Bangladesh : Coastal Towns Climate Resilience Project

Transport / Urban roads and traffic management

Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Other urban services - Urban flood protection - Urban policy, institutional and capacity development - Urban slum development - Urban solid waste management

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world with high exposure to a multitude of climate-related hazards such as floods, tropical cyclones and associated hazards, and drought. The natural hazards interact with physical and socioeconomic factors, including its low-lying delta and coastal areas, high population density, poverty levels, and lack of resilient infrastructure, resulting in high disaster risk with widespread impacts on both rural and expanding urban areas. Climate change is projected to alter precipitation patterns with likely unprecedented extremes, increase average temperature, and increase the intensity of tropical cyclones. Further, the country may experience sea level rises of 14 centimeters (cm), 32 cm, and 88 cm by the years 2030, 2050, and 2100, respectively, which will exacerbate the impact of storm surges in low-lying coastal regions. Estimates suggest that the effects of climate change could cause an average loss of about 1.3% in the growth of gross domestic product per year until 2041.

Coastal towns and climate risk. Coastal towns are particularly at risk from the impacts of climate change due to a combination of reasons including high levels of poverty and limited capacity of pourashavas (local governments) to invest in resilience. Most of the coastal towns are situated on the riverbanks of low-lying tidal zones at an average elevation of 1.0-1.5 meters (m) from the sea level and face persistent challenges in providing climate-resilient basic municipal infrastructure and services. Coastal flooding is a key hazard faced by the coastal towns. Estimates suggest that without climate adaptation, an average of 2.5 million to 7.2 million people annually will be affected by coastal flooding in Bangladesh in 2070 to 2100. Rapid unplanned development which compromises natural drainage systems and wetlands, inadequate storm water drainage facilities, and poor solid waste management, all contribute to increased climate risk. Sea level rise result in both groundwater and surface water salinity and shortages in drinking water. The climate-related challenges faced by the proposed coastal towns include: (i) inadequate basic municipal infrastructure for resilience, (ii) limited adaptive capacity of low-income and vulnerable communities, and (iii) capacity constraints at different government levels with weak governance.

There is an urgent need to strengthen institutional capacity and governance, public awareness and participation, and knowledge management to complement physical investments as part of an integrated approach for building climate change resilience. The proposed project will support strengthening the capacity of pourashavas and the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED), enabling them to anticipate, incorporate, and respond to changes relating to resource mobilization, governance structures, and future planning.

Higher and sustainable growth trajectories achieved in the face of the various weather-related natural hazards and risk.

Improved livability of coastal towns

Climate and disaster resilience of coastal towns strengthened, including benefiting the poor and women

Municipal infrastructure for resilience improved.

Resilient livelihoods enhanced

Institutional capacity, governance, and climate awareness strengthened.