A decade of Cyclone SIDR observed in Barisal with Heavy heart

Bangladesh Model Youth Parliament and YouthNet for Climate Justce have observed one decade of super cyclone SIDR with Barisal Reporters Unity marked the memory of horrific incidence with the heavy heart. A discussion meeting was presided over by Barisal Reporters Unity president Nazrul Biswas while among others AH Towfique Ahmed, Zonal Head, UNICEF Barisal Field Office, Sohanur Rahman, Coordinator, YouthNet for Climate Justice, Journalist Susanta Gosh, Bappy Majumdar, Feroz Mostofa, Chairperson, Bangladesh Model Youth Parliament spoke the meeting.

On 15 November 2007, Cyclone Sidr struck the south-west coast of Bangladesh with winds up to 240 kilometers per hour. The category 4 storm was accompanied by tidal waves up to five meters high and surges up to 6 meters in some areas, breaching coastal and river embankments, flooding low-lying areas and causing extensive physical destruction. High winds and floods also caused damage to housing, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Electricity and communication were knocked out, and roads and waterways became impassable. Drinking water was contaminated by debris and many sources were inundated with saline water from tidal surges, and sanitation infrastructure was destroyed.

The cyclone was the second natural disaster to affect Bangladesh in twelve months. Monsoon floods had previously caused extensive agricultural production losses and destruction of physical assets, totaling near US$ 1.1 billion. The occurrence of these events in close succession is a reminder of the country's extreme vulnerability to frequent hydro-meteorological hazards, which stand to be further exacerbated because of climate change.

Bangladesh: Youth at the forefront of community-based early warning systems

The effects of a changing global climate are already being felt in Bangladesh, which is ranked second on the climate change vulnerabilities index. According to our partner UNICEF Bangladesh, in the report Learning to Live in a Changing Climate: The Impact of Climate Change on Children in Bangladesh, approximately 60 percent of the country is susceptible to levels of flooding where 25-30 percent of the area becomes inundated during a normal flood. 

But there is little evidence of the community-level use of seasonal forecasting, where impact-based forecasting can be used in response actions. Early warning systems are generally inadequate and do not allow community members to access and interpret information in order to make decisions. Increased investment is needed in this area, to roll out information systems and work with communities to understand how different types of information can be used. Warning communication technologies will make flood and drought risk management more integrated and effective at the local level. 

In the context of Barisal region’s most vulnerable area, rapid onset hazards such as monsoons, floods and coastal floods occur regularly every year and cause damage to infrastructure, lives and livelihoods, while slow onset hazards like drought render homes and environments permanently uninhabitable and agricultural land unproductive.

If we compare the loss caused by different disasters, flood is the highest while drought scores the fourth. Again, if we analyze the loss and damage among different sectors, the agricultural sector is the most affected one and farmers are the worst victims. The loss and damage due to drought or flood could be minimized largely by providing agro-meteorological information to the farmers well ahead.

Bangladesh has a strong disaster management regulatory framework. The Disaster Management Act 2015 of Bangladesh calls for warnings to be disseminated in accessible language, in coordination with neighbouring countries. The Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan pointed out that, while “forecasts are released through emails and website, there is scope for improvement”.

In Barisal, early warning is more prompt and precise for cyclones, but not reliable enough for floods and drought. If we develop our products and use those media tools efficiently, we can reduce vulnerabilities. A people-oriented and effective early warning system, with support of partners, should have four elements:

• Assess Risk related Knowledge
• Early Warning Generation
• Dissemination
• Responses & evaluation

These elements should be integrated to ensure the expected impact.

The World Disaster Report stressed the importance of understanding early warning as a system rather than a technology. Beyond the technological aspects of early warning, the report highlighted the need to address risk assessment, communication, dissemination, and preparedness to act with the same level of commitment provided to the technological aspects of early warning.

The Barisal Youth Declaration at the first Youth Conference on Climate Change, Barisal 2017 in Bangladesh called for climate change vulnerabilities and disaster-related information to be properly disseminated and easily accessible, understandable and communicable to all, especially vulnerable communities. The youth of Barisal also committed to establish linkage with global youth networks and communities using digital and social media and other possible ICT platforms for sharing their experience, challenges, and learning on DRR and Climate change impacts.

So we should develop people-oriented early warning systems to save lives in affected communities in flood and drought prone areas of Bangladesh. Such improvements in communication to the key actors in the field would ultimately lead to more resilient and prepared residents at the community level in Barisal region.

In this context, Bangladesh Model Youth Parliament and YouthNet for Climate Justice are planning to establish community-based youth TV to address effective early warning and use different communication technologies for flood and drought risk management.

We are also trying to introduce a new system to show where flood water is rising or reducing, using maps on TV. We can use mobile, FM radio, community TV, IVR. Around 50 percent of the country's population is young. They can be the change agents for information dissemination. Young people can be involved in the decision making process and to take action as change makers with their innovative capacity for social change and sustainable development. Children and youth will be the spotlight of this initiative.  

The community is the key resource in flood and drought risk reduction. They are the key actor as well as the primary beneficiary of any disaster risk reduction effort. Community based early warning for floods and drought and risk management can lead to progressive improvements in public safety and community disaster resilience, and should contribute to equitable and sustainable community development in the long term. Focusing on community needs and demand in flood and drought early warning can reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen people’s capacity to cope with flood and drought risk.

GO-NGO cooperation stressed to ensure child adaptation with Climate Change

Rights activists at a consultation in the Barisal called for developing an action plan for Children-Centered Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for the government and actors towards building community resilience.

The speakers emphasized the collaboration between the government and non-government organizations to ensure child-centered adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Speakers discussed the gaps in different policies and action plans regarding child-centered adaptation. They also mentioned that climate change is affecting child rights such as education, health, nutrition, sanitation, etc.

They made these suggestions while addressing a day-long consultation workshop on Child-Centred Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction at Hotel Grand Park, Barisal, on Monday, 13 March 2017.

The workshop was organized by Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) in collaboration with the UNICEF. Divisional Commissioner of Barisal Md Gaus inaugurated it as chief guest.

"Children are neglected in the society, organizations and even in the family and impact of the disaster on children is huge as it affects their education, protection, health, food, and mental development", said Divisional Commissioner Md Gaus.

Children demand the main focus of the government, he added.

"Terming the children, who comprise about 22% of our population, as the more vulnerable, we need to reduce the vulnerability of children of the poor and socially disadvantaged and making them the active citizen of the country. We need special protection plan for disaster-affected children for the coastal area,” said Dr. Dwijen Mollick, an expert on child-related issues and a fellow of BCAS, while presenting his keynote paper.

AH Towfique Ahmed, Divisional Chief of UNICEF Barisal elucidated the importance of the field level information to develop an action plan to address the child-centered CCA and DRR. He also explained the objective of the workshop which is taking suggestions from the participants to develop an action plan to address child-centered adaptation and disaster risk reduction. 

Government officials, experts, media workers, YouthNet for Climate Justice and representatives from different government offices, NGOs and INGOs took part in the workshop to give input to develop the action plan which moderated by Omor Tarek Chowdhury, a fellow of BCAS.

Child Rights Activist Sohanur Rahman, Co-coordinator of YouthNet for Climate justice stressed that “We need to design and implement livelihood support programmes for the communities at risk, particularly the poor and their children. More emphasis should be given to children’s vulnerability and their adaptation needs and priorities. Act to adopt: we are influencing national policy, practice, and promotion of the Hyogo Framework of Action through evidence-based youth-led advocacy.”