Natural hazards constitute processes involving the earth, water, and atmospheric processes that can cause destruction to people, environment, and property. Human settlements worsen the situation of the natural hazards especially people living in the plain lands, terraced places, areas weakened by flooding, faulting, and earthquakes. Bangladesh Rural Development Committee (BRAC) is an organization whose aim is poverty reduction through empowering the poor people to adopt new changes in their lives. The organization began its work in Bangladesh in the year 1972 and has worked in tackling poverty related issues and ways of dealing with climatic change. To address the frequency and severity of the natural disaster and other aspects of climate change, BRAC as a programme that deals with issues of environment and climate change in which they rehabilitate and offer relief emergencies to the affected individuals. The organization also groups. The organization has responded to several disasters offering both relief and rehabilitation aid. The group works hard to calculate disaster probabilities, prepare the necessary contingency plans and survey disaster-prone areas.

An international organization UNISDR involves itself with disaster risk reduction especially coordination of the United Nations systems and other regional organizations in socio-economic and humanitarian fields. The organization as established by the UN General Assembly in 1999 for implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. The UNISDR coordinates disaster reduction and ensures that all the activities involving disaster reduction activities of the UN and the regional organizations are to the required standards. The organization also looks into the socio-economic and humanitarian sectors as a way of reducing risks associated with natural disasters. . The main functions of the UNISDR the DRR is always applied hen addressing matters concerning climate change and strengthening disaster-resilient cities., schools, and hospitals. The other mandate is to make the international system for DRR strong and increase its investments to meet the demand for DRR services. The vision of the organization is adoption of the strategies of Hyogo Framework for Action such as strengthening and the development of institutions, building resilience to hazards, and using DRR for emergency preparedness, recovery programmes, and response. The organization makes follow-ups of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, of the 2006 and provides guidance on the implementation of Hyogo Framework. UNISDR provides the Global Assessment Report on DRR and DRM every two years by offering support to countries in matters of risk trends monitoring and global campaigns on DRR and DRM, the organization also involves in the provision of safer cities and hospitals in disaster-prone areas.

Bangladesh is a country that has suffered many natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, landslides, famine and many more affecting several activities of the country each year. Flash floods are very common in the country especially in the hilly areas while monsoon floods occur during the monsoon season as asserted by Khalequzzaman (1994). The other types of floods affecting the country are the bank floods occurring in the rivers such as Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Ganges. Many floods have occurred in the country such as the 1842, 1871, 1892, 1987, 1988, 2004, 2010 and many others affecting the economic activities of the country (Bangladesh flash floods affect nearly 10, 0., & Report, 2013). The 1987 floods that occurred in July and August affecting about 57,300 square kilometers or 40% of the land will form the basis of this discussion. The main cause of the flooding as the human activities in Himalayas Mountains as the inhabitants used vertical irrigation to water their crops. The main factors that led to the peoples’ vulnerability to the flooding are economic factors such as the farming practices such as irrigation especially in the hilly areas. The economy of Bangladesh creates the disparity between the rich who live in urban areas and the poor living in disaster prone areas such as mountain and riverbanks. The flooding in 1988 as greatly influenced by the peoples’ irrigation methods in the Himalayas Mountains (Shaw, 1989). Deforestation is also common as people clear land for farming and grazing leaving the area bare and prone to floods whenever it rains. Cultural factors such some religious, cultural values restrict the use of modern family planning methods especially in the rural areas where the level of education for women is low. The education disparity experienced in the country makes the poor vulnerable to the floods due to lack of knowledge of the activities that expose them to the disasters especially the methods of cultivation. Low education levels contribute to the high population, and people have to clear lands for settlement and agricultural activities. Forest clearing results to soil erosion and eventually to flooding when it rains. Social factors such as welfare and social protection for the different social groups in the country such as lack of availability of knowledge and information to the poor class and certain societies expose people to natural hazards. The distribution of assets and other important resources by the government in different communities make people settle and cultivate in flood-prone areas. The reoccurrence of the disaster depends on the political response to the previous one and may result in a more serious one if necessary steps are not taken. Politicians are the lawmakers and determine the action to be taken to prevent or reduce the magnitude of the occurrence of the floods as Hapeman, ( 2012) asserts. The amount of funds allocated to disaster management can worsen the situation for instance if the funds are not enough, the projects for reducing the effects might not be accomplished. Political factors determine the opportunities and locations for human activities such as mining, agricultural activities, energy resources, settlements, and places of work. Poor people mainly work in disaster-prone areas and expose themselves to hazards such as flooding especially people living near the riverbanks of Meghina and Ganges in Bangladesh.

Actions and Policies to address the disaster

One way Bangladesh is doing to address flooding is building improved canals to drain water than cause a lot of flooding in the region through the help of the government (Boyce, 1990). The authorities are creating water collection tanks and dams to drain the rainwater whenever it rains. Other practical solutions are the construction of flood proof sheds for animals and houses that can withstand the force of the floods in the flood-prone areas. The huge embankment built along the rivers and coasts helps prevent flooding when the rivers swell by providing the capacity of the river to hold more water. The government through the help of NGOs has constructed Dams along the rivers to help in holding the excessive water longer to minimize flooding of the nearby lands.

Another solution for flooding in Bangladesh is raising plinths of the communities’ houses and animal sheds five feet above the estimated flood level. According to Braun and Aßheuer (2011), Plinths can also protect crops from damage by planting them on raised plinths. Buildings bridges and roads to a higher standard, which can tolerate the force of the water during floods and prevent the floods from sweeping them away is another solution (Rahman & Chowdhury, 1998). Building of flood defenses and educating people on their maintenance for them to last longer and stop flooding is another method Bangladeshis are using. The government and the department of geosciences have improved the prediction technologies and on people of impending flooding early enough to prevent loss of lives.

The organization as urgent programmes to help reduce death from starvation, rehabilitation, employment, nutritional support, and normalize for the affected people. The UNISDR helps in safeguarding lives and maintaining the livelihoods of the affected people after flooding. The organization collaborates with the government to improve the agro-ecological conditions to help people use better methods of crop production

Conclusion

Natural hazards constitute processes involving the earth, water, and atmospheric processes that can cause destruction to people, environment, and property. Flash floods are very common in the country especially in the hilly areas while monsoon floods occur during the monsoon season. The main factors that led to the peoples’ vulnerability to the flooding are economic, social, political, and cultural. The community should receive education on the appropriate methods of farming and environmental conservation to reduce climatic change through the help of organizations such as BRAC and UNISDR. The solutions discussed in this essay would have reduced the effect of Bangladesh flooding in 1988.

Reference

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