BANGLADESH FLOODS 2004

Transcription

1 BANGLADESH FLOODS 2004 DER Post-Flood Needs Assessment Preliminary Findings DER Group Meeting, 16 Sep 04

2 DER Post-Flood Needs Assessment, 5-14 Sep 04 Objectives: (1) Identify the short, medium and longer term NEEDS of the poor (2) Obtain detailed information on the NEEDS in each sector (3) Report accurate, independently verified information 27 districts in 8 zones down to upazila level 8 field teams with 80 members from 16 agencies Investigating needs in 3-6 affected upazila per district, through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and document review To submit comprehensive (14 page) reports on each district and affected upazila, by sector Still ongoing aiming for final report on 22 Sep 05

3 DER Group Meeting, 16 Sep 04

4 About the Assessment Weaknesses: (1) Timeframe for such an in-depth assessment was inadequate (2) Where all the right questions asked for by each Sector Group? (3) Questionnaire should have been field-tested beforehand: Some questions too non-specific, others repetitive Repetitive questions made the interviews & FGDs too long Others? Strengths: (1) Coverage of the country and affected areas WIDE (2) Investigation down to upazila and community level DEEP (3) Coverage of sectors COMPREHENSIVE (4) Independent multi-agency approach / scope for team initiative Others?

5 Impact (1) Findings of the DER Quick Assessment are valid In health, nutrition and wat/san sectors it is hard to distinguish acute from chronic needs (the indictors are already so low & the services so poor), e.g % are chronically food insecure malnourished, yet there is no proper national programme <40% of Bangladeshis have any form of sanitary latrine Arsenic contamination vs. unsafe surface water sources Preventable illnesses & health problems abound Health centres are under-staffed, funded, & equipped Diarrhoea, dysentery, ARI & skin/eye infections increased (x 6) post-flood, but seem under control

6 Impact (2) The economic impact of the flood is severe on SME and on rural & urban livelihoods In the absence of agricultural work & day-labour opportunities, unemployment is very high The poor have got poorer & further into debt 120 % interest pa!) Loss of crops, livestock feed & fisheries was high Seeds are available but not always affordable There is widespread infrastructure damage mainly to roads, bridges, culverts & embankments River erosion is a severe & continuous problem

7 Preliminary Conclusions (1) Govt response was fair, under the circumstances Shelters, ambulances & rescue boats are lacking The relief effort so far, has been provided very widely but not deeply the poorest affected families need more & for much longer Farmers faced a serious seed shortage the Govt is addressing this quickly & effectively Even so, impact on agriculture will last >1 year Most areas will need food aid until the aman rice harvest (Dec 04), some until the boro (May 05) Infrastructure/school damage could be addressed through FFW & CFW, to provide employment

8 Preliminary Conclusions (2) People are not hopeless they survived the floods & are helping themselves, but they lack options The poorest are living on relief; they need help not to slip further into poverty employment and credit at reasonable rates support to cottage industries / small farmers subsidised education / exemption from exam fees Assistance is needed (but yet to be provided) to help poor families repair/rebuild their homes raised concrete plinths will reduce vulnerability Assistance is needed for restocking, reconstruction & repair of public infrastructure (health centres, schools-cum-shelters) & to be more flood resilient

9 The Future Bangladesh is still not equipped to deal with such major floods which are a regular occurrence Govt immediate response capacity is lacking No rescue boats Too few suitable flood shelters No emergency funding for quick response Mitigation of future floods and river erosion Use of vegetation to protect earth embankments Properly engineered / surfaced river embankments Creation of new canals & culverts (must be kept clear) Regular dredging of the rivers Integrated management of the great South Asia rivers

10 We know what to do; but we are just not doing it. A District Deputy Commissioner Bangladesh DER Group Meeting, 16 Sep 04