Surviving the weather in Bangladesh

Tanjibul, 14, is a community disaster risk volunteer. He helps organise evacuations to the nearest cycline shelter when early warnings are sounded [CAFOD]

Benedict D’Rozario and Mizanur Bijoy from Caritas Bangladesh and Prodipan tell us how climate change affects life in Bangladesh

What’s it like to live in a country that has so many disasters?

Benedict: There are two sides to disaster, it doesn’t always bring sorrow.

Sometimes it’s very inspiring and encouraging to see how people help one another and return to normal life.

When there’s a flood the land is more fertile; there are more fish for the fishermen and people can grow vegetables more easily.

But the other side to disaster is worrying. The cyclone was disastrous as houses and livelihoods were destroyed and there were many deaths.

What are you doing to reduce people’s vulnerability?

Benedict: There are lots of different schemes. We’re trying to make it easier for people to survive.

We’re encouraging people in coastal areas to grow a “green wall” of mangrove trees around their village.

Mangrove trees are good because they can be submerged in water for a month and still not die.

The trees will also act as a wind barrier to protect houses during high winds.

Mizanur: We’re building cattle shelters for people on high ground, and encouraging people to keep ducks instead of chickens – chickens can’t swim but ducks can!

Benedict: Caritas Bangladesh has built more than 225 cyclone shelters. Each shelter can hold over a thousand people, and can withstand winds of up to 250km per hour.

We’re also building better houses that can withstand cyclones - houses with roofs that won’t rip off at the first gust of wind. We’re getting different communities to share their good practice with each other.

We found one community who always prepared well in advance for floods, starting as soon as they noticed the weather getting bad.

We got them to show others how to pack seeds in plastic bags so they wouldn’t get wet, and how to stockpile dried food so they wouldn’t go hungry.

Education is key, and we have set up an eco-school that teaches children about the importance of the environment.

For example, a lot of the forests that would have protected people during natural disasters have been cut down, so we are teaching the communities to protect the forests.

Mizanur: It’s also important that people understand climate change on a global level.

Most people’s understanding of climate change in Bangladesh is local – they know that it’s raining when it’s not supposed to rain, and that the flooding is getting worse.

But our work with communities discussing climate change means that people know about emissions from developed countries and have become concerned about pollution at a national level.

What does the future hold for Bangladesh?

Mizanur: Although helping people to adapt is important it has its limits. No amount of preparation can work if the temperature rises another two degrees.

People just won’t be able to cope with it. Millions of people will be made homeless, they will become climate refugees.

We need to think about this now and make a plan for the future.

Benedict: I am optimistic about the future.

The number of people who have died in big disasters over the last few decades is decreasing. And the time it takes for people to get back to normal is less than before.

Communities are learning what to do before, during and after a disaster. They are learning from each other and they are better prepared for disasters when it hits.

Even if the frequency of disaster is increasing, the destruction and lives lost will be less.

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