5. Side Event Title: Risk Identification and the National Capacity to Manage Risk
(Tuesday 10 May 13.15 – 14.15 Room C-CCV )
LOOKING BACK TO THE FUTURE:
BANGLADESH’ QUEST FOR NATIONAL CAPACITY FOR RISK IDENTIFICATION
In Bangladesh, disaster occurrence is a matter of when rather than if and how bad. The frequency and
intensity are only worsened by the more apparent impacts of climate change. It is a matter of national
survival that Bangladesh must have a better disaster and climate change risk intelligence capabilities.
This acute awareness of the need has been propelling the Country into the endless search for an
effective, robust, and sustainable disaster management information management system.
The government of Bangladesh adopted a revised ICT Policy of 2002 with the vision of expanding and
diversifying the use of ICTs in order for supporting the national goal of becoming a middle-income
country within ten years and a developed country within thirty years. A revised ICT policy 2009 is aligned
with the national goals and other national policy and incorporated new policy directions in line with
technological advancements. Particular action agenda was drawn for disaster management as follow:
Protect citizens from disasters through ICT-based disaster warning and management technologies
 Utilize remote sensing technologies for disaster management and mitigation.
 Web-based environmental clearance certification system
 Promote cell phone/SMS-based disaster warning systems
 Utilize GIS based systems to monitor flood & cyclone shelters
 Promote efficient relief management and post disaster activities monitoring
Utilize GIS based systems to ensure equitable distribution of relief especially for the hard-to-reach areas.
Accordingly, sizeable resources have been allocated for information and communication technology.
Along with the spirit of the “Digital Bangladesh”, the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management
allocates formidable efforts to spur up the risk identification to generate evidence basis for risk
reduction and response preparedness. In this regard the Government of Bangladesh in collaboration
with development partners put together a Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP)
which mandate covers the development of a professional disaster management system including the
automation and modernization of information management for, among others, risk identification.
At this juncture after spending sizeable resources overtime, Bangladesh is looking for model and
solution to break the impasse or the Country will continue operating in responsive mode – quite to the
contrary to the national strategic direction to shift the paradigm from relief to risk reduction.
Looking towards the future, such solution must optimize the national capacities for risk identification,
address the intrinsic shortcomings of each scheme and provide the operational linkages amongst them.
Ultimately, the solution MUST provide the shift from the responsive to the predictive mode and thus
helps guide Bangladesh’ strategic intervention for disaster and climate change risk reduction.
Information Management Needs
The policy requires many action plans, updates and periodic status reports from the different
stakeholders in conjunction with their respective roles and responsibilities specified. This is essential for
promoting a common understanding and coordinating risk reduction and response actions.
Institutions Needs for Information1
Hazard
Risk Reduction
Emergency Response
Rehabilitation
River flood
 Vulnerability of settlements and
infrastructure
 Availability of shelter
 Availability of relief food and
medicine
 Vulnerability of settlements and
infrastructure
 Availability of shelter
 Availability of relief food and
medicine
Riverbank
erosion
 Vulnerability of settlements and
infrastructure
 Possibility of erosion induced
flooding
 Availability of shelter and land for
rehabilitation
Drought
 Source of water for irrigation
 Water for drinking and other
domestic purposes
Monga
 Opportunities for alternative
employment
 Availability of relief food stocks
and programs
Flood onset & extent
Flood depth and duration
Water level changes
Affected areas and population
Availability of shelter
Availability of relief
Flood prediction
Rainfall prediction
Expected time of flood recession
Flood depth
Affected areas and population
Availability of shelter
Availability of relief
Erosion prediction
Risk of erosion induced flooding
Affected areas and population
Time when erosion expected
Shelter and land for resettlement
Availability of food relief
Duration of drought
Possibility of rain
Water for irrigation
Water for domestic purposes
Affected areas and population
Availability of food relief
Severity Predictions of exacerbating
flood and erosion
 Opportunities for alternative
employment
 Availability of relief materials
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Flash flood
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Cyclone
 Availability of shelter
 Volunteer network
 Cyclone prediction: severity, area
affected
 Availability of shelter
 Volunteers available
 People affected
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1
Source: CDMP-DMIC Needs Assessment Survey Report, 2006
Areas and people affected
Nature of loss and damage
Strategy for agricultural rehabilitation
Availability of resources for
rehabilitation
 Areas and people affected
 Nature of loss and damage
 Availability of resources for
rehabilitation
 Extent and type of land eroded
 Loss of private and public
infrastructure
 Number of people affected
 Availability of resources for
rehabilitation
 Loss of crop due to drought
 Strategy for agricultural rehabilitation
 Availability of resources for
rehabilitation
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Availability of credit
Alternative employment training
Alternative cropping pattern
Availability of resources for
rehabilitation
Loss of lives
Damage to private property
Damage to public property
Availability of food, medicine and
clothing as relief
National Capacities for Responding to the Information Management Needs
There have been numerous projects and initiatives mounted to address the needs for risk identification.
More often than not, such initiatives are costly and technology intensive. The followings are some
example of such undertakings in Bangladesh that require harmonization and / or convergence.
Disaster Management Information Network (DMIN) Portal
This portal is to facilitate sharing, coordinating and disseminating information, programs and guidelines
from source down to the last mile. It is intended to enable a national Disaster Management Information
Centre (DMIC) to collect, analyze and disseminate information for risk identification, reduction and
emergency response linking the DMIC with government agencies, NGOs and other organizations at the
regional, national and local levels.
BMD
FFWC
CEGIS
Disaster
management
statistics
National level water
level predictions
Met alerts
Met observations
Erosion and
local level
water level
predictions
MoFDM
IWM
DMB
Reports
Water-related
analytical data
DRR
Directives, reports
Reports
BBS
Reports
Socio-economic data
Directives, reports
District Relief
and
Rehabiliation
Officer
Reports,
BMD field
observation stations
Met observations
Directives, reports
DMIC
Reports
Assessment support
information
Directives
Upazila Project
Implementation
Officer
Risk reduction,
early warning,
emergency response
information
Union
Parishad
Chairman
Reports,
action plans
CRA Contractors
Risk reduction,
early warning,
emergency response
information
NGO and GoB disaster information users
early warnings
SOD outputs
Community SMS subscribers
A Disaster Management
Network (DMIN) web
portal developed for
sharing and coordinating
disaster management
information as well as
early warning messages
with various features
including registration,
alert, database,
dissemination, discussion
forum , etc.
Other GoB agencies with SOD roles
Information on Community Risk Reduction Programme (ICRRP):
In the course of developing disaster risk reduction system, Bangladesh devised the Community Risk
Assessment (CRA) a participatory, community-based, and bottom up methodology to assess the disaster
and climate change risks at the community level. The average one month-long process captures all
elements of risk at local level, i.e. the hazards, vulnerabilities, exposure, at-risk elements and the coping
mechanisms. Results of the detailed CRA provided the basis for the formulation of Risk Reduction Action
Plan (RRAP) by the community themselves and government authorities. During the period of 2005 to
2010 there have been some 650 CRAs conducted in 11 Districts. The ICRRP was developed, in part, to
absorb the CRAs’ outputs in a GIS based prototype MIS to allow planners and decision makers to fetch
the different summarized information regarding the communities’ disaster risks particularly pertaining
to prevention, preparedness, response and reconstruction. The database was then converted into the
web based format for easy access to all as well as for their updating by the stakeholder organizations.
Disaster Incidence Database (DIDB):
This is a GIS based open source, with PostagreSQL in the back- end and a Web GIS interface in the fontend, to track and store relevant information on disasters in Bangladesh and make it accessible online. It
is an interactive web-based system consists of a tabbed interface, including tables, dynamic query and
maps. The database is based on the Global Identifier Number (GLIDE) with an ID number composed by:
the disaster type code (i.e. FL), 4 digits for the year (2008) and 4 digits for the ID number (0008).
Disaster Damage Information System (DDIS):
This System is used to collect damage information from upazilla, district and national levels. It
aggregates the data entered at the lower levels and archives them in a database. This software is
customizable and possible to create any type of form to collect data through a web interface. There are
some in built templates included within the application to be readily usable for disaster. Other features
include disaster event searching, reporting, BBS data, form creator, system customization etc.
Cyclone Shelter Database
Cyclone Shelter Management Information System Provides detailed information on a specific cyclone
shelter where people take shelter due to disaster threat. This is used by disaster managers as well as by
the community for planning and own safely purposes.
Climate Change Database
The Database was established for planners, scientists,
researchers, development professionals of government and
private sectors for better management of risks associated
with long-term climate change scenarios. It is designed to
help access existing knowledge and information; to provide a
centralised web, to to organize data and information; to
promote awareness, advocacy and coordination for climate
change adaptation and risk reduction. Being the first of its
kind in Bangladesh, the Database was aspired to facilitate the
adaptation strategies and plans based on climate-related
information.