A YPSA-hosted Knowledge Café in Chattogram brought officials, volunteers and communities together to assess landslide risks, improve anticipatory action, and strengthen inclusive local disaster preparedness through dialogue and practical recommendations.
Young Power in Social Action YPSA, a Bangladeshi social development organization, brought together government officials, disaster managers and community representatives to identify gaps in landslide disaster management and strengthen local preparedness through anticipatory action.
With support from Save the Children and the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System RIMES and funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations ECHO, YPSA organized a Knowledge Café on Anticipatory Action for improved landslide preparedness at Hotel Peninsula in Chattogram on Monday (December 15).
The day-long event gathered Disaster Management Committee DMC members, resource pool and interpreter pool members, landslide volunteers, government officials, community women groups, child representatives and civil society organizations for workshops and discussions on enhancing disaster readiness at the local level.
Md Ashraful Amin, chief executive officer of Chattogram City Corporation CCC, attended as the chief guest and stressed the need to continue and expand the initiative in the coming years. He called for extending the scope beyond landslides to include multi-hazards such as earthquakes and waterlogging within the city corporation area.
He also urged that knowledge and best practices generated at the community level be integrated into existing city disaster planning and shared nationally. Amin said the city administration could consider supporting and nurturing a limited number of landslide volunteers in the future and emphasized prioritizing child-centric early warning systems to reduce child casualties.
The session was chaired by YPSA Director Nasim Banu, who delivered the welcome speech. Key discussions focused on analyzing field experiences and community engagement over the past year, planning for long-term sustainability, identifying shortcomings in current landslide management and reviewing existing early warning bulletins.
Md Simon Rahman, senior manager at Save the Children, attended as a special guest while the session was moderated by Dr Morshed Hasan Molla.
During the open discussion, DMC members called for regularizing DMC meetings and increasing budget allocations for anticipatory action. The Safe Space Management Committee highlighted the importance of gender-responsive safe space management.
Interpreters requested that weather forecasts be issued in simpler and non-technical language. Landslide volunteers asked for more comprehensive training and essential equipment. Community participants expressed optimism that the initiative would be expanded to other high-risk landslide areas.
The program combined workshops, group work and an open-ended quiz to promote collaborative learning and generate practical recommendations aimed at building a safer and more resilient Chattogram.
