Improving Early Warning Systems in Bangladesh

CHALLENGE

Floods in Bangladesh, including the August 2024 disaster that killed 13 and displaced 4.5 million, are worsening with climate change, threatening lives, agriculture, and community resilience.

SOLUTION

Strengthening national and local Early Warning Systems (EWS) ensures timely, accessible, and actionable disaster information for vulnerable communities.

OVERVIEW

Bangladesh is among the most disaster-prone countries in the world, with climate change driving more frequent and severe floods that affect millions each year. The August 2024 disaster, which killed at least 13 people and displaced 4.5 million, underscored both the escalating risks and the urgent need for improved preparedness. In response, the government has prioritised Early Warning Systems as part of its climate adaptation strategy and joined the global “Early Warnings for All” initiative launched by the UN Secretary-General in 2022.

According to the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), an Early Warning System (EWS) is “an integrated system of hazard monitoring, forecasting and prediction, disaster risk assessment, communication and preparedness activities systems and processes that enables individuals, communities, governments, businesses and others to take timely action to reduce disaster risks in advance of hazardous events.” This comprehensive approach captures the type of system Bangladesh is striving to achieve.

Details

As stated in Bangladesh’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Early Warning Systems are an essential part of their adaptation efforts, particularly in disaster management, which emphasise the strengthening of EWS against various hazards such as floods, landslides and droughts. More recently, the government has been promoting an ICT-based Early Warning System that uses technologies such as Interactive Voice Response, and developing disaster management policies that incorporate new technologies and innovations. While the development and dissemination of EWS are undertaken at the national level, there are also various initiatives being taken to improve resilience at the local level. Two examples are presented here:

Dissemination of Localised Early Warnings for Floods

It is the local climate-vulnerable population that suffers from natural disasters, including floods. Therefore, it is essential to improve resilience to climate change at the local level. The international NGO Practical Action has been working on a project to disseminate localised early warnings for floods in Bangladesh, which started in 2018 (Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, 2023).

In Faridpur, where the project was implemented, communities are situated in the Ganges floodplain and surrounded by four major rivers, making them vulnerable to recurrent monsoon-season flooding. To improve resilience, Practical Action employed the Flood Resilience Measurement for Communities (FRMC) tool to assess flood resilience and facilitate participatory action planning. The assessment revealed a critical shortage of localised Early Warning Systems, leaving the communities unprepared and undermining their resilience and financial stability. Practical Action’s work, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted the importance of comprehensive flood resilience strategies prioritising risk reduction, preparedness, and rapid recovery.

In the project, Practical Action implemented three main activities. First, they introduced digital weatherboards in collaboration with local governments, installing them in union digital centres. These ICT-based systems provide real-time weather updates, market prices, and agricultural advisories, benefiting remote communities by helping farmers make risk-informed decisions. Second, they launched a mobile-based Disaster Alert app with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. The app improves disaster preparedness and responses by coordinating volunteers and government teams, providing early warnings, and offering crucial information such as shelter locations and emergency services. Third, Practical Action trained 30 local resilience agents, volunteer groups that disseminate flood early warnings, assist with search-and-rescue operations and support local governments in distributing relief and preparing communities.

Integrated Risk-based Early Warning Systems

A recent study by Haque et al. (2024) puts the spotlight on Integrated Risk-based Early Warning Systems, which combine Early Warning Systems with disaster risk reduction (DRR). The importance of this integration was recognised by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) as early as 2006.

DRR aims to systematically reduce disaster risks by addressing the root causes of disasters, including exposure to hazards, vulnerability of people and property, and poor land and environmental management. Early Warning Systems are a key component of DRR, helping to predict and minimise the negative impacts of disasters by enabling both short-term responses and long-term risk reduction strategies. Integrated Risk-based Early Warning Systems build on this by providing a comprehensive approach that combines hazard monitoring, risk knowledge, communication, and response capability. This integration can significantly enhance community resilience by providing timely warnings, clear communication, and action plans that reduce vulnerability and improve preparedness.

Despite these advancements, gaps remain in operationalising Integrated Risk-based Early Warning Systems, particularly in translating complex risk information into understandable community-level warnings and integrating predefined action plans to enhance resilience. For example, there is often a need to focus on how to link these elements with community action plans. The development of the Dynamic Flood Risk Model aims to address these gaps, providing a model for translating technical hazard data into simple warnings and actionable plans that communities can follow (Haque et al., 2024). This model, piloted in Bangladesh, is designed to reduce disaster risk while increasing community resilience and serves as a basis for a new generation of Early Warning Systems that support both disaster preparedness and resilience.

RELATED INFORMATION

Aljazeera (2024) “Deadly floods leave millions stranded in Bangladesh”

Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance (2023) “Localized Flood Early Warning Dissemination in Bangladesh”

National Adaptation Plan – Bangladesh

UNDRR definition of “Early Warning System”

The Flood Resilience Measurement for Communities (FRMC)

Haque, A., Akter, M., Hussain, M. M., Rahman, M. R., Salehin, M., & Rahman, M. (2024). An integrated risk-based early warning system to increase community resilience against disaster. Progress in Disaster Science, 21, 100310.