1. Local Capacity Building for Advancing
Case study:
Adaptation to Climate Change in Floodplains and
Coastal Areas of Bangladesh
South Asian Regional Workshop on
Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management
Organized by: SEEDS India and Christian Aid, UK
Venue: Hotel Atrium, Faridabad, Delhi
Date: 13-16 June 2010
SM Alauddin and Dwijen Mallick, Research Fellows
BANGLADESH CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES
House # 10, Road # 16A, Gulshan- 1, Dhaka- 1212, Bangladesh
Phone: (+880-2) 8818124-7, 8851237, 8852904; Fax: (+880-2) 8851417
E-mail: info@bcas.net; Website: www.bcas.net

2. A. Bangladesh: Physical Impacts and
Social vulnerability
• Geographical location
• Great Himalayan in the North
• Bay of Bengal in the South
• Big river systems; deltaic
floodplains and long coast;
expansion of drought
• Natural disaster prone
• High population and widespread
poverty
• Higher dependency on natural
resources
• Limited capacity of the
government and people

3. Climate Change and Disaster Linkages
• Bangladesh is already a disaster prone
country
• Number of climatic extremes has doubled
globally and locally
– 200 to 400 events in last two decades
• 9/10 disasters are linked with global
warming and climate change
• Big floods come in every 5‐7 years which
were 20 years event in the past
• Frequency and intensity of cyclones
– Sidr, Nargis and Ailal
• Slow onset disasters: drought, salinity and
sea level rise

4. Climate induced Floods in Bangladesh
• Frequency and intensity of
floods
– Major big floods in the recent
decades
– 1987, 1988, 1098, 2000, 2004,
2007
– Flood coverage (70%), depth and
duration have increased and flash
floods
– Impacts on agriculture, food
security, water and health,
livelihoods, communication and
social security
• Diarrhea in 2007/2008

5. Projection about Floods in Bangladesh
Source: IPCC AR4

6. Cyclones and tidal surges in Bangladesh
• Intensity and frequency of cyclones
and tidal surges
– Major cyclones in the recent years:
1970, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2004,
2007 and 2008
– Sidr and Nargis were extremely
destructive
– Tornados in 1989 (Saturai, Manikganj);
1996 (Tangail, Sirajganj)
– Impacts: human lives; infrastructure,
resources base; water, economy and
livelihoods are enormous
• Aila: Water, food, embankment,
human settlements and livelihoods

7. Climate induced Sea Level Rise and salinity
• Possible sea level rise will not only affect
resources, land, water and livelihood, but
also dislocate 35 million people from the
coastal districts by 2050
– This will increase food, water, human
insecurities
– Enhances rural to urban migration
– Poor will be moving to cities and live in
slums
– Increases social conflicts over resources
(land, forest and water) and services
• Severe scarcity of drinking water and
health hazards due to salinity intrusion
both in ground and surface water

8. Climate induced Droughts in Bangladesh
• Coverage and intensity of drought
have increased
– Damage of soil, productivity of
land and fertility, loss of agriculture
and crops, food insecurity and
nutrition
– Ecology and NRs, green coverage
and forest, livestock, water and
fisheries
– Water scarcity, heat stress and
damages to human health
• Drought condition will be
aggravated in the warmer climate

9. Climatic Factors Impacts; Risk and Vulnerability
Increase of • Changes in seasons; cropping patterns and loss of agriculture
temperature • Water resources deplete
• Human health and working potentials
• Ecosystems and bio-resource
Increased rainfall • Flash Flood
• Create water logging and affect standing crops
• Washout aquaculture and fish farmers become looser
Decreased rainfall • Damage or decrease crop yield/production
• Dry out pond which affect fish production
• Increase diseases and pest
• Decrease fruit setting as well as decrease production
Sea level raise • Inundation of low lying land by saline water
• Loss of cultivable land result decrease of crop production
• Affect freshwater fish culture
• Loss of biodiversity
• Extreme scarcity of drinking water
• Climate Refugee and Migration
Salinity intrusion • Decrease crop production
• Degradation of soil
• Damage freshwater fish production
• Increase human diseases like diarrhoea, gastric, dysentery etc.
Extreme Events • Quality of water will be degraded; Availability and supply hampered
(Flood and erosion, • Access to safe water and services will declined; Increase of health
C l D h )

10. Major Climate affected in Bangladesh
• Regions: • Key Impacts:
• Coastal region: Salinity, sea • Land soil degradation,
level, cyclone and tidal surge • Loss of crops and
• Flood plain: too much and too agricultural productivity
little water, frequent floods; • Food insecurity
temperature rise and change • Livelihood stress and
in seasons unemployment, poverty,
• Drought prone up‐land social and gender inequity
Badrind Areas • Greater disaster risks
• Hilly Areas and Haor basins: • Stress on Human health
excessive rainfall, flash flood,
malaria and water borne • Human displacement and
diseases migration

11. Climate Hotspots in Bangladesh
• Vulnerabilities varies by socio-
economic categories and livelihood
dependency
• Poor and marginal groups are most
affected

12. Climate Change Impacts on Livelihoods
• Resources bases and
livelihood assets are
affected
– Natural, Human,
Physical, Financial and
Social
• Wealth and wellbeing
decline
• Capacity building of
vulnerable groups and
actors

13. Climate Change and Poverty Linkages
• Climate change will hit the poor the hardest
• They are in the forefront in climate disaster and risks
• Climate change will compound the existing poverty
– Many non‐poor could be forced to be poor
– Moderate poor may be extreme poor (Aila, Sidr and
recent Floods)
• Poor has the least capacity to adapt with adverse impacts of
climate change
• So, poor are the most vulnerable
• Vulnerability= Risks x Hazards
Capacity

14. Growing Impact of Climate Disasters and Health
Hazards on Poverty and Development
DISASTER /HEALTH
HAZARDS
$
(D
E
V)
Time (Year)

15. VICIOUS CYCLE OF
DISASTER AND POVERTY
POVERTY LINE
POVERTY
HEALTH RISK
IMPACTED
DISASTER

16. Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation Needs
Impacts Intensity of
Event = ∑∫ Events
X∫
Baseline X∫ Adaptive
Capacity
Conditions
is weak

17. B. The Key Challenges of the Project
• Understanding the risks and vulnerability in the
local contexts with vulnerable communities
• Building awareness about the growing impacts,
risks and vulnerability
• Formulation of local adaptation strategies and
action plans
• Implementation of the local action plans with the
communities and actors
• Social Mobilization and engagement of actors and
stakeholders

18. The Key Challenges………
• Development of local capacity and skills
to
– Protect lives and livelihoods of the most
vulnerable
– Improve disaster preparedness find
linkages between CCA and DRM
– Promote resilience to absorb some risks
– Demonstrate good adaptation practices
• Building effective linkages of the
vulnerable groups with local government
and actors; and
• Mainstreaming climate change issues
into local development process

19. Project Location in Bangladesh Map
• Mongla Upazila (sib‐
district) in Bagethat:
exposed coastal area
• Tungipara in Gopalganj
district: inner coast and
water logged area
• Harirampur in Manikganj,
central floodplain and
erosion prone area

20. Local Contexts: Climate Change impacts in Coastal
Villages
• Mongla, Bagerhat
– Exposed to sea;
cyclone and tidal
surge, salinity, sea
level rise; water
logging; erratic
rainfall
– Temperature rise
and change in
seasonal patterns

21. Climate Change impacts in South central Bangladesh
• Tungipara,
Gopalganj
– Prolonged flood and
water logging
– Increasing salinity;
temperature rise
and change in
weather patterns
– Poverty,
deprivation and
isolation

22. Climate Change impacts in Central Floodplain
• Harirampur,
Manikganj
– Monsoon prolonged
flood (early and late
monsoon), water
logging,
– River bank erosion;
drought

23. C. Goal, Objectives, Approach and Activities
of the Project
• The overall goal is to enhance resilience and adaptive capacity of the
communities and actors to reduce risks and vulnerability to climate
variability and climatic disasters
• The objectives are:
• to improve understanding and awareness about current and future climate
risks and vulnerability on the lives and livelihoods
• to build local capacity to integrate climate change adaptation into local
development process, livelihoods and DRR
• to improve current coping mechanisms and enhancement of adaptive
capacity of the vulnerable communities
• to demonstrate adaptation options and alternative livelihoods
• Enhances linkage with local actors: LGIs, NGOs/CBOs for adaptations
• Promote advocacy to influence policy and decision making processes at
different levels; and
• to share learning and good practices

24. Approach: Local Capacity Building as a key Focus
• Local capacity building: why and for whom?
– Climate impacts are external to local people and these affect them
disproportionately
– Vulnerability is socially embedded
– The poor have least capacity to adapt with the changes
– They need capacity to address the climate change impacts
– Local capacity (awareness, new knowledge, skill and engagement), can
reduce the risk and their vulnerability
• For whom: Poor, women, community people, PNGOs, NGOs/ CBOs and
LGIs
• How: Group formation (CCA Group); awareness, orientation and
training, PVA and local planning, demonstration of good practices,
exchanges, popular campaign

25. Approach: Participatory Research and Collective
Actions
• The project is action research in nature
• It combines both research and collective actions
• It follows a participatory and multidisciplinary approach
• The project initiated social mobilization, engagement of
actors, motivation, awareness, demonstration of good
practices, linkages of the vulnerable groups, CCAGs and
communities with actors
• It is expected that local capacity building will help to tackle
exposure to climate change and reduce the associated risks
and vulnerability

26. Approach: 3Ps……
• The project promotes 3Ps approach:
– protection of lives, livelihoods and assets
– promotion of resilience in human, social and natural systems; and
– prevention of disaster losses and risk reduction
• Enhances community links with LGIs, local actor and NGOs so that they
can get supports for implementation of local adaptation for long time
even beyond the project.
• Improves the conventional DRR practices in the context of frequency and
intensity of climate disasters
• Demonstration of adaptation practices:
– Agricultural diversification
– Conservation of water and promotion of health
– Livelihoods and AIG and
– Improvement of DRR (plinth raising, strong structure of house and effective
linkages with UDMCs)

27. D. Focuses of Local Adaptation Options
• Common focuses:
– Awareness building about current and future climate
change risks
– Capacity building and skill development among vulnerable
community, stakeholders and actors
– Mainstreaming climate change adaptation into agriculture,
water, health, local development, livelihood and DRR
– Community linkages with Union Parishads, UDMCs, LGIs,
NGOs and actors

28. Focuses of Local Adaptation …
Focuses and priorities in Mongla (Coastal areas/zones)
• Salinity tolerant paddy and crops, fish and crab culture
• Salinity and storm resistance trees and plants and coastal aforestation
• Rain water Harvesting and pond preservation for fresh water
• Maintenance and improvement of coastal embankments and erosion
protection
• Enhancement of disaster preparedness
– Cyclone shelter and Kella for cattle
– Strengthening house structures
– Health services – salinity, cyclones and heat stress
– Foods, shelter, employment and planned migration for the displaced
population

29. Focuses of Local Adaptation ….
Priorities in Tungipara (inner coastal zone)
• Re‐excavation of canal and rivers to reduce water logging which damages
agriculture, increases poverty and food insecurity
• Embankment and appropriate sluice gates to project agriculture and crops
from increasing salinity
• Flood and water logging resilient paddy and crops‐ floating bed agriculture
• Household plinth raising and raising tube wells to protect from frequent
floods
• Greater flood preparedness and flood shelters
– Prevention of water borne diseases during and after flood
– Food security and social protection
– Improvement of rural communication

30. Focuses of Local Adaptation …..
Priorities in Harirampur (central floodplain)
• Erosion protection and strong embankment along mighty
river Padma
• Protection of crops from early flood and introduction of flood
resilient paddy
• Irrigation and drought management in dry season
• Employment generation and food for the poor duding and
after floods
• Flood shelters and preparedness for flood and tornado
• Prevention of flood induced and water borne diseases
• Settlement of the riverbank eroded people

31. Major Activities: accomplished and going on …
• Community Mobilization and Partnership Building
• Awareness Building for Community and Collective Action
• Project Orientation for Staff and PNGOs
• Participatory Vulnerability and Needs Assessment
• Institutional Needs Assessment for Local Capacity Building
• Development of Local Strategy for Community Adaptation
• Formation of Climate Change Adaptation Groups (CCAG) at village
and regional levels
• Capacity Building for CCAG, LGIs, Local NGOs and PNGO Staffs
• Training on DRR, livelihood and AIG
• Implementation of Local Adaptation Actions
• Establishment of village base knowledge centres; and
• Linkages, networking, advocacy and wider partnership.

32. Sharing of PVA results with local Communities

33. Sharing and Exchanging Views about Risk and
Vulnerability

34. Capacity Building of LGIs and Local Actors

35. Awareness building at Community level through
Village and Para Meeting

36. Homestead Garden
on Raised Plinth

37. Raised Tube Well

38. Planting Salt tolerant Paddy and growing vegetable in
earthen Pots

39. Rain Water Harvesting and Water Conservation
in Ponds

40. Growing Flood resilient Paddy

41. Raising Homesteads and growing vegetables and
crops on Floating Beds

42. Floating bed Gardens in water Logged Areas

43. Issues for Linkages and Advocacy
– Large and structural measures such as
embankment, flood control and cyclone
shelters, rural infrastructure
development, drainage improvement,
agricultural development considering
salinity and floods, community based
drinking water supply, erosion
protections and improved DRR
– The CCAGs and PNGOs are expanding
their network and partnership with
relevant actors and stakeholders for
both adaptation measures as well as
raising community voice against climate
injustice

44. E. Key Enabling Factors and Learning
• Participation of the local community, actors and stakeholders
• Interest of the local partner NGOs about climate change adaptation and
their sincere engagement in project implementation; good links of the
PNGOs with community and actors
• Participatory and innovative approaches (3Ps= protection, prevention and
promotion) by combining both research, capacity building and local
actions; shared leaning by climate scientists, development practitioners
and communities
• Experiences and expertise of BCAS in climate change, livelihoods and DRR
issues
• Development of local adaptation action plans and ownership by the
communities and actors
• Formation of local Climate Change Adaptation Groups and empowering
them with new knowledge and linking them with local actors and
stakeholders
• Interest of CA for the new approach and timely support

45. Key Learning and Challenges ahead
• PVA and local adaptation actions have
multiple benefits
• Further understanding local impacts, risks
and vulnerability in other ecosystems
– This needs participatory and multi‐
dimensional approach
• Blending of scientific knowledge with local
knowledge
– Top down and bottom‐up
• Mainstreaming climate change adaptation
effectively into policy and programme:
– Livelihood, agricultural/rural development
and Disaster Risk Reduction
– Capacity building and fund mobilization
– Effective R & D

46. Key Learning and Challenges …
• Adaptation, food security and water,
health and livelihood, DRR, poverty
alleviation and rural development are
all linked
• We have to do development first and
protect development from climate
change and disasters
– Climate resilient/smart development
• DRM is a core component of CCA and
Sustainable Development
• We must do these simultaneously and
collectively

47. Key Learning and Challenges …
• But what are we doing for the • We have to do
vulnerable communities and adaptation, mitigation,
future generations DRM and poverty
• … are not adequate! alleviation… and
• Climate is changing fast
with greater impacts:
– Speed up
– Scale up; and
– Keep focus on the
poorest