Disaster and Climate Change
1.Climate Resilient Cluster Village
AM Nasir Uddin, ActionAid Bangladesh
Climate resilient cluster village is an innovation carried out by the People’s
Research Group (GonoGobeshona Dol) in Shahjadpur upazila under Sirajganj
district. River eroded landless people living in poverty are the members of
this group. This model is a proven integrated disaster risk reduction option,
which increases adaptive capacity of shelter-less households in flood prone
areas. As a result of implementing this model, ten river eroded landless
households become owners of land with houses, safe drinking water
sources, sanitary latrines, and homesteads with additional income
generating options and skills. Ten women have been empowered through
this process. It has been tested in Faridpur and Patuakhali, which is also
replicable in other flood prone areas, where prevalence and impact of
climate change is obvious.
2. Low cost ‘Inter-linking Slabs’ technology to mitigate river bank
and coastal erosion
Md. Noor Alam, Geologist
Bangladesh, the low lying and riverine country frequently experiences
annual flood, river bank erosion and damage of coastal embankments that
affect livelihoods of millions of people every year. ‘Global Climate Change’ in
recent years, causing increase of climatic events (floods, storms, sea level
rise with greater intensity) and sufferings of the affected people. These are
causing increase of landless people annually, and ultimately, they take refuge
in the towns and cities like Dhaka for their survival. Interventions by the
Govt., NGOs and donors/UN Agencies are extremely inadequate and not
much effective. We have been watching that the embankments and so called
hard-points (RCC Blocks, etc.) are being destroyed/ washed away so easily.
This is the point where my research started and I started designing a RCC Slab
that can be built in-situ, put into place easily (by human) and are linked with
each other. When they are in place and they are not separated from each
other, even, when the soil below the blocks are removed to some extent,
they are still capable of providing some resistance to hold the ground below
and protect river bank/coast from erosion. The technology and invention
seems to be useful. But, unless it is tested and recognized, no one will be
interested to using this technology. But to test the usefulness of this
“Interlinking RCC Slab (I name it “Noor Slab”)”, I would like to use it in a small
pilot project, for example in a One Kilometer/or half a Kilometer of any river
bank area, where erosion is common, and use the Slabs for bank protection.
24 4th National Knowledge Convention