Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
• Preparedness plans by local institutions are driven by response from local disaster
management committee (DMC) members and require capacity building initia-
tives for DMC members.
• The relief activities are slow, due to the sequence of lengthy procedures with
district administration.
• Response to forecasts in low-lying areas and 'char' regions is related to saving
lives and small household assets (dry food, drinking water, fi re wood, animal
fodder, borrowing credit from micro-fi nancing institutions).
• Response to fl ood forecasts in highlands is mostly related to preparedness activi-
ties such as reserving seedlings for double planting, protecting fi sheries, early har-
vesting, abandoning early planting, protecting livestock and preserving fodder.
• Local institutions during 2007 in pilot unions were well informed and, thus,
prepared for fl oods in advance.
•
Local-level infrastructure facilities (highlands, fl ood shelters, sanitation, etc.) are
insuffi cient to carry out preparedness and response actions at the level needed.
9.6
Conclusion
The use and increased understanding of probabilistic long-lead fl ood forecasts are
extremely valuable for society and the environment in Bangladesh. In order to
receive value-added benefi ts from the fl ood-forecast-related information, the
requirements of different users need to be looked into very carefully and need to be
met judiciously. Moreover, accuracy and lead time of forecasts are very important
for a country like Bangladesh, which is a lower riparian country of three major river
systems and drains huge run-off from large river basins.
The community-based probabilistic fl ood forecast system has always generated
greater interest among people living in the pilot unions and other regions as well.
However, the fl ood forecasts should be more specifi c so that the forecasts will match
with real conditions more closely. People have realized the benefi ts of the forecast and
have started to believe in the system. More training and awareness of the Union
Disaster Management Committee (UDMC) is required to institutionalize the system.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Prof Peter Webster, CFAN, for the develop-
ment of the technology and its transfer to RIMES as well as to the Government of Bangladesh to
institutionalize the forecasts in FFWC of BWDB and local partners like CEGIS, IWM and CARE
Bangladesh. This project was supported by USAID through SHOUHARDO I project of CARE
Bangladesh.
References
Babel MS, Fakhruddin SHM, Kawasaki A (2013) A decision support framework for fl ood risk
assessment: an application to the Brahmaputra river in Bangladesh. In: Floods: from risk to
opportunity. IAHS Publication no. 357-2013, Wallingford/Oxfordshire
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