Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme

The Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) in Bangladesh represents a shift from disaster relief to proactive risk reduction. Phase I (2004–2009) focused on seven pilot districts with a budget of US$27.12 million, establishing early warning systems and community risk assessments. Phase II (2010—14), supported by over US$70 million in donor commitments, aims to institutionalise these practices across all government levels. Key achievements include the Disaster Management Information Centre (DMIC), which provided critical flood warnings in 2010, and the training of over 25,000 officials. However, the programme has faced significant hurdles, including political unrest, high turnover of senior ministry officials, and slow institutionalisation beyond the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management.

• The CDMP shifted the national approach to disasters from a focus on relief and rehabilitation to a proactive, multi-hazard risk reduction strategy.
• Phase I (2004–2009) operated on a budget of US$27.12 million across seven pilot districts, while Phase II (2010—14) received more than US$70 million in donor commitments to expand institutionalisation nationwide.
• The Disaster Management Information Centre (DMIC) improved emergency response by using a web portal and mobile phones to exchange information with satellites in 64 districts and 235 high-risk sub-districts; for example, residents in the Sirajganj district received flood forecasts 72 hours in advance during the 2010 season.
• The Community Risk Assessment (CRA) process enabled 16 districts and 622 unions to develop Risk Reduction Action Plans (RRAPs) by the end of Phase I, with 562 funded projects benefiting approximately 600,000 people.
• Capacity building efforts since 2007 have trained over 25,000 officials and engaged 14 national universities to develop disaster management curricula.
• Implementation was severely hindered by political instability, natural disasters, and administrative delays; Phase I only ran for two and a half years, and the transition to Phase II was delayed by five months due to Ministry of Planning approval processes.
• High personnel turnover within the government impacted continuity, with the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management seeing seven secretaries and its Disaster Management Bureau seeing five directors general during Phase I.
• Institutionalising disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation beyond the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management has been slow, leading to critiques that the programme lacks sufficient ground-level impact.

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} }