Directorate of Information and Communication Technology

Information and Communication Technology Division Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and IT

BANGLADESH

Presentation on

Overview of Uses of ICT in Disaster Risk Management

Jashim Uddin Ahmed (Additional Secretary)

Director General, DoICT

Election Pledge; Vision 2021: Digital Bangladesh Government committed for inclusive uses of ICT ICT for unlocking tremendous social and economic benefit Enabling ICT Environment

Foreword

Hi-tech Parks, Software Technology Parks and ICT Incubators are being established . Established infrastructures promote ICT uses ICT rollout in business areas as well as in human resource development

Achievements

ICT in Bangladesh

National ICT infrastructure development to bridge the digital divide through establishing high speed fibre optic connectivity to the grass-root level

E-services link to District, Upazilla e-center and UDC, it facilitates digital inclusion and also enhances online service penetration to root-level

Environment

Technology

Economy

Society ICT

ICT in Bangladesh

Quick Wins have promoted for improving public service delivery mechanism as e-services. 400+ Quick wins already introduced

A total of 9551 computer labs already established. This initiative reduced computer/technology divide in Bangladesh

National Data Center (tier-3 & 4) are already established

ICT in Bangladesh

2000 highly specialized IT labs establishment is underway by Directorate of ICT, including 64 will be IT based language labs. 9 international languages taught

ICT STATISTICS IN BANGLADESH

Population (2014 estimate)

Internet users (2000)

Internet users ( 30 june 2014)

Internet penetration (% of population)

% of users in Asia or Oceania region

Facebook 31-Dec-2012

166,280,712 100,000 40,800,000 24.5% 2.9 3,352,680

Source: Internet World Stats

National ICT Policies Addressing Disaster Management

Activities Utilize remote sensing technologies for disaster management and mitigations

Promote cell phone/SMS-based disaster warning systems targeted to the population likely to be affected

Utilize Geographic Information System (GIS)-based systems to monitor flood and cyclone shelters (including equitable distribution in vulnerable areas)

Utilize Geographic Information System (GIS)-based systems to ensure equitable distribution of relief goods with special focus on the hard-to-reach area

Strategic Objectives • Protect citizens from natural disasters through ICT-based disaster warning

and management technologies • Promote efficient relief management and post-disaster activities monitoring

Disaster Management in Bangladesh

Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO) are playing important roles through collecting remote sensing data

Bangladesh Meteorological Department actively controls the relevant information regarding weather forecasting and disaster warning as well

Department of Disaster Management Program namely “Comprehensive Disaster Management Program (CDMP)” took an initiative for earthquake hazard and risk assessment of three major cities (Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet) in Bangladesh.

CDMP makes available cyclone shelter database information online

In Bangladesh, the Disaster Management Information Centre is being piloted early warning dissemination through Cell Broadcast in two districts- Sirajgonj (for flood) and Cox’s Bazaar (for cyclones).

Disaster Management in Bangladesh

SPARRSO developed a spatial databases for the landslide assessment for the towns of Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachari through GPS (Global Positioning System) survey. A base map was prepared using GIS technology

Institute of Water Modelling introduces flood forecasting system and doing advanced researches as well

Survey of Bangladesh already done an aircraft imaging survey for various environmental issues by 2012

To combat food damage loss Various Agricultural Research Institutes introduce saline and drought tolerant crop varieties and among others

Community Radio broadcasting for hard-to-reach area People.

Time Max. Wind Speed (km/hr)

Death Toll

11 May, 1965 161 19,279

15 December, 1965 217 873

01 October, 1966 139 850

12 November, 1970 224 3,000,00

25 May, 1985 154 11,069

29 April, 1991 225 138882

19 May, 1997 232 155

15 Nov, 2007 (SIDR) 223 3,363

25 May, 2009 (AILA) 92 190

ICT Impact on Disaster Management- An example from cyclone death trend

Death toll comparison between 1970 and 2007 cyclones significantly highlighted the ICT uses impact on disaster. In case of SIDR Early warning (72 hrs before the event) from RSMC, New Delhi, India through their geo-stationary satellite, INSAT substantially reduces the death toll.

Disaster Management Institutions in Bangladesh

National Disaster Management Council

Inter Ministerial Disaster Management Coordination Committee (IMDMCC)

Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (MoFDM)

National Disaster Management Advisory Committee (NDMAC)

National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR)

Earthquake Preparedness and Awareness

Disaster Management and Relief Division (DM&RD) Food Division

CPP Implementation Board (CPPIB)

Directorate of Relief and Rehabilitation (DRR)

Disaster Management Bureau (DMB)

Director General of Food (DGFood)

District Disaster Management Committee

(DDMC) Municipal Disaster

Management Committee (MDMC)

Union Disaster Management Committee (UDMC)

City Corporation Disaster Management Committee

(CCDMC) Upazila Disaster

Management Committee (UzDMC)

Zone/ Upazila

Union

CSDDWS

FPOCG

NGOCC

DMTATF

Figure: Disaster Management Institutions in Bangladesh

SAARC works for a Comprehensive Framework on Disaster Management for South Asia to ensuring Early Warning, Disaster Management and Disaster Prevention in the region

SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) has developed SAARC Road Maps on Disaster Management

In the light of SAARC Plan of Action on Environment- SAARC Meteorology Research Centre (SMRC) established in Dhaka

SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre (SCZMC) has established in Male, Maldive

Bangladesh Representing in Regional Disaster Management Framework

SAARC Forestry Center has come into the existence in Bhutan

SACEP (South Asia Cooperative Environment Program) work for Waste Management, Adaptation to Cilmate Change and Data Management in the region

Bangladesh is in the network of Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC), Japan and taking substantial help

And also benefitted from Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), Bangkok

Bangladesh Representing in Regional Disaster Management Framework

Our Commitments

To undertake actions for the use of knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels as outlined in Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).

Focusing access to reliable, accurate and timely information at all levels of society is crucial immediately before, during and after a disaster.

Emphasizing on various stages of disaster like normal time, alert & warning time, disaster stage and rehabilitation phases for effective Disaster Risk Management (DRM) measures.

Looking improvement of activities like prevention, mitigation, preparedness planning: Collecting baseline data for conducting risk assessment and analysis.

To establishing ICT based comprehensive information management network for revealing the core reasons behind the disaster has great importance for the Asia Pacific region and specially for SAARC countries

SAARC countries are more prone to disaster for their prevailing vulnerable climatic scenario

Based on information it could be research infrastructure to derive policy issues on climate change, environmental management as well as disaster resilient development structures

Through using data mining approach, the pattern of knowledge will be derived that will facilitate our close understanding about the nature. The core reasons behind the disaster hopefully will be identified through such research.

Figure out and defining of the weather, climate and seasons prevail in the Asia-Pacific countries can be possible from the comprehensive view point.

Recommendation

Data center facility like cloud computing will be a blessing for the related stakeholders in the region to analyze data independently and among others as well.

As Asia Pacific information superhighway is our prior concern we can go for comprehensive research throughout the region by enabling grid facility in our intended network.

Environmental and its associated research institutes prevailed throughout Asia Pacific regions will be considered as vital stakeholders. Stakeholders will actively take part in the research programs by ensuring raw data collection from their concerned observation areas and also getting analyzed and raw information from it.

Forecasting appropriate policies and day to day issues on disaster management and various other practices will be gained through it .

Key Features

Strengths: Enabling Policies

National ICT Policy formulated in 2009. Step to modernize Telecommunication policy is underway. Bangladesh is a signatory of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015. Way forward to implement SAARC Framework of Action 2006-2015. Also Bangladesh has a national plan for disaster management 2010-2015. All these initiatives create enabling environment to implement our recommendation

High Speed Backbone networks

For providing high speed internet connection to the grass-roots Info-sarker-iii project is taken. As a result, high speed connectivity will be extended to grass-root level (1200 unions) of Bangladesh by 2017

67% population are below 34 years age. Youth have good command in IT and also very much enthusiastic to acquire modern technology.

SWOT Analysis

Weaknesses: • Asia Pacific Information Superhighway is not yet developed. • Lack of high speed backbone connectivity in grass-root level.

Opportunities: Human resource development occur along with raising awareness to ICT

uses in disaster throughout the region.

Young fellows are motivated to take future challenges.

Capacity building is a enhanced phenomena in Bangladesh.

SWOT Analysis (Contd.)

Threats: • To build up a knowledge based network in the region it is a big challenge

to keep pace within all the stakeholders. • For successful comprehensive network establishment in the region;

needed the focused area like capacity building in all parts can be a threat area.

Our Co-ordination

Regional Cooperation in Meteorological,

Environmental Application

Regional Cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction

Building Resilience to Disasters (Tsunami, earthquake, cyclone)

Regional Cooperation in Space Application

Space & GIS for Disaster Management

Asia-Pacific Information

Superhighway

Earthquake forecasting system is not well developed. A huge devastation and human live lost occurred in Nepal, India and Bangladesh in 25 April, 2015.

Due to rapid urbanization/ huge unsafe buildings, buildings developed mostly violating Bangladesh national building codes subject to make Bangladesh an earthquake vulnerable.

To develop good governance in this sector through e-governance is a key challenging area for us.

Challenges

Our Motivations

By motivating through this workshop Work for the develop e-resilient in the prevailing resilient disaster

management structures Participate in collaborating works with other stakeholders in building

regional and international networks. As part of the technical assistance from UN-ESCAP, Bangladesh can be one

of the hosts for such comprehensive infrastructures.

Thanks