BANGLADESH URBAN RESILIENCE PROJECT HELPING TO MAKE CITIES STRONGER APPROVAL DATE: END DATE: TOTAL COMMITMENT: IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES: BASIC INFORMATION March 24 August 03 $173 million Dhaka North City Corporation, Rajdhani Unnayan 2015 2013 Katripakhha (RAJUK- Capital Development Authority), Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, and Ministry of Planning OVERVIEW Bangladesh is among most disaster-prone countries in the world. It is susceptible to floods, cyclones and earthquakes. The Government of Bangladesh has instituted disaster risk reduction policies and invested in infrastructure along coastal areas to mitigate the risks from floods and cyclones. Over the years, government has demonstrated that investment in flood management and cyclone preparedness saves lives, reduces economic losses and protects development gains. Disaster Risk Management (DRM) solutions in an urban context present greater challenge. The vulnerability of Bangladesh’s urban areas is neither well understood, nor adequately addressed in the country’s policy framework. 88 CHALLENGE TOWARDS THE FUTURE Land use planning regulations and public service delivery in urban areas could not keep up with the pace of While the Urban Resilience Project targets growth. The current regulatory environment is opaque and enforcement mechanisms for urban development Dhaka and Sylhet, this approach can be control do not address structural safety, leading to lack of enforcement capability and accountability. In this scaled up in the future to focus on other context, any hazards, such as floods, fires, building collapses, or earthquakes, present a formidable threat to life urban centers. Retrofitting key infrastructure, and prosperity. supporting risk sensitive land use With the nearest major fault line is believed to be in less than 60 km away, Dhaka is vulnerable to seismic risk planning, addressing flooding and seismic and fire. Moreover, the city is poorly prepared to respond to a crisis of a significant scale within the metropolitan vulnerabilities, and scaling up emergency area. Sylhet, one of the largest cities in the country, is also near to a fault line and extremely vulnerable to management and response would strengthen earthquakes. institutions and increase resilience in other cities as well. Recent tragedies of building collapse or building fire underscores the extreme vulnerability of the built environment and need to increase capacity to respond to disasters. APPROACH The Urban Resilience Project (URP) will address seismic risk and reduce structural vulnerability of future building constructions in Dhaka and Sylhet. It helps strengthen the capacity of the public agencies to respond to emergencies and strengthen systems. The project will help put an emergency management system in place; mobilize resources at all levels; and assign roles and responsibilities more efficiently. It will develop a consensus-driven analytical foundation required for longer-term investments to reduce risk in the built environment of Dhaka, Sylhet and other cities. The project also supports the institutional infrastructure and competency to reduce long-term disaster vulnerability in Dhaka. It will address both the existing built environment as well as future development. EXPECTED RESULTS Increased decentralized emergency Increased capacity of officials and emergency Systems and assessments established to response services in Dhaka and Sylhet. management response personnel. reduce vulnerability of buildings THE WORLD BANK IN BANGLADESH | 89