Vulnerability Comparision
4. NGOs Involvement in Disaster Management of Bangladesh
5.Expanding Risk Reduction Programming 5.1 Across Hazards: Update hazard maps such as flood, across hazards and sectors cyclone, drought, earthquake and tsunami. Develop climate
change scenarios and accordingly anticipated hazard risks following climate change
5.2 Establish an Integrated Approach to disaster management including Climate Change and climate variability impacts 6.Strengthening Emergency Response 6.1 Strengthen and improve an all Hazard Early Warning
Systems Systems
6.2 Establish and operate a National Disaster Management Information Centre with an internet connection with all the 64 Districts and high risk Upazila DMCs
6.3 Establish an effective Community Alerting System through capacity strengthening of CPP and DMCs at District, Upazila and Union levels.
6.4 Establish and improve Search and Rescue Mechanism 6.5 Develop and establish emergency response plans 7. Developing and Strengthening 7.1 Establish public and private partnerships for disaster risk regional and global Networks reduction.
7.2 Support regional and global initiatives and ensure representation that is consistent with the government integrated all sector risk reduction approach at all levels
around the world. In Bangladesh, NGOs have made up a vibrant sector and it has been acclaimed worldwide (Khan and Rahman, 2007). Particularly in the disaster management activities of Bangladesh, there are several historical evidence to display that both the national and international NGOs of this country have played diversified and significant roles at different stages of the disaster management cycle of the country. As a matter of fact, the advent of NGO activities in Bangladesh owes its origin to the rehabilitation works immediately after the devastating war of independence in 1971(Haque, C. E., & Uddin, M.
S., 2013). Since then NGOs at both national and international have contributed greatly at different post disastrous situations of Bangladesh. Besides,NGOs like the Grameen Bank and Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) have been able to extend their development and disaster management programs at the international level (Haque, C. E., &
Uddin, M. S., 2013). Furthermore, a study showed that, about 20% of the assistance to emergency response, recovery, and rehabilitation during 1970 cyclone disaster was ensured by NGOs both national and internationals and it was more than 40% in 1991 cyclone disasters (ADB, 2009). Also, NGOs like BRAC, CARE-B and Muslim Aid etc. played exemplary roles at relief, rehabilitation and recovery phases after Sidr (2007), Aila (2009) of Bangladesh (Sarkar. M.A., 2009). It is also a positive factor that, in Bangladesh, a number of NGOs have attempted to study and draw lessons from traditional coping strategies in terms of disaster management (Benson, C. et. al., 2001, Joseph, P., 2006 and Sukhi, T. J., 2014).
Moreover, a study carried out by Haque and Uddin showed that, NGOs such as CARE- Bangladesh, OXFAM-Bangladesh, Action Aid, Intermediate Technology Development Group-Bangladesh, Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Center (BDPC) and Disaster Forum are particularly involved in various pre-, during and post-disaster activities (Haque, C. E., &
Uddin, M. S., 2013). Pre-disaster activities include advocacy, public education campaigns and training programs for personnel involved in disaster management from the national down to the union or local community level. Post disaster activities of NGOs can be broadly classified into three broad time periods i.e. short term, midterm and long term and they contribute their assistance at different sectors of development process to the affected people (Table-2). For instance, after SIDR 2007 BRAC had provided the SIDR affected peoples with seeds, fertilizers and tillage services for land preparation, irrigation and for other cultural activities up to the maximum of taka 5,000 per acre for rice production by instalment. In addition, they had introduced hybrid maize for human consumption as well as for poultry feed, provided grand to poor affected women with seeds for vegetable production and social forestry. These initiatives of BRAC provided an opportunity of quick rehabilitation to the poor affected people of the area and were helpful to restore their pre- SIDR livelihoods (Sarker. M. A., 2009).
Table-2: Summary of Sector wise involvement of NGOs at different time period of post disaster rehabilitation
Again, CARE-Bangladesh and BRAC had ensured safe water supply by providing emergency water treatment tablets and sanitation facilities for the affected of Barguna and Bagerhat (Sarkar. M.A., 2009, Shukhi. T.J., 2013). Even in the recent disaster event of 2015 Komen, NGOs have played a very important role in disseminating the early warning broadcast through radio in line with government agencies. Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) ensured full-time contact and coordination with the coastal community radio stations with support from Free Press Unlimited. Furthermore, one of the most important NGO initiatives for the disaster affected people is their „Cash for Work (CFW)‟ or „Food for Work‟ programs. For example, CARE-B had implemented CFW program with the objective of creating livelihood opportunities like road repairing, homestead gardening and homestead platform rising, and funds to support fishermen. In contrast, BRAC carried out the cash for work program with the objective of creating employment opportunities that would provide additional income for vulnerable households and restore the public rural infrastructures with an average wage of Tk. 100 per person per day to the the cyclone SIDR affected people (specially to the poor women) (Sarker. M. A., 2009).
NGOs also work with local community and generally try to accumulate local knowledge into their disaster management practices. An interesting experience was being shared in the NGO workshop held in BUET regarding the construction of shelter for disaster. Water Aid have thought about a concept titled with “Shelter Catchment Area” based on the local
people‟s comfort to take shelter during disastrous situation and they have a plan to facilitate the chosen places with necessary aids and facilities preferred by the local people. Besides, it was being found that Gono Unnayan Kendro (GUK), local NGO of Gaibandha contribute a lot in disaster management activities of that district specially to the poor char people by extending their activities in post disaster evacuation and distribution of food and emergency medicine to pre-disaster activities like training local people about preparedness measures of disaster. They were also dominantly involved in establishing a community based flood shelter known as “Matir Killa” which is still sustaining since 1996 and has survived almost 5 large flood events till date.
5. A Case Study of NGO Involvement in Disaster Management of Bangladesh