOCIAL SCIENCES LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY i DEDICATION ‘’And my success is not but through Allah. Upon Him I have relied, and to Him I return’’ [Al-Quran 11:88] This thesis is dedicated to my beloved wife Reshma and my little angels Raidah Rifayah and Aairah Ameenah without whom I will not be here. ii DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP AND COPYRIGHT I, Md Zahidul Islam, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. In all cases, where it is relevant, material from the work of others has been acknowledged. I declare that the work in this thesis was carried out in accordance with the regulations of London South Bank University. I confirm that none of the work contained within this thesis has previously been submitted by me or any other person for a degree in this or any other University. The contents of this thesis herein have been composed by the author, Md Zahidul Islam. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without prior written consent from the author. Signed………………… Date: September 2018 PUBLICATIONS Parts of this thesis have been published as follows: Islam, Md. Zahidul., Kolade,S., and Kibreab,G., 2018. Post-disaster housing reconstruction: The impact of resourcing in post-cyclones Sidr and Aila in Bangladesh. London: The Journal of International Development, Wiley online Library. Islam, Md. Zahidul., Kolade,S., and Kibreab,G., 2018. The impact of climate governance in increasing resilience among post-cyclone Sidr and Aila affected people of Bangladesh. London: De Montfort University, UK. Islam, Md. Zahidul., Kolade,S., and Kibreab,G., 2018. Disaster vulnerability, coping capacity and resilience in post-cyclone Sidr and Aila affected coastal areas of Bangladesh. (Article under review). iii CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS Islam, Md. Zahidul., Kolade,S., and Kibreab,G., 2017. Resourcing and its implications in post- Sidr and Aila housing reconstruction in Bangladesh. Development Studies Association Conference, Bradford University. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express first and foremost gratitude to the Omnipotent and benevolent almighty who has given me opportunity and ability to complete this study. PhD research is a long journey and the keys to completing it are patience, dedication and study on a regular basis. This study would not have seen the light without the time-bound support and invaluable contributions of many individuals who have shown the trajectory for completing this thesis. I am immensely indebted to the following persons and organisations. I would like to express sincere gratitude to my Director of Studies, Prof. Gaim Kibreab, for his invaluable advice and guidance. I thank him for his impeccable feedback on my drafts and his support in overseeing the logistics of the arrangements for the viva. I would also like to convey my utmost sincerity and gratitude to my Second Supervisor Dr Seun Kolade, as without his prompt response and dynamic supervision, I would not have been able to progress to this stage. I thank him enough for his careful attention to my research, and constructive and critical comments at different stages of my study which helped me to complete this study. I obviously appreciate the late Prof. Michal Lyons, who was my Director of Studies between May 2012 and May 2013, for her advice and critical feedback. I am very grateful to all the participants from the Bagerhat and Satkhira districts who gave their time and shared their opinions and insightful perspectives in the questionnaire survey. I also gratefully acknowledge the participation of individuals working in UNDP, OXFAM, IFRC and other national and international organisations. I give special thanks to Shafiul Alam of Muslim AID, Abdul Awal Sarker of UNDP and Shams Mansoor from BRAC University for providing valuable information and contact details about organisations and individuals who are actively involved in PDHR projects in my study area. They were also a primary source of information regarding the respondents who have been affected severely by cyclones Sidr and Aila. I am also grateful to Musharaf, a member of the South Khali Union of Bagerhat for his assistance in terms of identifying the most devastated areas and the most vulnerable people. I personally thank Mostafa Kamal for providing me invaluable support to manage accommodation during field work. I thank research assistants Amir Molla, and Md Mahbub Molla who helped me in field work for this research and Abdul Wadud Molla for providing support during field work. I also v thank Dr Beverley Goring and Louise Campbell for their supports throughout the duration of the PhD programme and my colleagues at London South Bank University especially Trevor Rendall, Asaduzzaman Khan, Hurso Adam and Towhid Chowdhury who offered valuable suggestions and comments at various times during this study. This acknowledgement would be incomplete without mentioning the support, pray and encouragement of my parents who prayed for the completion of this study and relatives especially Abdul Awal Molla and Hannan Molla who took a special interest in my research and provided invaluable support throughout the duration of PhD programme. I would also like to express sincere gratitude to my mother in law Amena Begum who inspired me a lot to complete this research. Finally, but by no means the least, it wouldn’t have been possible to undertake a PhD at London South Bank University without continuous financial and emotional support of my beloved wife, Reshma. Her perennial support and tenacity towards completion, hard work, and patience have continuously been a source of motivation and inspiration throughout my PhD programme. When I was at final stage of this PhD, she was 40 weeks pregnant with our second baby girl Aairah. I still remember the hard works that she has done during her pregnancy as well throughout PhD journey will be remained as the reason to finish this study. I thank my beloved wife Reshma for providing me invaluable support and inspiration during all critical time of this PhD programme. vi ABSTRACT This study investigates the effectiveness of resourcing in post-disaster housing reconstruction with reference to Cyclones Sidr and Aila in Bangladesh. Through evaluating three key theories- Build Back Better approach, Balance Scorecard approach and Dynamic Competency theories, the synthesis of literature, and empirical fieldwork, this research develops a dynamic theoretical framework that moves the trajectory of post-disaster housing reconstruction towards the reconstruction of more resilient houses. The ultimate goal of any post-disaster housing reconstruction project is to provide quality houses and to achieve high levels of satisfaction for beneficiaries. However, post-disaster reconstruction projects often fail in their stated objectives; only 10-20% housing needs are met, with most houses constructed on a temporary rather than permanent basis. A number of scholars have argued that access to resources can significantly increase the capacity and capability of disaster victims to rebuild their lives, including the construction of new homes. This study draws on structured interviews of 285 villagers affected by cyclones to investigate the effectiveness of resourcing in rebuilding houses after Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and Cyclone Aila in 2009. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 key stakeholders in UNDP, OXFAM, government officials, and national and international NGOs. The results of this study show that recovery rate of cyclone resilient houses that can withstand cyclone is very low and majority of the population are still vulnerable. Furthermore, multiple regression of survey data and thematic analyses of qualitative data indicate that access to resources, level of education, quality of building materials and income-generating activities of the respondents are critical for effective post-disaster recovery. Conversely, resource availability, lack of coordination among participant organisations, corruption and lack of access to appropriate land constituted significant obstacles to livelihood recovery. Finally, this study makes significant theoretical contributions to the theories of post-disaster recovery by introducing access to resources, land, level of education and level of income generating activities as new variables and it also identifies relevant method of measuring the effectiveness of resourcing for post-disaster housing reconstruction by employing parameters of rate of housing reconstruction, vulnerability reduction, poverty reduction, livelihood recovery, beneficiaries’ satisfaction and quality of reconstructed houses by which effectiveness of resourcing can be measured. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ...............................................................................................................................ii DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP AND COPYRIGHT ............................................................. iii PUBLICATIONS .................................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................

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