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National Disaster Preparedness Day

Making cities resilient: Preparing Bangladesh

Stefan Priesner
***With a renewed sense of urgency and determination, I encourage all residents, from government authorities, international partners, and local citizens to get involved, work together, and unite in making Bangladesh a strong, resilient and disaster-ready nation.***
IN our journey towards an "urban world" sometime between 2008 and 2010, the globe crossed a momentous threshold: More than half of the world's population, over 3.5 billion people, are now living in urban areas, and more than a third of them are residents of urban slums. To place that figure in the appropriate context, consider that in 1800, only 3% of the world's population lived in cities.
The development challenges that these changing demographic realities pose require new thinking and new solutions. Urban life may seem appealing to many, but the prosperity on display in emerging cities often belies the tragedy in which many slum residents find themselves without access to safe water, health services, and human security, caught in a persistent vulnerability to disaster.
In Bangladesh, for four decades poverty alleviation was defined by its rural context, and the government and its development partners are only just beginning to realise the scope and scale of urban poverty. Acknowledging that 40% of its population will be urban residents by 2020 the Government of Bangladesh is broadening its vision of disaster management and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is supporting these efforts. The country is a global leader in disaster response, with its innovative practices now being replicated in other parts of the world. But a paradigm shift in thinking is now the need of the hour.
Whilst strengthening our efforts in responding to disasters, we must strategise on ways to reduce the risks that disasters pose, whether they be floods, cyclones or earthquakes. The vision of "Disaster Risk Reduction" seeks to target the vulnerabilities faced by citizens, particularly the poor and the disadvantaged, who often slide
back into poverty as a result of a single catastrophic event. This year's National Disaster Preparedness Day (NDPD) provides an opportunity to reflect upon the strides achieved while also recognising the challenges that remain.
A sea change
UNDP takes pride in supporting Bangladesh in a number of nationally significant and globally valued policy initiatives. The development of a revised Standing Order on Disaster (SOD) with emphasis on disaster risk reduction, the National Plan for Disaster Management (NPDM), the Disaster Management Act (awaiting lawmakers' vetting), the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAP), among others, have positioned Bangladesh as the global leader in disaster management practices.
Since 2004, the redoubled push of the multi-donor Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) has catalysed a paradigm shift away from reactive relief towards proactive
risk reduction on a national scale.
The evolution of institutions, for instance the establishment of the Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) following the 1991 cyclone, has facilitated the institutional anchoring of an integrated approach to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). In keeping with this, Bangladesh has been a lead-
ing force in the professionalisation of disaster risk management.
It is important to appreciate that reducing poverty is an empowering process that enables people to decrease their exposure to risks. Concurrently, by mitigating disaster risk development achievements are safeguarded and, therefore, risks of people
sliding back into poverty are diminished.
This relationship has been pivotal to many poverty reduction initiatives in Bangladesh. The nationally executed Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction (UPPR) supported by UNDP and UKAid mobilises financial assistance to three million urban poor, particularly women and girls, by assist-
ing with planning, implementing and monitoring improvements in living conditions. This programme enables slum residents to improve their habitat, build a secure living environment and address risk factors.
While appreciating the convergence between disaster and development efforts it is important that we take note of the advancements in the realm of urban risk reduction. The CDMP, implemented by the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, has an Urban Community Volunteer Programme which has seen the Fire Service and Civil Defence department train 64,000 volunteers nationwide to be effective first responders in the face of disasters.
Integrating climate change risk management issues in the national primary and secondary education curriculum is also expected to pay back in awareness building and preparedness. Bangladesh has also made significant advancements in improving risk information and establishing early warning systems. Expanding cell phone based early warning system has tremendous potential to bring about a sea change in reaching people at risk in time. The 24/7 Disaster Management Information Centre, its countrywide network and the National Disaster Response Coordination Centre are also contributing to a synchronised national alert and
response system.
Bangladesh's approach to disaster management has resulted in a significant drop in fatalities, whilst protecting livelihoods and assets.
Challenges remain
And yet, much hard work is ahead of us. Bangladesh is not yet ready for a major urban disaster. Much more needs to be done, to promote inter-agency engagement on disaster preparedness and response planning; to address unplanned urban growth; to bolster technical and human resources of city development authorities; to tackle the limitations of the Fire Service to adequately respond; to enforce building codes and integrate disaster vulnerability considerations into the approval processes; not to mention the retrofitting of existing buildings, such as in Old Dhaka or essential infrastructure like hospitals and schools. It is a large and daunting task.
Urbanisation is a global trend; the key is working in partnership to engage and prepare emerging cities in advance. Dhaka, already home to more than 13 million people, is growing at 4% a year, much of which is unplanned. Disaster vulnerabilities in our urban centres are clear and immediate, and they pose special challenges. The earthquake felt in Dhaka a couple of weeks ago reminded us all of this; but urban risk is not limited to earthquakes. We need to remain committed to a multi-hazard approach to urban risk reduction that will see all of our cities safer in the long run.
With a renewed sense of urgency and determination, I encourage all residents, from government authorities, international partners, and local citizens to get involved, work together, and unite in making Bangladesh a strong, resilient and disasterready nation.
The writer Is Country Director, UNDP Bangladesh.