'Built disaster-resilient schools'
Everyday issues are getting more priorities in Bangladesh than future risks like natural disasters that may have a long-term impacts on individual lives and communities as a whole, said a speaker at a workshop quoting a study yesterday.
Quoting a research conducted under the Disaster Preparedness Programme of the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (DIPECHO), disaster risk reduction specialist Dilruba Haider said people in general are more concerned over electricity shortage or traffic jams than earthquakes or floods.
She was speaking at the National Sharing Workshop under the fifth DIPECHO Action Plan Outcome for South Asia. The workshop was organised by DIPECHO partners in Bangladesh at a city hotel.
When natural disasters hit the country, it is the courage and resourcefulness of friends, neighbours and relatives that save most lives, said Dilruba Haider adding that such voluntary system is important to build and enhance community mobilisation in the disaster prone areas.
But the voluntary work is decreasing in the country, she said quoting her survey conduced on volunteers' working for reducing disaster risks.
Three out of every four volunteers surveyed believed that voluntary work has decreased while 60 percent of the respondents could not recall the voluntary activities during the most recent natural disasters, she said.
However, increased number of volunteers would not help much either if the locality is not properly equipped with flood or cyclone shelters and other facilities, said other discussants.
Apart from homesteads and community shelters, schools need to be built in a way so that they are more resilient to natural disasters as well, they said.
Schools in many regions of the country can be used as flood shelters. So, it is important that the schools are built in a way that can deal with natural disasters like floods and cyclones, said Prof Fuad Mullick from BRAC University.
The schools need to be built with proper safety measures to protect the children from potential disasters, including fires and earthquakes, said other discussants.
Children and persons with disabilities are more vulnerable to natural disasters than the average people, said Majedul Hoque of Handicapped International.
The speakers said traditional media are more effective than the new media to raise awareness on disaster management.
They stressed the need for using folk media and other culture-friendly materials for community mobilisation and building awareness.
They said participation of community volunteers in awareness raising programme is an effective approach, adding that schools are the excellent platforms to disseminate disaster risk reduction related messages to educate the children about disaster management and encourage them to tell the messages to their families.
DIPECHO is an action plan that includes emergency response programme, advocacy and public awareness, early warning systems, dissemination of information, training and capacity building and mitigation work.
The programme is supporting six projects in Bangladesh through it six NGO partners.
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