Bangladesh: Natural disaster risk management

Abstract

Bangladesh with impressive gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates for over a decade is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Yet, Bangladesh is also considered one of the most disaster-prone countries. Floods, cyclones and storm surge, tornadoes, drought, erosion, landslide and earthquakes are regular phenomena that have created a massive impact on the economic well-being and welfare of the people. This chapter aims to (i) revisit key natural disasters and their associated issues in Bangladesh, (ii) examine institutional and regulatory frameworks as well as measures to manage disasters, including pre-disaster planning and post-disaster recovery and (iii) assess the current initiatives to manage disasters against the three-sector governance model, including government, the private sector and civil society. The chapter also includes some policy and technical recommendations to enhance the state of disaster risk management (DRM) in the country.