Assignment On

Role of Government and NGOs in Disaster

Management, Relief and Rehabilitation
Operation Programs in Bangladesh

SUBMITTED TO:

Mostafiz Ahmed
Asst. Professor
Department of Social Work
Jagannath University, Bangladesh.

PREPARED BY:

A.M.M Rakibul Hasan

Roll No. 05101587
Reg. No. 102532
Session: 2005-2006
.

Date of submission: 25th April’ 2011

JAGANNATH UNIVERSITY
Role of Government

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The role of the government in disastrous times is to provide civility,
protection and service emergency response to the needs of the people.
Without such services, chaos and mob mentality grows into anarchy.
Government agencies play a critical role during times of disaster. They
are-

Disaster Management Bureau (DMB)

The main role of the Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) is to provide

support to disaster management decision makers, planners and
practitioners at all levels in Bangladesh by acting as a small dynamic
professional unit at a national level to perform specialist functions in the
field of disaster preparedness, local level disaster action and contingency
planning, awareness training, facilitating improved information collection

During Normal Time

 Developing a National Disaster Action Plan, and associated practical

guidelines for those responsible for its implementation.

 Helping line ministries and agencies to develop and test their own
contingency/action plans.

 Helping district- and thana-level authorities to develop and test

their own disaster preparedness plans.
 Working with local authorities, BDRCS/CPP, NGOs and others to help
union councils and village communities in high-risk areas to develop
their own contingency plans and increase their own coping capacity.
 Collaborating with existing training institutes, training materials
development units, and NGOs already engaged in relevant training
activities, to co-ordinate and promote the production of curricula
and relevant training materials for various target groups.

 Collaborating with line agencies, local authorities, existing training

institutes, and relevant NGOs, in planning organizing training for a
wide variety of government personnel, elected officials and others.

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  Establishing facilities, information systems operating procedures,
and telecommunications systems, for a national emergency
operations centre (EOC) control room, for immediate use when an
emergency arises.

 Establishing arrangements for the mobilization of additional

personnel for the EOC and to assist local authorities in the field,
when required.

 Providing a documentation and information services on disaster

management for line agencies and others.
 Working with the Planning Commission and concerned line agencies
to increase awareness of disaster risks and ensure that such risks,
and possibilities to reduce them, are considered and appropriate
measures incorporated in development planning.

 Monitoring and reporting to the Government/Parliament on the risks

faced, the vulnerability of people and economic assets to known
hazards, the status of preparedness in the country and any
delays/bottlenecks in the implementation of disaster
prevention/preparedness programmes and project.
During an Emergency

 Ensuring the effective dissemination of appropriate warnings,

of flood, cyclones (through collaboration with BMD, BWDB, CPP,
Radio, TV, and authorities in particular).
 Activating and operating the national EOC (control room),
receiving, analyzing, storing, incoming information, arranging rapid
reconnaissance and assess mission, where needed.

 Providing secretarial services and expert advice to the

National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) and Inter-ministerial
Disaster Management Co-ordination Committee (IMDMCC).
 Providing information to and liaising with ERD concerning
requirement international assistance, and with Ministry of
Information.

During Post-Disaster Recovery

 Co-operating with the Planning Commission and line agencies, as

required in compiling data on reconstruction requirements and in
coordinating the preparedness of an integrated reconstruction
programme.
 Ensuring that risk reduction measures are built into all
reconstruction programmes as much as possible.

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  Undertaking a final evaluation, or at least a "post mortem", on the
over all operation, drawing lessons and feeding them back to the
IMDMCC training activities and up-dated guidelines.

Bangladesh Armed Forces Division

Armed Forces Division plays a vital role in disaster management as part of
our overall national strategy to cope with disaster. We have a
comprehensive set of standing orders for disaster management (SOD),
delineating the role and responsibility of all concerned agencies in disaster
management. The Food and Disaster Management Ministry is the prime
Government organ on whose request, AFD works primarily in aid to the
civil power to mitigate the crisis. The prime role of AFD is to coordinate the
employment of Armed Forces in disaster management and the overall
relief operation.
Army, Navy and Air Force personnel deployed down to sub district level
who are engaged in the relief operation. A monitoring cell is established to
coordinate with all concerned ministries of the government, which
includes MOFA, MOHA, Civil Aviation, MOFDM, Ministry of Health and of
course friendly Armed Forces.
Armed Forces provide following service to affected population:

 Transportation of relief goods by Air Force assets (Helicopter and

Fixed Wing Air Craft) from Dhaka.
 Transportation of relief goods in affected districts through road
and river route using Army and Naval and Civil assets.
 Augment civil health care service by Armed Forces Medical
Teams.
 Clearing of roads and restoration of road communication.
 Assist in restoration of telecommunication.
 Designate a Disaster Management Focal Point and inform all
concerned.
 Establish effective contact and ensure continuous liaison with
CCDR, NDRCG and MoFDM.
 Ensure necessary and appropriate preparedness along with the
necessary equipments of the three.
 Arrange training on disaster management for task force and
form a group of Armed Forces for emergency deployment for
relief, rescue, and evacuation work effectively.
 Ensure safety and security of installations, establishments,
equipment, personnel and resources.
 Keep budgetary provision for disaster preparedness and

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 management affairs.
 Develop a plan and ensure necessary budget allocation for
disaster emergency operation with a view to respond to the
demand and emergency.
 Undertake training for the Task Force Commander in emergency
response, relief and recovery.

Role of Non Government Organizations

With the government some non government organizations are playing

important role in disaster management. Those are described in below-

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society

Operational Method:
CPP is a mechanism which relies on technical skills and volunteers
commitment for ensuring that all potential victims of an approaching
cyclone are given sufficient warning to 11 million coastal people so as to
enable them to move to safe- sites including cyclone shelters and
buildings. The system starts with the collection of meteorological data
from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), which issues
bulletins including the designated warning signals of an approaching
cyclone. The bulletins are transmitted to the 6 zonal offices and the 30
upazila level offices(sub-district) over HF radio. The upazila offices in turn,
pass it to unions and lower level through VHF radios. The union team
leaders then conduct the unit team leaders immediately. The unit team
leaders with his volunteers spread out in the villages and disseminate
cyclone warning signals almost door to door using megaphones, hand
sirens and public address system.

The programs have at its stock of 42675 trained and devoted volunteers
including 14225 female who often take risk of their live.

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society also has

 Well-built Telecommunication System

 Volunteers organization
 Volunteers Training Program
 Public Awareness Building By
• Public awareness through volunteers.

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 • Cyclone drills and demonstration
• Film/ Video Shows/folk songs
• Publicity campaign
• Radio and Television
• Posters, leaflets and Booklets
• Staging of drama

The BRAC Flood Rehabilitation Programme

The objective of BRAC’s 2004 Flood Rehabilitation Programme is to repair

the damage caused by the flooding and help the poor rebuild their
livelihoods. The rehabilitation Programme will work to repair damage
caused by flooding to three main sectors, each representing a significant
area of

 Health Sector
 Education Sector
 Livelihoods Sector

Under this Rehabilitation programme BRAC is going to distribute soft loan

and flood loan for the victims to reestablished their houses and income
generating programme. Rehabilitation programme included several steps.
BRAC has planned to create a “Disaster Cell” to organize activities on
future coping up mechanism. This cell will organize training, awareness
campaign about different issues of disaster preparedness.

BRAC’s cyclone disaster related learning focused on:

 Early assessment of cyclone effect

 Economic losses
 Post-disaster environment
 Epidemiology of cyclone
 Usefulness of shelters
 Peoples perceptions about cyclone warnings
 Reasons for structural failures of semi pucca buildings
 Impact on nutritional status

This were some issues reported from cyclone related study that, few
cyclone shelters were used less due to lack of proper management of
shelter. Such as, remoteness of the place (not easily accessible and

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approachable road or footpath), terrible physical condition as people used
to use that shelter as a place for defecation and kept their cattle. The
most common problem was the lack of latrines and drinking water. Other
problem included crowding, lack of privacy, no light, no food, and
insufficient supply of proper medicine. There was death incidents occurred
in cyclone shelter due to too many people and suffocation, and diarrhoea
and pneumonia after effect of cyclone. BRAC also experienced that female
mortality is higher than males during disaster. Literacy was found to be
inversely related to death rates that are also a proxy for economic status.
The most important need during disaster is food and clothes. These needs
shifted to housing and then embankments after. This indicates relief
priorities in a post-disaster situation.

CARE Bangladesh amplifies the voices of the poor and the marginalized in
ways that influence public opinion, development practice, and policy at all
levels. This happens as knowledge drawn from our grass roots and global
experience is channeled through purposeful relationships with civil
society, government, and the private sector Disaster Preparedness (DP) is
one of the four strategic objectives of SHOUHARDO. This thematic study
focuses on the approaches and systems being implemented by
SHOUHARDO to achieve the fourth strategic objective.

The SHOUHARDO Program is funded through USAID’s Food For Peace (FFP)
Title II Program, operating from October2004 to May2010. SHOUHARDO’s
overall goal is to ‘Sustainable reduce chronic and transitory food insecurity
of 400,000 households (HHs) in 18 districts of Bangladesh. The Program
specifically targets the poorest and most disenfranchised populations of
Bangladesh, which has been underscored by the Mid Term Review (MTR)
of the Program (2007) where it was stated ‘SHOUHARDO has succeeded in
establishing a presence in some of the most difficult and remote regions of
the country and has effectively defined a target population that is among
the most vulnerable in Bangladesh.

SHOUHARDO builds on earlier food security initiatives and operates in four

of Bangladesh’s major regions: Kishoregonj, Rangpur, Tangail and
Chittagong. 95% of the implementation is through 44 local partner NGOs,
with the remaining 5% through direct delivery. Each of these four regions
possesses their own unique topography, but is consistent in that the
beneficiaries are some of the most marginalized groups in Bangladesh.

Disaster Preparedness Activities

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  Activate/reactivate and capacity building of Union and
Pourashava.
 Disaster Management Committees (UDMCS/PDMCS)
 Establishing Disaster Volunteers (DV)
 Community awareness rising of disaster issues and response
 Urban Disaster Risk Management (UDRM)
 ADPC pilot early warning project
 Networking, advocacy and awareness raising
 Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)

CARITAS

Enhancement of Adaptive Capacity of Drought Vulnerable

Community
With a view to reducing the risks and vulnerability of the area this
community based adaptation project started in July 2007. The main
objective of the project is to improve understanding and awareness of the
selected community and stakeholders about the present and future
drought impacts on their lives and livelihoods, associated risk and
vulnerability and to improve coping mechanism and enhance adaptive
capacity of the vulnerable community, particularly of the poor, marginal
group and women to address drought impacts, related risks and
vulnerability.

Emergency Disaster Management Program (EDMP)

To assist the disaster-affected communities with immediate food and non-
food items, crop recovery supports, reconstruction works as well as
creation of employment opportunities through cash for works like cleaning
homesteads and ponds; reconstruction of village roads; canal re-
excavation; embankment repairing; installation of water and sanitation
facilities; low cost houses construction; professional support (e.g.
distribution of boat and fishing nets, rickshaws, vans, cows, sewing
machines), repairing of existing cyclone shelters and construction of
flood/cyclone shelters.

Strengthening the Community for Disaster Risk Management

(SCDRM)

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To strengthen the capacity of the disaster vulnerable community through
building disaster management structure and linking the structure with
local government as well as facilitating the community for the preparation
and implementation of community based disaster risk management plans
through networking and local resource mobilization.

Natural Resources and Capacity Building in Disaster

Management.

 Humanitarian assistance to people affected by Natural

Calamities and Man-made Disast rs. e
 Building of the capacity of the people in coping with
disasters, before, during and after.
 Promote innovative steps to minimize Degradati n of
Environment and Depletion of Natural Resources to restore
ecological balance.
 Bio-diversity Conservation and Poverty Reduction through
sustainable use of natural resources (including land, water,
aquatic resources and livestock) as well as promotion of
Indigenous Knowledge & techniques.

Oxfam's work on The River Basin Program

The River Basin Program (RBP) intends to demonstrate a robust

intervention model that reduces the vulnerability of people, particularly
women, living in char and haor areas. The focus areas are:

 Minimizing the effects of flooding by constructing flood shelters,

cluster villages and raised homesteads and increasing awareness to
public health.
 Strengthening livelihoods by providing trainings for developing
skills, financial support, and linkages with markets.
 Helping people being prepared by training them to cope and live
with floods, providing emergency stock pilling and coordination, and
undertaking advocacy for disaster preparedness with governments
and other actors.

Preparing people to live with the floods

Oxfam’s River Basin Program, covering 40,000 households in 350 villages,
was launched in Bangladesh in 1999 and prepares people to live with
floods. It ensures that their lives, and their ability to earn a living are
disrupted as little as possible.

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Raised homesteads
Homesteads are raised five to seven feet above water level, and to protect
the raised earth from erosion, grasses and other plants are grown on it.
Raised homesteads can be used all year round for kitchen gardening, and
poultry and livestock rearing, giving families more food and income.

Flood shelters
Around three to five acres of raised land can accommodate 100-300
households. People reassemble their houses and bring their livestock to
the flood shelter. Facilities include a community room for those without
shelter, wells, latrines, fishponds, and areas for growing vegetables and
planting trees.

Rescue Boats
Rescue boats, with life-saving equipment, are located around the areas
most at risk of floods or river erosion. Besides rescuing people, the boats
collect houses, belongings, and livestock, taking them to flood shelters
and other places of safety. In remote areas with no road access, the boats
are used to deliver relief such as food, animal fodder, emergency shelter,
and other essential items.The boats are used all year round for
transportation, and when not in use they can be hired out to raise some
income.

References:
1. UNDP, http://www.undp.org.bd
2. Disaster Management Bureau, Bangladesh, http://www.dmb.gov.bd
3. Bangladesh Armed Forces Division, http://www.afd.gov.bd
4. Bangladesh Red Crescent, http://www.bdrcs.org
5. Brac, http://www.brac.net & http://www.bracresearch.org
6. Care Bangladesh, http://www.carebd.org
7. Caritas, http://www.caritasbd.org
8. Oxfam, http://www.oxfam.org.uk

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