Learning disaster response

There are many lessons to learn from Cyclone Mora and one of the most important ones is in understanding how differently Bangladesh responded to it. As the cyclone moved to Bangladesh, warning systems increased from seven to ten and about 300,000 people are estimated to have been evacuated to safe shelters in a matter of hours. 

Torrential rains and a low pressure zone in the Bay of Bengal that triggered floods and landslides in Sri Lanka killing over 200 people developed into Cyclone Mora but when it eventually made landfall in Bangladesh about five lives were lost. The difference is stark, especially given that Bangladesh is also a developing country with minimal resources.   

Bangladesh has experienced over 200 natural disasters since 1980, leaving a total death toll of approximately 200,000 people and causing economic loss worth nearly $ 17 billion. Every year, it is estimated that the Bangladeshi economy loses 1.8% of its GDP due to natural disasters with as much as 14% exposed to disasters. Eventually in 1998 the Government gradually started making stronger progress in dealing with emergency situations. 

In order to make a disaster management system operative in an effective and efficient manner Bangladesh instituted institutional frameworks and a legal and policy framework. Among the public sector institutions, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, established in 1972, is the apex body, which currently focuses on the complete disaster management concept, and has taken shape as a separate ministry. 

The Government has restructured and established the Disaster Management Department as the main organ or instrument in the field for implementing and coordinating various forms of disaster management activities. It merged the two organisations – the Disaster Management Bureau (established after the 1991 cyclone) and the Directorate of Relief and Rehabilitation established earlier. 

For the dissemination of early warning signals of cyclones to the communities in the coastal zone, the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP), a globally renowned volunteer organisation of Bangladesh, which combines volunteerism and communication technology, was established in 1972 after the devastating Bhola Cyclone. The organisation has been restructured and rejuvenated through training, technology upgrades and extension of the areas per the changing cyclone route. 

Besides these reformed organisations, there are frontier organisations like the Bangladesh Metrological Department, Flood Forecasting and Warning Center, Water Development Board, Fire Service and Civil Defense. In the last couple of years, these organisations have also been strengthened significantly.

The most demanded legal instrument was enacted in 2012 viz. the Disaster Management (DM) Act – incorporating existing orders, reforming institutions, envisaging new institutions, putting necessary mechanisms in place and making the disaster management system accountable with mandatory legal provisions. They also have a Cabinet-approved Disaster Management Plan and a five-year Climate Change Action Plan. The Environment Ministry also prepared the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan and National Plan of Action. 

Understandably Bangladesh shares much in common with Sri Lanka including political ineptitude. It took them many disasters to develop their disaster response. Just as the people turned to each other for help they now have to keep the pressure on the Government to ensure that promised Doppler technology, crackdowns on illegal buildings, stockpiling of essential items and other components of a disaster policy are implemented.