Fuad Mallick

National Adaptation Programme of Action

National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPAs) provide a process for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to identify priority activities that respond to their urgent and immediate needs to adapt to climate change—those for which further delay would increase vulnerability and/or costs at a later stage. The steps for the preparation of the NAPAs include synthesis of available information, participatory assessment of vulnerability to current climate variability and extreme events and of areas where risks would increase due to climate change, identification of key adaptation measures as well as criteria for prioritizing activities, and selection of a prioritized short list of activities. Bangladesh National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) was prepared by Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in partnership with relevant specialized Agencies and institutions as a response to the decision of the Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (CoP7) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The updated NAPA 2009 is well aligned with the BCCSAP and would address the following thematic pillars in terms of identifying short and medium term adaptation measures: (a) ensuring food security and pro-poor social protection of the climate vulnerable people; (b) strengthen comprehensive disaster management programme; (c) climate resilient infrastructure development including sustainable cities; (d) mainstreaming climate change in local and national development; (e) capacity enhancement including research and knowledge management and institutional strengthening and (f) strategic natural resource management as an adaptation response to climate change including wise use of wetlands, rivers, flood plain system.

Reducing the health effect of natural hazards in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, with a population of 151 million people, is a country that is particularly prone to natural disasters: 26% of the population are affected by cyclones and 70% live in flood-prone regions. Mortality and morbidity from these events have fallen substantially in the past 50 years, partly because of improvements in disaster management. Thousands of cyclone shelters have been built and government and civil society have mobilised strategies to provide early warning and respond quickly. Increasingly, flood and cyclone interventions have leveraged community resilience, and general activities for poverty reduction have integrated disaster management. Furthermore, overall population health has improved greatly on the basis of successful public health activities, which has helped to mitigate the effect of natural disasters. Challenges to the maintenance and reduction of the effect of cyclones and floods include rapid urbanisation and the growing effect of global warming. Although the effects of earthquakes are unknown, some efforts to prepare for this type of event are underway.

Disaster risk reduction approaches in Bangladesh

Disaster, Risk and Evolution of the Concept.- Understanding Vulnerability and Risks.- National Perspectives of Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangladesh.- Flood Risks and Reduction Approaches in Bangladesh.- Cyclone and Tornado Risk and Reduction Approaches in Bangladesh.- Earthquake Risk and Reduction Approaches in Bangladesh.- Drought Risk and Reduction Approaches in Bangladesh.- Landslide and Flash flood in Bangladesh.- Arsenic Contamination in Bangladesh: Contemporary Alarm and Future Strategy.- Sea Level Rise along the Coast of Bangladesh.- Urban Risk Reduction Approaches in Bangladesh.- Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction Approaches in Bangladesh.- Crop Insurance as Risk Management Strategy in Bangladesh.- Disaster Education in Bangladesh: Opportunities and Challenges.- Disaster Risk Reduction Investment and Reduction of Response Cost in Bangladesh.- Gender and Social Exclusion Analysis in Disaster Risk Management.

Cultural and environmental values in the arcaded Mesaorian houses of Cyprus

Abstract The central Mesaorian region of Cyprus is the context for the development of a house form unique to the region. This article discusses the forces that influenced their evolution and the resulting typological developments. They are analyzed in terms of their functional characteristics, use patterns, and variations of the basic form. Thermal data suggests optimization of climatic forces. These adobe houses are currently facing oblivion due to changes in lifestyle and shift in priorities. They, however, present a case from which lessons can be learnt and adopted to the modern context for a meaningful and appropriate architecture in the region.

Chapter 5 Essentials of Higher Education in Disaster Risk Reduction: Prospects and Challenges

When discussing disaster education, the usual focus in more on the school or family or community education. Very little focus has been given so far to higher education. However, higher education (college and university) is the key to professional development in the subject. Higher education in disasters is still lacking in most countries and regions. In this context, the lessons of environment or the field of sustainable development can provide useful tips. Of equal importance to higher education is not only the curriculum, but the approach or mode of delivery. To develop an appropriate higher education, a system of educational governance is important (COE, 2005). Given the role education has for overall societal and economic development, it is necessary to ensure the responsiveness of higher education to the changing needs and expectations of society. In this respect, it is important to ensure participation of external actors in the governance of higher education and to allow the flexibility to accommodate the continually change needs and requirements over time. COE (2005) made several recommendations for higher education that can be considered as the base of disaster education in colleges and universities. These include: serving the needs and expectations of the society, having appropriate academic freedom, having a process of setting up long-terms goals and developing appropriate strategies for achieving them, providing reasonable scope of innovation and flexibility in research, promoting good educational governance through regional and international networks, and ensuring quality control of teachers and students.

Cyclone and Tornado Risk and Reduction Approaches in Bangladesh

The physiographical features of Bangladesh coast make it susceptible to cyclones and associated surges. According to the Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter Programme report, 6.4 % of the country is considered High Risk Area where the surge height may exceed 1 m. The country has been devastated by a number of cyclones resulting hundreds of thousands of human deaths. Besides, loss and damage of people’s assets and properties have been extensive. With time, Bangladesh has been successful in significantly reducing human casualties from cyclone and the multipurpose cyclone shelters have been playing a great role in this regard. Another highly effective risk reduction initiative with regards to cyclone is the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) jointly run by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Societies (BDRCS) and the Government. The CPP can be considered as the precondition for the successful working of the cyclone shelters as one of its major activities is to disseminate cyclone warnings and mobilize the people at risk to cyclone shelters. Mangrove forests along the coast have an important role in reducing the wind speed and the surge impact, which led to taking coastal afforestation program in Bangladesh. The earthen coastal embankments in Bangladesh are primarily meant for protecting agricultural land from regular tidal phenomenon. These can be constructed strong enough to safeguard against cyclone-associated surge the cost of which can be justified only in the case of large investment. Disaster resilient habitat is a new concept which advocates for individual houses made as strong as to withstand cyclones or, at least, to enhance reconstruction and recovery. A pilot programme of the same executed in Bangladesh has been discussed in this chapter. Tornado is an under-reported disaster in Bangladesh the reason of which can be attributed to its impact being localized. Though Bangladesh is considered the only other part of the world outside the United States where strong and violent tornadoes are prevalent, little attention has been given to mitigate the risks. Absences of appropriate forecasting and early warning system as well as lack of shelter provision make Bangladesh the country of highest death tolls from Severe Local Convective Storms (SLCS) like tornado and nor-westers.

Universities and communitybased disaster risk reduction

Education has been there for ages. Need of education for sustainable development is stated in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21 (1992) as follows:Education, including formal education, public awareness and training, should be recognized as a process by which human beings and societies can reach their fullest potential. Education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of the people to address environment and development issues. While basic education provides the underpinning for any environment and development education, the latter needs to be incorporated as an essential part of learning. Both formal and non-formal education is indispensable to changing peoples attitudes so that they have the capacity to assess and address their sustainable development concerns.

National Perspectives of Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangladesh

According to Climate Risk Index, Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to different types of disaster because of climatic variability, extreme events, high population density, high incidence of poverty and social inequity, poor institutional capacity, inadequate financial resources, and poor infrastructure. Bangladesh initiated its actions for disaster preparedness immediately after the cyclone of 1991. At present Bangladesh has National Disaster Management Act-2012, National Disaster Management Policy, Standing Order on Disaster and National Plan for Disaster Management 2010–2015 as key documents guiding the disaster management works in Bangladesh. To implement the documents in ground works Bangladesh has Disaster Management and Relief Division, Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) and Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) under the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (NPDM, National Plan for Disaster Management 2010–2015, Disaster Management Bureau, Disaster Management & Relief Division, Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, Dhaka). The country also has disaster management mechanism at both national and sub-national levels. The Bangladesh National Plan for Disaster Management is a strategic document to be effective for a certain period of time. This is an umbrella plan that provides the overall guideline for the relevant sectors and the disaster management committees at all levels to prepare and implement their area of roles specific plans (both thematic level and different levels of administrative structure). Furthermore, the Disaster Management Act is enacted by Act No. 34 of 2012 that forms the legislative basis to desirable, integrate, and strengthen the disaster management related activities and to establish an effective institutional framework for disaster management to deal with all types of disaster in Bangladesh.

In support of urban adaptation: a participatory assessment process for secondary cities in Vietnam and Bangladesh

Vietnam and Bangladesh are countries already impacted by weather-related extreme events. Scientific modelling projections indicate that climate change, and changes to climate variability, will increase risks for both countries in the future. Targeting this challenging contemporary agenda, this paper reflects on the lessons learned from a collaborative research project, funded by the Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research, which was carried out jointly in the Vietnamese city of Huế and the Bangladeshi city of Satkhira. The focus on secondary cities was intentional as they face unique challenges – a combination of rapid growth and development, adverse climate-related impacts, and in many cases less institutional adaptive capacity than their primary city counterparts. Whilst numerous assessment tool kits already exist, these have typically been developed for rural or natural resource contexts. Therefore, the objective of this action research activity was to develop a flexible suite of participatory assessment tools and methodologies that were refined specifically for the urban context; as well as being easy to use by local practitioners at the city and neighbourhood scales. This paper summarizes the research and stakeholder engagement activity that was carried out before presenting the main findings from each of the case study cities (detailing both climate-related risks and potential adaptation options). This analysis is further extended to include a reflective critique of the assessment process, a comparative analysis of the activity carried out in the two case studies, and the ‘South–South’ learning process that occurred between project partners. Key findings are then distilled to put forward recommendations in support of climate change assessment activity in secondary cities across the Asia-Pacific region.

Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plans

The government of Bangladesh’s Vision is to eradicate poverty and achieve economic and social well-being for all the people. This will be achieved through a pro-poor climate management strategy, which prioritizes adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and also addresses low carbon development, mitigation, technology transfer and the mobilization and international provision of adequate finance. The climate Change Action Plan of Bangladesh is built on six pillars: (1) food security, social protection, health, (2) comprehensive disaster management, (3) infrastructures, (4) research and knowledge management, (5) mitigation and low carbon development, and (6) capacity building and institutional strengthening. The BCCSAP (Bangladesh Climate change Strategy and Action Plan) 2009 will be reviewed and revised as further experience and knowledge are gained in implementing adaptation and related research programs as well as new development priorities that may emerge in future. In total, there are 44 programs.