Annex 4: Examples of Good Practices in DRR in Recovery
Title of the Good
Disaster Resilient Habitat (DRH)
practice/case study
Which key area/questions
HFA2 Area 5, DRR in Recovery
the example contributes to
Contribution by (name of country/organization) Bangladesh / UNDP
in partnership with BRAC and local community and Administration.
Abstract
Vulnerable communities exposed to cyclone, typhoon, storm surge
along, the coastal areas of Bangladesh is facing more frequent and
powerful disasters. With current climate change predictions (IPCC
and SREX), the situation will only deteriorate further as evident from
the landfall of super cyclone Sidr and Aila in 2007 and 2009 which
are supposed to happen once in 20 years. Cyclone shelter concept
introduced during late 70’s are found to be inadequate and not
congenial being temporary solution for life saving but assets, means
of livelihood and livestock cannot be protected. It is with this
context, after the cyclone Aila, UNDP Bangladesh in partnership with
BRAC University, Department of Architecture and Disaster
Management demonstrated an innovative initiative of “Disaster
Resilient Habitat”. District Administration of the Satkhira, the most
cyclone
affected district help identify the sites for the affected
village totally shattered by the cyclone for the landless people to be
brought under this risk reduction and recovery programme as a part
of build back better concept with Disaster resilient concept.
Context
Bangladesh coastline is more than 700km long comprised of about
20 percent of the country’s land mass, and yet it is home to more
than 30 million people. Risks to life, property, and the environment
from coastal natural hazard events will increase with the climate
change and its variability along with growth of coastal populations
over the next several decades as indicated in IPCC and SREX reports.
Traditional settlement pattern in the coastal areas are no more
climate resilient. Poor and displaced households are compelled to
live in the vulnerable zones out of the protection. Particularly
location of shelter and home of the poor are scattered in the
vulnerable zones. It is difficult to reach them with warning message
and evacuation by the volunteers in critical moments. Their life and
livelihood is not secured at all and fully depends on the mercy of
nature. These poor isolated households in the coastal vulnerable
areas are excluded in most cases from the public service facility and
even their children hardly go to school. These isolated households
are out of micro-credit coverage and health care services.
In order to address all these concerns “Disaster Resilient Habitat” as
a concept tries to put together all possible risk reduction, elements
of resilient ecological landscape, cyclone resistant homes and school
and socio-economic provisions to address disaster and climate
change risks, create opportunities for access to wider natural and
environmental resources, and poverty reduction in an integrated
manner.
How the problem was
For coastal communities to build such a habitat on their own is
addressed?
difficult to comprehend since most don’t have the economic means.
Any future construction of similar nature will require community
driven participation and management and an element of subsidy.
The entire cost of the habitat was less than that of a 2000 capacity
cyclone shelter. Money from such cyclone shelter projects could be
diverted to efforts in constructing DRHs to make the coastal area a
safer place to live.
Results
The combination of technical expertise and local skill emerged as
creative solution to disaster recovery and risk reduction endeavor as
well. The disaster resilient habitat is a combination of both hardware
and software along with people’s participation resulted a more
structurally and ecologically sustainable solution than cyclone
shelters.
This approach/intervention Inspired the Government and NGOs to
undertake similar initiatives.
a) Key
elements of success of DRH includes (i) community
driven management (participatory, bottom-up decision, (ii) local
risk reduction and recovery capacity building with focus more on
mobilizing indigenous wisdom and technical inputs from experts,
learning and education, technology transfer and governance for
creating enabling environment those produce some solid
knowledge on resilience technologies, (iii) no need to relocate
frequently while early warning served and household assets
including livestock, poultry, duckery and crops could be
protected in place.
Measuring success
Beneficiary families are now in safer condition and engage more
time
in
economic
and
social
development
leading
to
transformational change. However, real test of success/impact of
DRH initiative depends on next extreme event.
HFA 1
Have the result contributed to HFA1 progress in the country?
o
Ministry of Disaster Management has taken into
consideration
to
piloting
location
specific
DRH
implementation. Sixth Five Year Plan has also targeted
implementation of DRH and community infrastructure for
risk reduction.
o
These initiatives are new and it will be better captured in
DRR/HFA progress review in next year.
Did HFA1 play a role in enabling this initiative?
o
HFA2 under DRR-CCA integration can promote such
initiatives with local level risk proof land-use planning and
safer settlement as an example of DRH .
Potential for replication
This initiative has huge potential as effective risk reduction coverage
for both life and livelihood levels with soft and hardware based
solution to the exposed vulnerable population to extreme events
such as cyclone and tidal surge in coastal areas. This requires policy
advocacy at the development partners and government level
decision makers’ level. This initiative can be replicated in other parts
of coastal Bangladesh. This will make people and houses more
resilient to cyclones and storm surges and can contribute to safer
communities. There has been some replication by other
organizations too.
Community participation is essential to the process.
The drawback is the costs of such initiatives. It is not possible for the
low income communities to bear the entire cost of such initiatives.
Subsidies will be required. One way to do this is to allocate a portion
of costs of cyclone shelters to such efforts and since the
communities will be resilient smaller cyclone shelters can be built.
Contact
Dr. Aminul Islam, UNDP Bangladesh
aminul.islam@undp.org