News and Events

Feature

Email this page   Print this page

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (23 August 2004) - The summer monsoon can be the life giving force to the parched dry lands of developing countries in South Asia - or it can wreak devastation on a scale at par with some of the worst natural disasters.

Bangladesh is particularly at the mercy of the monsoon, principally because its three mighty rivers pass through heavily populated towns to eventually drain into the Bay of Bengal - rivers capable of flooding a third of the country.

In 1988, the monsoon struck heavily, inundating more than 60% of the country's land area. The floodwaters receded after 34 days, but left more than 2,300 people dead, adversely affecting 45 million people, and causing an estimated damage of around US$1.3 billion.

In response, the Government drew up an integrated Flood Action Plan (FAP) including riverbank protection and municipal and environmental components such as drainage, roads, sanitation, solid waste management and slum improvements. Cities and towns targeted for intervention were identified and included the capital, Dhaka, as well as secondary towns.

"The Government's integrated approach, supported by ADB, guarantees that economic activity in fast-growing urban centers is not disrupted due to a heavy monsoon rainfall. Equally importantly, it means the poor do not experience a disruption in basic social and physical infrastructure services every time there is heavy rainfall," says Anjum Ibrahim, an ADB Project Evaluation Specialist.

The Dhaka project completed and augmented the westerly flood protection embankment and floodwalls. To avoid internal flooding due to inadequate drainage, the project also rehabilitated about 78 km of 21 major existing drains, constructed and rehabilitated 51 km of piped drainage facilities, cleaned and unblocked drains, and began a rigorous operation and maintenance program.

To extend the overall impact of the project, more than 30 hectares of slum and squatter areas were improved, solid waste management was enhanced, and public toilets and latrine shelters were provided.

The Secondary Towns Infrastructure Flood Protection Project (STIFPP) constructed river embankment and bank protection to secure Khulna and five secondary towns from frequent flooding and internal waterlogging, and reduce the risk of damage to residential, commercial, and industrial areas and infrastructure.

The project also cleared 102 km of drains, 144 km of new and rehabilitated drains, 121.4 km of tertiary drains, and 633 culvert/bridge/road crossings to improve drainage of rainwater and wastewater.

It also improved and expanded solid waste management services and capacity. New disposal sites were developed and existing ones rehabilitated. Health hazards were reduced because waterborne diseases could not spread so easily. Health conditions also improved with better sanitation through the installation of septic tanks and latrines in the project towns.

Despite delays due to additional flooding, both projects have been assessed as successful because they have mitigated the negative impacts of another bad monsoon year.

Ten years after the devastating flood of 1988, a mightier flood tried to overwhelm Bangladesh. But the flood protection facilities constructed withstood it. Reports show that despite the 1998 flood affecting a greater land area and lasting 25 days longer than in 1988, overall, there were far fewer people affected, and damage was kept down to an estimated $1 billion.

In western Dhaka, together with the pump operation and drainage facilities, incidents of localized flood were minimized, and the number of beneficiaries from the slum improvement program exceeded the appraisal target. The actual number of beneficiaries for flood protection, drainage, solid waste management, slum improvements, and sanitation exceeded the appraisal estimates in STIFPP as well.

Recently, Bangladesh again faced a crisis, with the summer monsoon bringing in floodwaters a foot higher than in 1998. Over 200 people were reported dead, about 30 million affected.

In response, ADB formed a flood monitoring team and assured the Government of strong financial support in rehabilitating damaged infrastructure once again.

ADB is in the process of launching the second phase of the STIFPP by including secondary towns for intervention that were earmarked in the FAP but not included in the first phase.

"However, the sustainability of these interventions remains a source of concern as line agencies continue to suffer from resource constraints which inhibits adequate allocations for routine maintenance," says Ms. Ibrahim. "But communities that have realized considerable benefits from such interventions can be organized to manage and fund maintenance of these facilities."