Protection against cyclones and extreme weather events is a pressing and immediate concern. Extreme weather events will worsen with climate change, but already, their effects are being felt. Bangladesh is hit by cyclones every year, with extreme cyclones occurring approximately every three years.[3] Historically, cyclone events and their associated storm surges have killed hundreds of thousands of people, with many deaths preventable through improved emergency response infrastructure.[4] It is estimated that as climate change progresses, the population of Bangladesh vulnerable to cyclone storm surge will increase by 110%.[3] Providing the necessary infrastructure to allow Bangladeshis to adapt and respond to these emergencies is an essential part of ensuring a sustainable future for Bangladesh.
Cyclone shelters are a necessary component of Bangladesh’s emergency response strategy. Cyclone shelters must incorporate several key infrastructural features in order to be effective and maximize both their usefulness, safety, and their accessibility to Bangladeshis during extreme weather events. First, the cyclone shelters should serve multiple purposes throughout the year. When not being used during emergencies, cyclone shelters should be used as schools, medical centers or community meeting centers. Shelters should include adequate restroom facilities and enough useable space for their intended multipurpose. One example of a potential multipurpose shelter in Bangladesh is the Lata Chapli LGED School compound. The school in this compound serves 600 students, and would benefit from the additional classroom space provided by the usage of the compound’s cyclone shelter. However, it lacks enough toilets and classroom space to be an adequate and successful.[2] Future multipurpose cyclone shelters should take these needs into account and incorporate the features, such as deliberate planning around toilets and classrooms, and access to utilities like water, and electricity that make them most effective for use throughout the year.
As space is a rare resource in many of Bangladesh’s dense areas, using structures for multiple purposes is an important tool. Additionally, multipurpose shelters offer a well-ventilated shaded space gives Bangladeshis an indoor place to take refuge in during heat waves, which are expected to become more frequent with climate change, and can serve as an alternative to staying outside in dangerous temperature conditions
Regardless of the structural safety provided by cyclone shelters, their usefulness depends on people’s willingness to respond to emergency alerts and evacuate to shelters when necessary. Initiatives like emergency alert systems and community workshops to increase knowledge about the risks of storms can help to improve the likelihood of adequate emergency evacuation and response. Additionally, infrastructural elements of cyclone shelters can encourage or deter evacuation.. A necessary feature of effective cyclone shelters that addresses cultural barriers to evacuation is the incorporation of adjacent shelters for cattle. For many Bangladeshis living in cyclone-prone areas, cattle and other livestock serve as financial assets.[1] Individuals are less likely to evacuate during extreme weather if evaluation comes at the risk of abandoning or losing their cattle to the storms. Therefore, in order to maximize the Bangladeshi’s safety and economic stability, new construction of cyclone shelters should be accompanied by established spaces for cattle as well. Given that Bangladesh already faces a shortage of cyclone shelters and the funds required to build more, it is less feasible to propose concrete structures for both cattle and humans. Instead, it is recommended that the cattle structures be instead low-cost raised earthen platforms that protect the cattle against flooding. These raised spaces, called killas, allow for the cattle to be protected against storm surges. Killas are an indigenous adaptation technique that can be implemented on larger scales to hold large amounts of livestock during storms.[6] It is important to delegate the most amount of funding possible to cyclone shelters that serve humans – however, when the lack of cattle shelters prevents humans from evacuating during cyclones, it becomes clear that funds must also be used to address the cattle problem.
It is estimated that approximately 5500 more cyclone shelters must be built in Bangladesh in order to adapt to disaster.[3][5] Although this will be costly, it is necessary in order to combat the potential loss of lives.
By Mimi Wahid
References
- Alakida. (2012, October 16). Cyclone shelters – for livestock too. Retrieved from http://www.irinnews.org/feature/2012/10/16
- Jia, Z. M., & Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and, P. (2012). Cyclone shelters and cyclone resilient design in coastal areas of Bangladesh. C2012.
- Huq, M., Ahmed, M. H., & World, B. (2010). Vulnerability of Bangladesh To Cyclones In A Changing Climate : [electronic resource] Potential Damages And Adaptation Cost. Washington, D.C., The World Bank, 2010.
- Keast, Robyn. (2014, September 10). The state of multi-purpose cyclone shelters in Bangladesh. Retrieved from http://www.networksandcollaborations.com.au/files/Facilities.pdf
- Local Government Engineering Department for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Asian Development Bank. (2017, June). Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/linked-documents/45084-002-ban-oth-01.pdf
- Martin, M. (2016, July 1). Noah’s Ark is made of earth in Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://www.thethirdpole.net/2016/06/01/noahs-ark-is-made-of-earth-in-bangladesh/