Bangladesh tells UN needs more cyclone shelters

This May 2010 photo shows Nasiran standing on a river dam with her grandson as she describes the devastation of cyclone Aila, in Gabura, Satkhira. REUTERS/Andrew Biraj

LONDON (AlertNet) – Storm-prone Bangladesh has a “huge shortfall” in cyclone shelters and fears its network of embankments is inadequate to protect its coastline from rising sea levels, the U.N. office for disaster risk reduction (UNISDR) said on Thursday.

Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Bangladesh’s minister of food and disaster management, told the U.N. Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlström that the country has only 3,000 cyclone shelters when it needs a total of 5,000.

The gap is of note because Bangladesh is often held up internationally as an example of a state that has made substantial progress in protecting vulnerable communities from cyclones through measures like simple early warning systems and shelters. Cyclone season begins on April 1 in the South Asian nation.

The minister added that many sea embankments need to be replaced or strengthened as they are more than 50 years old, according to UNISDR.

Wahlström, in the country for a three-day visit, described Bangladesh as “the epitome of resilience”.

It has proved this through its successful efforts to reduce mortality from cyclones over the last 40 years, including effective early warning, social mobilisation and putting shelters in place, she added in a speech to 1,500 government officials on Bangladesh's National Disaster Preparedness Day.

But the country now faces rising threats from climate change, including more intense storms and higher seas. The Asian Development Bank rates Bangladesh as the most vulnerable Asian country to climate change.

QUAKE THREAT

Wahlström said Bangladesh must also grapple with earthquake risk, with more than a third of the population, over 40 million people, living in seismic zones.

"I am heartened to hear that the same dedication which the country has devoted to protecting the population from cyclones is now being applied to earthquake risk,” she said.

The full implementation of the Bangladesh National Building Code would be “an important first step towards minimising casualties", she added. As part of its 2010-2015 National Plan for Disaster Management, the government aims to update and ensure compliance with the code.

In addition, Dhaka has issued a policy directive to integrate risk assessment into all state-funded development projects, according to UNISDR.

And it has incorporated the consideration of risks into planning across 16 government ministries, with a particular focus on risks stemming from climate change, rapid urbanisation and seismic events.

Wahlström will meet with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday to discuss how Bangladesh can promote policies on adaption to climate change, and disaster risk reduction programmes at a regional level, UNISDR said.

- AlertNet