Understanding Vulnerability and Risks

Abstract

Disaster Risk Reduction has become a major development agenda in Bangladesh since 2002. The global concept of “Reducing Risk” has also become very popular in Bangladesh, not only because Bangladesh is a disaster-prone country but also Bangladesh has contributed in shaping the knowledge about disaster risk. The concepts of ‘vulnerability’ and ‘risk’ has also emerged since 2002 and widely used in disaster risk reduction. The concept of resilience is relatively new, and conveniently used as reverse of the concept ‘vulnerability’. Therefore, the understanding of these three concepts are very important and matured the whole discourse of disaster risk reduction. National Alliance for Risk Reduction and Response (NARRI) is a consortium in DRR in Bangladesh has measured the resilience of their community based preparedness work since 2002 in Bangladesh. Resilience analysis consisting a comprehensive resilience matrix has applied a five band scale against each characteristics of resilience clustering component of resilience under five broad theme. Highest level of resilience has been achieved in the risk assessment where community members’ ability and skill of assessing risk and vulnerability increased and people are using their skills for risk and vulnerability assessment, preparation of management plan and followed by implementation for their risk reduction. Conversely due to lack of access to the structure and process traditionally led by the community and cultural and knowledge gap impede the level of resiliency achieved in the governance issues. The Bangladesh case of resilience study clearly shows that governance, capacities for risk assessment, risk education, redundant risk reduction options, resourcefulness of people, society and ecosystem, and a capacity to have rapidity in recovery has potential in building resilience. The risk reduction in many cases could be seen as “element” focused, where “resilience” offers a more robust scope to whole of society into the risk reduction framework.