Research on
Environment: Developmental Strategy for Cyclone

Dev 101
Brac University

Group Members: * Sadman Kabir Mohammed * Shamma Nafisa * Nusrat Sarmin * Tanzibul Islam Ridoy *
Environment: Developmental strategy for Cyclone
Bangladesh is a newly independent country; this country is only 43 years old. But, within her little age she faces different problems. Still she is fighting and her only weapon is development. Bangladesh passed her four decades through different development projects. Among them environmental developments is one of her priorities. Environment is that section which controls other development process such in a way that if it is not ensured other developments will not going to fit. Moreover, it is environment which leads a nation how will be its economy, health care policy, education system and most important way of development; is it going to take more time or less. So, environment development is most important.
According to world caution report 2012 in case of climate vulnerability among all 173 countries Bangladesh is 5th. From 1980 there have been more than 200 natural disaster occurred in our country, about 200,000 people died, more than 17 billion dollar of wealth damaged. But most of these disasters are cyclone. As Bangladesh stands beside the Bay of Bengal, every year in the month of April, May, October & November there is always cyclone. As most of the people go to southern districts to seek job, the chance of losing valuable lives are high. If the preparation and the structural development against this type of natural disaster are not high enough the country will automatically loss its valuable assets known as man power.
The major focus of this research is the preparation against cyclone and after cyclone the developmental strategy of this country. In a developing country like ours it is much more important to have the strategically development process in order to reduce the damage.
The research is based on two questions: 1. How Bangladesh is developmentally prepared to fight against cyclone? 2. After cyclone what development strategy does Bangladesh have?
Now, Bangladesh should develop its infrastructure through different project such as cyclone shelter making project, urban sanitation, constructing multipurpose shelter, giving training etc. the development process will include transparency, participation from responsible people and also must have the ability to gather more relief during crucial time. Another thing is managing time and act according the command; here taking all the people in a safe place, supplying necessary goods and maintaining the rules and order is important. After cyclone is another important time. This time responsible people must act faster. They have to send the relief, collecting funds, rebuilding the damaged properties, supplying medicine etc.
Bangladesh has a great history of cyclones. This epidemic disaster has become very familiar in this country. Over the last 30 years and especially after 1991 cyclone, the methodology has developed considerable experiences and expertise in managing a wide range of disaster relief operations primarily concerned with cyclones. Over last 30 years different scales of cyclones have been affecting the country with loss of valuable lives and property.

Cyclones affecting Bangladesh since 1971

Date | Year | Max wind speed in Kms/hr | Storms surge ht.(in ft) | Deaths | 08 may | 1971 | - | 8-14 | - | 30 Sep. | 1971 | - | 8-14 | - | 06 Nov. | 1971 | - | 8-14 | - | 18 Nov. | 1973 | - | 8-13 | - | 9 Dec | 1973 | 122 | 5-15 | 183 | 15 Aug. | 1974 | 97 | 5-22 | - | 28 Nov | 1974 | 162 | 7-16 | a few | 21 Oct. | 1976 | 105 | 8-16 | - | 10 Dec. | 1981 | 97 | 6 | 02 | 15 Oct. | 1983 | 97 | - | - | 09 Nov. | 1983 | 122 | - | - | 03 June | 1984 | 89 | - | - | 25 May | 1985 | 154 | 10-15 | 11,069 | 29 Nov. | 1988 | 162 | 5-12 | 2000 | 29 April | 1991 | 225 | 20-25 | 138000 | 02 May | 1994 | 200 | - | 170 | 25 Nov. | 1995 | 100 | - | 6 | 19 May | 1997 | 225 | 15 | 126 | 26 May | 1997 | 150 | 10 | 70 |
Source: MOEF

In the 1991 ‘super cyclone’ (which was a storm of exceptional intensity with wind velocities up to 225 km/hr) a large number of deaths occurred mainly in three coastal districts in the Eastern Zone: Chittagong (79,697 dead and 2600 injured) Cox’s Bazaar (51.147 dead and 133,000 injured) and Noakhali (8,878 dead and 995 injured). The loss of life was, however, substantially less than the 1.2 million people killed by the 1970 cyclone. ’91 cyclone event concluded that the warning system in place was not really designed to convey information to local people. In 1991, the “Great Danger” warning was broadcast well in advance of the cyclone but when it increased in intensity and a new, more urgent warning needed to be broadcast, the imminent arrival of the storm could not be communicated to the public. In the 1991 cyclone and the Orissa cyclones in August and October 1999 tidal surges persisted for several days after the cyclone had past. People know that if they have to take refuge, they will need to provide their own food and water especially if a safe and reliable water supply is not assured. In the future, more attention will need to be given to emergency food and water depots, if communities are to survive the extended flooding wreaked by super cyclones. In addition, some NGO-funded shelters built to date may not be high enough to withstand up to 6 meters high surge as occurred in the 1991 cyclone. Measures can be taken at community level to improve their safety during cyclone conditions. These measures include building earth platforms to raise up the houses, planting more trees, which will both break the tidal surge and provided sources of refuge. The Meghna Estuary Study (BWDB: 1988), concluded that it is highly desirable to plant newly accreted land in coastal areas with appropriate mangrove species for cyclone protection to assist in land stabilization and dissipation of wave energy, at the same time making productive use of the land. The existing forecasting system which uses satellite imagery to monitor the formation of cyclone storms is excellent and its capabilities are constantly being upgraded. However, because of the nature of such storms, forecasters are not able to predict the future intensity, speed and direction of such storms. Accurate forecasting is of no benefit unless the information can be conveyed to the people at risk in a timely manner. TV and radio broadcasts are effective tools for communication to people in rural centers (markets and shops) though in emergencies, radio transmission may not be relied upon to inform communities. In the 1991 cyclone, the Dhaka radio station ceased broadcasting at midnight just before the cyclone struck. To make good response there are several committee which are NPDRR, EPAC, CPP, DMTFTF, FPOCG, NGOCC & CSDDWS.

Committee and it works for:

NPDRR | Secretary is the head and combine all the works | EPAC | Minister is the head and it’s a preparation committee | CPP | Practical work combine committee | DMTFTF | Training and awareness committee | FPOCG | Plan making committee during cautious time | NGOCC | It combine all Ngo’s to work together | CSDDWS | This committee is make to ensure broadcasting cyclone signal |

In last ten decades there have been make more than 1500 new cyclone centers. More than 2000 schools are using as cyclone centers. After the cyclone there is also development strategy for Bangladesh. After cyclone the time line is called Red Cross. This is the most important time; here the government has to play a significant role. Rescuing people, giving relief in time, giving health care are the important. Bangladesh has a strategy action plan. Last year in 2014 the action plan was made. For this instance the government stocked more than 16, 98, 52,000 taka to help the people of affected areas. The government also established community radio system which is able give people the news faster and has given permission to 14 different community radio channels. Now in 37 Upazilla’s there is 85 rescue boats. Every boat can carry 30 people at a time.

In order to ensure the Millennium Development Goals that is ensuring environmental sustainability Bangladesh have proposed two options. One is structural option and another one is non-structural option. The following structural and non-structural options are proposed in parallel:

Structural Options

* Construction of flood-proofed access routes to cyclone shelters from each Para local area through community contribution and government-NGO subsidy. * Construction of multi-purpose, multi-storey concrete structures as secular community-owned buildings, e.g. primary school-health centers etc. to act as cyclone shelters rather than be specifically for cyclone refuge. * The safety and adequacy of existing cyclone shelters be evaluated and possible O&M measures reviewed. * Local people be encouraged to build community system for livestock refuge, perhaps through the offer of small subsidies where community contribution in pledged. * Mangrove planting be taken up as a community-managed activity for the purposes of ensuring consensus on land use. * The efficacy of coastal embankments to prevent tidal surge be reviewed and rehabilitated if found to be advantageous.

Non-structural Options

* Improve local communities’ knowledge of how cyclones strike by teaching the history of cyclones in Bangladesh, when and where they strike and how people can protect themselves, where refuges are and the likely seasons of risk in primary and secondary schools in High Risk Areas, in particular. * Through the existing network of local volunteers and Disaster Management Committees, initiate discussions about the community-based precautions which should be taken to protect livestock, assets and houses at Para level, so that even in remote areas, preventive actions can be taken. * Communities are encouraged to undertake a practice exercise to test the capacity of existing cyclone shelters to accommodate all residents. * Improve the accuracy and timing of cyclone warnings by adopting a system of sequenced warnings: first, that a cyclone may strike, secondly, that a change to the waning has occurred as more information about the cyclone is gathered and thirdly, emergency actions to take if the cyclone is near to the area and may strike soon. * Boost confidence of local men and women in the warning system by arranging briefings of each group, in separate meetings, of these changes. * If necessary in local circumstances, designate certain cyclone centers as women’s refuges and appoint volunteer women co-coordinators to link up in an informal women’s network, Para to Para, and be responsible for alerting women locally.

Bangladesh is going through different developmental projects. Though the aim of these projects is to gain sustainability, but still this is not happening. There are some limitations in every sector. The limitations is addressing as the main reason. A study conducted by united nation in 2007 found that in every sector in Bangladesh especially in environment related ministries are lacks in advancement and man power. It also says that 45% of the donor’s money is still unused. The unused money given by Donor’s:

Year | Uses of money (%) | Unused money (%) | 1993 | 52.1 | 47.9 | 1995 | 46.3 | 53.7 | 1997 | 62.7 | 37.3 | 1999 | 49.9 | 50.1 | 2001 | 50.4 | 49.6 | 2003 | 57.8 | 42.2 | 2005 | 63.3 | 36.7 | 2007 | 65.6 | 34.4 | 2009 | 45.1 | 54.9 | 2011 | 39.4 | 60.1 | 2013 | 44.4 | 55.6 | Source: UN

Another important problem is in lack of transparency. When particularly a fund is assigned for a relief, the officer in charge take some money from it. Then the money goes to different hand and when it reached to the poor a little they get. This problem is actually occurred because of no accountability. Sometimes immediate action against the corrupts could not possible because of having no powerful anti corruption commission. There is also a problem in the operative system. The structure is so lengthy that most of the time it is not possible to make any decision as fast as possible. Other important challenge is political situation. Most of the time it is seen that ; the political people try to influence the government officers, so they can get extra advantage. The political people actually take the relief distribution process and they take a huge percentage from that. These obstacles should be taken care of immediately.

To boosting the environment development immediate steps should be taken. The steps could be like: * The money that is coming from foreign donors should be utilized properly. There must be a monitoring committee that will ensure the money is using properly * A strong anti corruption commission must be established. It must be kept out of political influence * Political situation must be in control. Because of it developmental projects are hampering * The government officials must make accountable to their work * More man power must include in relief work so that at an emergency the relief works may not get paused or hampered * The NGO’S must have the freedom to work in emergency time because most of our village people are involved with the activity of NGO’s. * Defected shelters must be repaired and new shelters must be make * Communication technology need to be improved because new communication technologies are much faster than radio signaling system * All the radio and TV channels must include weather forecasting hour so that people can easily be updated about nature. * Awareness must be risen more and public education towards climate resilience must include so that public can easily know the importance of environment * New plan and design must be made for dredging and de-siltation work * Improvement of cyclone warning system must be done * Establishing of a research centre about climate change is necessary. * New risk management policy act -2012 must follow as early as possible Disaster management Act-2012 model:

Finally, it can be conclude that Bangladesh has the budget and the management model. But there are some obstacles. If these obstacles are taken care of; very soon Bangladesh will gain the environment sustainability. If this model can made into action the country will be able to cope up with devastated natural calamities like cyclone. The loss of human lives will be near zero.

Reference:
Ministry of food and Disaster Management (2014). Bangladesher Ghurnijhorer Joruri Prostuti Porikolpona : march 2014, Retrieved from http://