Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Approach to Disaster Management

The document examines the transition of Bangladesh's disaster management from a reactive model to a proactive, risk-reduction framework through the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP). It details the vulnerabilities of Bangladesh to cyclones, floods, and climate change, and evaluates the institutional mechanisms and specific outputs of CDMP Phase I (2004-2009). Key achievements include the creation of the Climate Change Cell and the Disaster Management Information Centre, though the report notes challenges such as high civil service turnover and the need to mainstream risk reduction beyond a single ministry.

• Bangladesh is highly susceptible to natural disasters due to its deltaic geography and monsoon climate, with approximately 25% of the country flooded annually and 60% flooded every four to five years.
• Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and severity of hazards in Bangladesh, specifically through more severe tropical cyclones, erratic monsoon rainfall, rising sea levels, and saltwater intrusion, which threaten the agriculture sector that supports over 60% of the population.
• The 1991 tropical cyclone in the Chittagong region, which killed an estimated 140,000 people, served as the primary catalyst for the Government of Bangladesh to move toward a proactive disaster risk reduction approach.
• CDMP Phase I (2004-2009) established several critical institutional components: the Climate Change Cell for converting global forecasts into impact statements, the Disaster Management Information Centre for 24/7 emergency monitoring, and the Livelihood Adaptation to Climate Change program for farmers in drought and saline-prone areas.
• The program implemented a community-led risk management system involving Community Risk Assessments and Risk Reduction Action Plans, funded by a Local Disaster Risk Reduction Fund; by September 2009, this funded 562 projects benefiting over 600,000 people.
• CDMP Phase I faced significant implementation hurdles, including political unrest, flooding, and Cyclone Sidr, which limited its active period to approximately two and a half years. It also struggled with high civil service turnover, with seven different Secretaries of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management serving during the five-year period.
• While Phase I succeeded in initiating a paradigm shift in thinking, the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction remained largely confined to the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, leading Phase II (2010-2014) to target thirteen key ministries.

APA

LUXBACHER, K., & UDDIN, A. M. K. (n.d.). Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Approach to Disaster Management. World Resources Institute. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_bangladesh_comprehensive_disaster_management.pdf

Chicago

LUXBACHER, KIRSTEN, and ABU MOSTAFA KAMAL UDDIN. Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Approach to Disaster Management. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_bangladesh_comprehensive_disaster_management.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=LUXBACHER |first1=KIRSTEN |last2=UDDIN |first2=ABU MOSTAFA KAMAL |title=Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Approach to Disaster Management |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_bangladesh_comprehensive_disaster_management.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{luxbacherndbangladeshs, author = {LUXBACHER, KIRSTEN and UDDIN, ABU MOSTAFA KAMAL}, title = {{Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Approach to Disaster Management}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_bangladesh_comprehensive_disaster_management.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }