Chattogram City Corporation plans a dedicated budget for anticipatory landslide actions, aiming to strengthen early warning systems, improve coordination and reduce disaster risks in vulnerable hill communities.
Chattogram City Corporation has decided to keep a special allocation in its upcoming budget for forecast-based anticipatory actions to reduce landslide risks, its chief executive said on Monday at a high-level coordination workshop in the port city.
Sheikh Mohammad Ashraful Amin, chief executive officer and secretary of Chattogram City Corporation, said a dedicated expert team was already working on the plan under an initiative aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness and cutting losses from landslides in Chattogram and Bandarban.
He also stressed the need to introduce an automated early warning system and gave priority to addressing multi-hazard risks, saying compliance with building codes, master plans and environmental conservation must be integrated into overall urban planning.
The workshop was held at Hotel Agrabad in coordination with the Chattogram City Corporation under the project titled “Anticipatory Action for Landslide Causing Displacement in Chattogram and Bandarban Districts in Bangladesh”.
The project is being implemented by YPSA, or Young Power in Social Action, with financial support from the European Union and technical assistance from Save the Children and RIMES.
Abdur Rahman Khan, deputy director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department in Chattogram, and Palash Chowdhury, director of YPSA, attended the event as special guests.
The session was moderated by Dr Morshed Hossain Molla, manager of research, monitoring and evaluation at YPSA, while the keynote presentation was delivered by project coordinator Arun Darshi Chakma.
During the workshop, Kazi Suhana Sultana, headteacher of Firozhshah Government Primary School in a high-risk landslide zone, said recurring disasters were disrupting education and called for a dedicated shelter management plan to protect both the community and school resources.
Palash Chowdhury said the need of the hour was to pursue sustainable development while respecting nature. He said weak coordination and a lack of accountability remained the main challenges in disaster management.
Dr Morshed Hossain Molla said a disaster-resilient city could only be built if transparency was ensured at every stage, from research to policy formulation.
The workshop ended with stakeholders expressing hope that the initiative would become a major milestone in reducing disaster risks in Chattogram.
