Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme

This policy brief describes the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) in Bangladesh, a two-phase initiative designed to shift the national approach from disaster response and relief to proactive risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

• The Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) aims to reduce national vulnerability to natural hazards by integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into government planning at central, regional, and local levels. It consists of two phases: Phase I (2004–2009), a pilot phase with a budget of US$27.12 million targeting seven districts, and Phase II (2010–14), which seeks to institutionalise these practices across all government levels with over US$70 million in donor commitments.
• The Disaster Management Information Centre (DMIC) improves emergency response by monitoring natural hazards and exchanging information via a web portal and mobile phones with satellites in 64 districts and 235 high-risk sub-districts. This system has enhanced the timeliness of flood warnings; for instance, in 2010, residents of the Sirajganj district in the Jamuna river basin received river forecasts and water level alerts 72 hours in advance.
• The Community Risk Assessment (CRA) uses participatory methods to help local communities create Risk Reduction Action Plans (RRAPs), which are then consolidated into union, district, and national plans. By the end of Phase I, 16 districts and 622 unions had completed CRAs and RRAPs, and 562 community development projects were funded, benefiting approximately 600,000 people. The partnership network further expanded this coverage to 32 districts.
• Capacity building efforts have included training over 25,000 officials from national to local levels since 2007 and engaging 14 national universities to develop disaster management curricula. Additionally, the Livelihood Adaptation to Climate Change (LACC) programme helps rural communities in areas prone to saline intrusion and drought adapt to climate change, with Phase II implementation handled by the Department of Agricultural Extension.
• The CDMP faced significant implementation hurdles, including natural disasters and political unrest that limited Phase I's active duration to two and a half years. Phase II was delayed by a five-month approval process by the Ministry of Planning, leading to the loss of staff including the national project director. High personnel turnover also hindered continuity, with the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management having seven secretaries and the Disaster Management Bureau having five directors general during Phase I.
• A primary challenge is the slow institutionalisation of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation beyond the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management. While some assistance reached the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment, critics argue the programme has not had sufficient ground-level impact to reduce vulnerability, necessitating the expansion of pilot programmes to a national scale.

APA

Luxbacher, K. (2011). Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Bangladesh-InsideStory_5pp_pr4F_LR1.pdf

Chicago

Luxbacher, Kirsten. Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2011. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Bangladesh-InsideStory_5pp_pr4F_LR1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Luxbacher |first1=Kirsten |title=Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=December 2011 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Bangladesh-InsideStory_5pp_pr4F_LR1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{luxbacher2011bangladeshs, author = {Luxbacher, Kirsten}, title = {{Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2011}, month = dec, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Bangladesh-InsideStory_5pp_pr4F_LR1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }